Adoption of Ala'a Eddeen
Encyclopedia
The Adoption of Ala'a Eddeen is an adoption
of a then 9-year-old Iraqi
boy, who could not walk because he suffered from cerebral palsy
, by American Capt. Scott Southworth while he was deployed during the Iraq War.
This case became a beginning of the growing campaign for bringing more disabled and orphaned Iraqi children to the United States.
In 2007, CNN
profiled Scott and Ala’a’s story in its "Heroes: An All-Star Tribute"
. The story was chosen as one of 6 finalists.
to Iraq
Scott Southworth did not own a home, was unmarried, worked long hours, and "squeezed in his service as a national guardsman". Scott's family considered it to be an honor to serve in the military. He continued the tradition set up by the three generations of his predecessors: his great-great-great grandfather, his grandfather and his father. An evangelical Christian
Scott finished law
school, and planned to run for district attorney
's office after coming home from Iraq.
to Iraq in 2003. His deployment was to last 13 months. On September 6, 2003, half-way into his deployment Capt. Southworth with his unit visited an orphanage
named for Mother Teresa
. There were 20 children in the orphanage, all with physical disabilities. A few nun
s cared for the children and also taught them to speak some English
.
During their visit to the orphanage the soldiers played with the children. They wanted to make the kids feel better, but it was also their way to forget the horror they faced every day on the streets of Baghdad
: twenty soldiers of this unit were wounded, and one was killed. It was then that Scott first saw Ala'a. The boy, who lived in the orphanage since he was 4 years old, could not walk, but he dragged himself to Scott's side. The boy's English was limited, but he kept saying the word "bomb
". Scott tried to assure the boy he was safe now.
After the first visit to the orphanage soldiers kept coming back. The attachment between Southworth and Ala'a was growing. 31-year old Scott looked at Ala'a as a younger brother, but for the boy Scott was "Baba," that is "Daddy" in Arabic.
Southworth was informed by staff of the orphanage that within a year Ala'a would be transferred to a less hospitable institution prompting Scott to begin adoption proceedings.
Iraqi law prohibits the adoption of Iraqi children by foreigners
, but after returning home, Southworth was able to secure a humanitarian visa for the boy. By that time Southworth had been elected district attorney, and his income became steady. Southworth is grateful for the help from individuals and organizations that help him to bring Ala'a to United States: "We crossed political boundaries. We crossed religious boundaries. There was just a massive effort — all on behalf of this little boy who desperately needed people to actually take some action and not just feel sorry for him." Since Jan. 20, 2005 Ala'a and Scott have been living together. The boy's health has improved significantly, he's attending a school, enjoys math, likes reading, but weeps during thunderstorms that remind him of bombs.
When Southworth is asked while he chose Ala’a, he explains that it was Ala’a who chose him. "Ala'a really adopted me." - Scott says.
In 2007 CNN
profiled Southworth and Ala’a’s story in its “Heroes: An All-Star Tribute”. The story was chosen as one of 18 finalists. The money collected from the show was used to pay medical and legal bills for Ala'a. The pair have been the focus of a variety of media, including an article in the VFW Magazine, a full episode on PBS
, and a presentation at St. Norbert College
.
Southworth asked Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton for help in bringing other disabled and orphaned children to the US.
By 2009, 16-year old Ala'a had become a United States citizen.
Southworth says:
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
of a then 9-year-old Iraqi
Iraqi people
The Iraqi people or Mesopotamian people are natives or inhabitants of the country of Iraq, known since antiquity as Mesopotamia , with a large diaspora throughout the Arab World, Europe, the Americas, and...
boy, who could not walk because he suffered from cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term encompassing a group of non-progressive, non-contagious motor conditions that cause physical disability in human development, chiefly in the various areas of body movement....
, by American Capt. Scott Southworth while he was deployed during the Iraq War.
This case became a beginning of the growing campaign for bringing more disabled and orphaned Iraqi children to the United States.
In 2007, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
profiled Scott and Ala’a’s story in its "Heroes: An All-Star Tribute"
CNN Heroes
CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute is an annual television special created by CNN to honor individuals who make extraordinary contributions to help others. It is hosted by Anderson Cooper...
