THE ADOPTED CHILDREN OF THE FAROE ISLANDS
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Children are a poor man’s wealth. – Danish Proverb PHOTO CAPTION: Faroese Community at Ólavsøka / Ólafsvaka in Tórshavn, Faroe Islands [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=5233247433389940&set=pcb.5233247610056589 [ALBUM SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/visittorshavn/posts/pfbid02psiWPhjxmwqaZR2aELAFjFywHjJfZGYxkZwy9pZabjQXHBikB1rQYRPNTn4qx7CRl] |
The Faroe Islands have one of the highest fertility rate in Europe with an average of 2.1 per woman. Even though their fertility rate has gone down in recent years, they are still the highest in Europe and they also have a high international adoption rate, where children from about 77 countries are adopted.
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Who takes the child by the hand, takes the mother by the heart. – Danish Proverb Faroese mother with her 2 children in traditional clothing. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=5233247450056605&set=pcb.5233247610056589] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/05/2025-mothers-day-sermons.html [ALBUM SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/visittorshavn/posts/pfbid02psiWPhjxmwqaZR2aELAFjFywHjJfZGYxkZwy9pZabjQXHBikB1rQYRPNTn4qx7CRl] |
In my previous post called ‘THE FAROE ISLANDS: CHILDREN’S WORLD IN EUROPE’, I blogged about how the Faroe Islands have a high fertility rate in Europe and in this blog, I will post about how the country has a high international adoption rate before giving my thoughts.
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"ילדים הם שמחה" (yeldim hem simcha). The Hebrew phrase for "children are a joy" is "ילדים הם שמחה" (yeldim hem simcha). "ילדים" (yeldim) means "children", and "שמחה" (simcha) means "joy" or "gladness". Participation in the Faroese labour force is the highest in Europe, especially among women, according to local data [PHOTO SOURCE: https://phys.org/news/2018-06-family-ties-faroese-women-europe.html] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-faroe-islands-childrens-world-in.html |
Remote Faroe Islands gives warm welcome to adopted children
October 24, 2007 — 3.45pm
Just 48,000 people live in the Faroe Islands, but they include children from Ethiopia, Korea and India, welcomed with open arms in this remote Atlantic archipelago where adoption rates are the world's highest.
Among the newest citizens is Anna Maria, who blew out the four candles on her birthday cake in the capital Torshavn one recent day, surrounded by family and friends.
Two years ago Anna Maria was adopted from a New Delhi orphanage by two local lawyers. Brother Ludvik, seven months older, was born in Bulgaria.
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‘It takes a village to raise a child’ ~ African Proverb Parenting is a collective effort from family, friends and the community. This helps shape children to become incredible individuals. The Faroe Islands has had the highest birth rate in Europe for decades, with around 2.5 children per woman, according to World Bank figures (June 19, 2018) [PHOTO SOURCE: https://phys.org/news/2018-06-family-ties-faroese-women-europe.html] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-faroe-islands-childrens-world-in.html |
A Danish autonomous territory, the Faroe Islands have "the highest number of adopted children in the world in proportion to the population," says Mette Garnes, a social worker at DanAdopt, one of two Danish adoption centres.
With 10 to 15 children adopted each year from Bolivia, Bulgaria, China, Ethiopia, India, South Africa, South Korea and Vietnam, the isolated and remote Faroe Islands have an unusually multiethnic population.
"In terms of appearances, it may look like a multiethnic mosaic, but these children are fully-fledged Faroese and considered as such from the day they arrive here. They are not immigrants or foreigners," says Anna Maria's father Heoein Poulsen.
A dozen adoptions a year may not sound like much. In relative terms however, it amounts to four times more than in France or Denmark, according to official statistics from those countries.
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5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families,[a] he leads out the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. – Psalm 68:5-6 (NIV) [PHOTO SOURCE: https://fortheloveofadoption.com/5-bible-verses-about-adoption/] https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/what-are-some-bible-verses-about-foster-care-and-adoption/ |
Moreover, the Faroese have a long tradition of adoption. In the last century, mothers who had many children or who lost their husbands at sea often gave one or several of their children away to childless women.
Yet surprisingly, the archipelago has a strong birth rate, with women giving birth to an average of 2.6 children.
"Everybody wants to have children," says Poulsen, who heads a support group for parents hoping to adopt.
He is fighting to get Faroese authorities to raise state allowances to adoptive parents from the current 50,000 kroner (6,600 euros, 9,500 US dollars) per adoption.
Adopting a child can cost parents up to 150,000 kroner (20,000 euros, 28,600 US dollars).
"But there's no price tag for a child for us, we can't imagine life without children," says Heoein's wife Birita Ludviksdoettir, 41, who was unable to have her own children.
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Honor the house in which you were born, the tree that gave you shade, and the village where you were raised. – Swedish Proverb A family all wearing the Faroese national costume, including the little boy in the the stroller in his Faroese hat [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.flickr.com/photos/purkil/5987935120..... https://images.app.goo.gl/LdBdumc5g9S1v1oe8] BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-faroe-islands-childrens-world-in.html |
The couple waited two years for their adoption to go through.