. The story was chosen as one of 6 finalists.
Scott Southworth
Before his deploymentMilitary deployment
Military deployment is the movement of armed forces and their logistical support infrastructure around the world.-United States:The United States Military defines the term as follows:...
to Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
Scott Southworth did not own a home, was unmarried, worked long hours, and "squeezed in his service as a national guardsman". Scott's family considered it to be an honor to serve in the military. He continued the tradition set up by the three generations of his predecessors: his great-great-great grandfather, his grandfather and his father. An evangelical Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Scott finished law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
school, and planned to run for district attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
's office after coming home from Iraq.
Meeting and adoption
Scott Southworth was deployedMilitary deployment
Military deployment is the movement of armed forces and their logistical support infrastructure around the world.-United States:The United States Military defines the term as follows:...
to Iraq in 2003. His deployment was to last 13 months. On September 6, 2003, half-way into his deployment Capt. Southworth with his unit visited an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
named for Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa
Mother Teresa , born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu , was a Roman Catholic nun of Albanian ethnicity and Indian citizenship, who founded the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India, in 1950...
. There were 20 children in the orphanage, all with physical disabilities. A few nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
s cared for the children and also taught them to speak some English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
.
During their visit to the orphanage the soldiers played with the children. They wanted to make the kids feel better, but it was also their way to forget the horror they faced every day on the streets of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
: twenty soldiers of this unit were wounded, and one was killed. It was then that Scott first saw Ala'a. The boy, who lived in the orphanage since he was 4 years old, could not walk, but he dragged himself to Scott's side. The boy's English was limited, but he kept saying the word "bomb
Bomb
A bomb is any of a range of explosive weapons that only rely on the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy...
". Scott tried to assure the boy he was safe now.
After the first visit to the orphanage soldiers kept coming back. The attachment between Southworth and Ala'a was growing. 31-year old Scott looked at Ala'a as a younger brother, but for the boy Scott was "Baba," that is "Daddy" in Arabic.
Southworth was informed by staff of the orphanage that within a year Ala'a would be transferred to a less hospitable institution prompting Scott to begin adoption proceedings.
Iraqi law prohibits the adoption of Iraqi children by foreigners
International adoption
International adoption is a type of adoption in which an individual or couple becomes the legal and permanent parents of a child that is a national of a different country...
, but after returning home, Southworth was able to secure a humanitarian visa for the boy. By that time Southworth had been elected district attorney, and his income became steady. Southworth is grateful for the help from individuals and organizations that help him to bring Ala'a to United States: "We crossed political boundaries. We crossed religious boundaries. There was just a massive effort — all on behalf of this little boy who desperately needed people to actually take some action and not just feel sorry for him." Since Jan. 20, 2005 Ala'a and Scott have been living together. The boy's health has improved significantly, he's attending a school, enjoys math, likes reading, but weeps during thunderstorms that remind him of bombs.
When Southworth is asked while he chose Ala’a, he explains that it was Ala’a who chose him. "Ala'a really adopted me." - Scott says.
In 2007 CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
profiled Southworth and Ala’a’s story in its “Heroes: An All-Star Tribute”. The story was chosen as one of 18 finalists. The money collected from the show was used to pay medical and legal bills for Ala'a. The pair have been the focus of a variety of media, including an article in the VFW Magazine, a full episode on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and a presentation at St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College
St. Norbert College is a private Catholic liberal arts college in De Pere, Wisconsin. Founded in October 1898 by Abbot Bernard Pennings, a Norbertine priest and educator, the school was named after Saint Norbert of Xanten. In 1952, the college became coeducational and today enrolls about 2,175...
.
Southworth asked Lt. Gov. Barbara Lawton for help in bringing other disabled and orphaned children to the US.
By 2009, 16-year old Ala'a had become a United States citizen.
Southworth says:
Being upset just isn't enough. Sympathy just isn't enough. These kids need action, and we're in a position where we know these children, we know what can happen here in the United States if they're brought here, and we're going to do something about it.