"The day we came home with Anna Maria and Ludvik was the happiest day of my life. We were met at the airport by our friends and family carrying flags and bouquets of flowers, as if we were heroes," Ludviksdoettir recalls.
"We were finally a family, and here, maybe more than in any other country, children are paramount," she says.
For Poulsen, who drops his children off at a municipal daycare outside the town every morning, the Faroe Islands are "a paradise for children, who live close to nature and their extended families and friends and in a peaceful environment with no crime."
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Your wife will be like a fruitful vine within your house; your children will be like olive shoots around your table. – Psalm 128 vs 3 (ESV) Faroe Islander Gunnhild Helmsdal (L) is awaiting the birth of her fourth child which will bring her family up to seven, including her husband and his daughter from a previous relationship (June 19, 2018) [PHOTO SOURCE: https://phys.org/news/2018-06-family-ties-faroese-women-europe.html] VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJbnK4ycJUI |
And the two children appear to have integrated well into their new surroundings.
"At the beginning, some of their friends were a little curious about their brown skin, but after that they were quickly 'adopted'," says Kristina Soemark who works at the daycare centre.
Like the two lawyers, 60-year-old Knut Gray also believes adopting his children was the "best gift ever."
One of the first islanders to adopt children from India in the 1980s, Gray says he and his wife Solrun "absolutely wanted to have kids."
Life without daughters Guunva, 23, and Anna, 21, "would have been empty."
And, he says, his daughters never experienced any racism.
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Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. – Psalm 127:3 (KJV) [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.kjv.cards/p/mothers-day ..... https://images.app.goo.gl/bQs6B7J9v75qsrbA6] |
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Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. – Psalm 127:3 (KJV) [PHOTO SOURCE: https://faithhopeandjoy.com/psalm-1273-heritage-a-blessing/] |
MY THOUGHTS:
I am happy that the Faroe Islands have their Plan B: high international adoption rate, those couples who desire to have children but are infertile will adopt children instead. Thankfully, the Islands are "a paradise for children, who live close to nature and their extended families and friends and in a peaceful environment with no crime."
Even though the fertility rate has dropped in recent years, the Faroe Islands have adopted 10 to 15 children each year from other countries, which will keep the population in a good replacement rate. I believe the Faroe Islands will join Israel, Africa and the Amish people in surviving a global population collapse.
As the late Michael Jackson once said:
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Love and help all the children, all the days of your existence. They need us. – Michael Jackson [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.picturequotes.com/love-and-help-all-the-children-all-the-days-of-your-existence-they-need-us-quote-358346] |
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“Help me, help the children.” – Michael Jackson Love and help all the children, all the days of your existence. They need us. – Michael Jackson [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.michaeljacksonslegacy.org/get-involved/volunteer/] https://www.michaeljacksonslegacy.org/michael/about-michael/ BLOG: https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-adopted-children-of-faroe-islands.html |
BIBLE VERSES ON ADOPTION LINKS:
https://www.focusonthefamily.com/pro-life/what-are-some-bible-verses-about-foster-care-and-adoption/
https://fortheloveofadoption.com/5-bible-verses-about-adoption/
Why Do Africans Have Many Children? | Cultural and Social Insights
Jul 15, 2024
In this video, we explore the fascinating reasons behind why African families tend to have more children. Dive into the cultural, social, and economic factors that influence high birth rates across the continent. We'll talk to locals in Tanzania to get firsthand insights and uncover the unique aspects of African family life. Whether you're curious about global demographics or interested in cultural studies, this video offers a deep dive into a topic that impacts millions.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrsSlUlprRE
RELATED LINKS:
The Hebrew phrase for "children are a joy" is "ילדים הם שמחה" (yeldim hem simcha). "ילדים" (yeldim) means "children", and "שמחה" (simcha) means "joy" or "gladness". Israel is the only OECD countries that have the highest fertility rate of 2.91 per woman.
From September 2023 to September 2024, about 183,000 babies were born in Israel, meaning that more than 400 babies were born per day. There was a similar case in 2022, in its annual Amish population study, the Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies at Elizabethtown College estimates that 1,450 Amish babies were born in Lancaster County last year. Only 145 Amish of all ages died. That population increase of 1,305 brought the total number of Amish living here to 44,315. There were more Amish births than deaths in that state.
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/12/israels-baby-boom-2024-children-are-joy.html
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/10/amish-baby-boom-part-1-proverbs-about.html
11 And she vowed a vow and said, “O Lord of hosts, if you will indeed look on the affliction of your servant and remember me and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall touch his head.” – I Samuel 1:11 (ESV)
Our home joys are the most delightful earth affords, and the joy of parents in their children is the most holy joy of humanity. - Johann Heinrich Pestalozzi
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/05/2025-mothers-day-sermons.html
Honor the house in which you were born, the tree that gave you shade, and the village where you were raised. – Swedish Proverb
THE FAROE ISLANDS: CHILDREN’S WORLD IN EUROPE
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-faroe-islands-childrens-world-in.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_the_Faroe_Islands
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