Wyclef Jean: Where Brad, Angelina Should Adopt Next
Credit: Soul Brother/FilmMagic; Kevin Mazur/WireImage for UNICEF
They're the proud parents of children from Cambodia, Ethiopia and Vietnam, but pal Wyclef Jean hopes Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's next adoption is from his homeland.
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"Brad and Angie, please! Please adopt a child from Haiti!" Jean pleaded to Usmagazine.com at the Nickelodeon Mega Music Fest in New York City on Saturday.
It isn't out of the realm of possibility, as Jolie told CNN she was open to the idea while visiting the country in February.
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"I'm always open to children around the world. We're that kind of family. Brad and I talk about that," Jolie said. "But that's not what we're focusing on at this time, by any means."
Since the devastating earthquakes occurred in Haiti earlier this year, Jean says both Pitt and Jolie have contributed to his relief efforts.
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"I have so many celebrity friends who have really supported this cause and who continue to support this cause," he says. "Our job is to help those little kids, to give them a chance. If we give them a chance they'll have a better tomorrow."
This isn't the first time Jean has offered parenting advice to the Jolie-Pitts. Back in April, he told Us he'd spoken with Jolie while the two were visiting Haiti.
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"I remember my last conversation with her was probably about the baby's [Zahara] hair and how it was rough," he said. "Now they use [hair product] Carol’s Daughter for her."
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82Angelina Jolie saved adopted babies life - Dr Jane Aronson A pediatrics expert has hailed ANGELINA JOLIE for saving her adopted daughter ZAHARA MARLEY from almost certain death in an Ethiopian orphanage. On her arrival in the US earlier this month (JUL05), the six-month-old baby was diagnosed with a salmonella intestinal infection as well as dehydration and malnutrition - conditions which would have led to her death in her African homeland. Zahara made a full recovery following treatment at New York's Presbyterian Hospital - and DR JANE ARONSON, who specialises in healthcare for infants adopted overseas, is convinced Jolie saved her daughter's life from the evidence she saw. She says, "Children with those conditions living in orphanages in developing nations can die quickly without the proper medical interventions. That would have been Zahara's fate had she not been adopted by Angelina and brought to the US for medical care. "In spite of her illness, she was very sweet, engaging and responsive. When she regained her strength she began to smile and coo. She was very connected to her mother during her hospitalisation. "It was clear that the love and devotion of her mother along with the antibiotics, intravenous fluids, and formula helped her to recover." Those of you who are concerned about american children read this
Lea IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE STUCK ON WHERE A CHILD COMES FROM. I SEE WHY SARA CALLED YOU IGNORANT MAYBE IT WAS LITTLE HARSH. YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE THAT THREE KIDS HAVE BEEN SAVED FROM A LIFE OF MISERY. DO YOU REALIZE THAT BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE HER INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION HAS NOW BECOME MORE ACCEPTABLE. ADOPTION IS NOT A CONTEST TO SEE WHICH CHILD GETS A HOME ALL CHILDREN DESERVE A HOME AND IN THIS CASE THREE KIDS NOW HAVE TOW PARENTS AND AWESOME LIVES BECAUSE OF ANGELINA. HER DAUGHTER WAS SERIOUSLY ILL WHEN SHE WAS ADOPTED WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO NOT ADOPT HER LET HER DIE TO ADOPT AN AMERICAN CHILD. AND IF YOU ANSWER YES TO THAT QUESTION ABOUT Z THEN IT SHOWS HOW SICK YOU REALLY ARE.IF YOU ARE SO WORRIED ABOUT AMERICAN CHILDREN WHY DON'T YOU ADOPT A COUPLE OF THEM. MANY OF THESE CHILDREN HAVE TO GO TO THERAPY TO DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES. MANY CHILDREN SUFFER FROM PHYSICAL DISABILITIES. IT DOES TAKE LONGER TO ADOPT HERE. YOU CANNOT EVEN COMPARE A CHILD LIVING IN THE UNITED STATES TO A CHILD LIVING IN AN ORPHANAGE IN CAMBODIA. I THINK SHE FEELS SOMETHING WHEN SHE SEE A CHILD THAT CAN POSSIBLY JOIN HER FAMILY. (MADDOX, ZAHARA, AND PAX) YOU CANNOT GO INTO ADOPTION WUTH THE ATTITUDE THAT YOU ONLY WANT AN AMERICAN CHILD BECAUSE THINGS HAPPEN. I WAS SUPPOSED TO ADOPT FROM THE U.S. THE FIRST TIME BUT ULTIMATELY I FELL IN LOVE WITH THE COUNTRY OF INDIA AND DECIDED MY CHILD WAS THERE. LEA OPEN YOU EYES THERE IS MORE TO THIS WORLD THEN THE UNITED STATES.
Lea ADOPTION IS A PERSONAL DECISION. YOU ADOPT FROM WHERE YOU ARE COMFORTABLE. A third world child has no shot at life. There is no education for them. Are they supposed to not get that shot at life.
LEA ONE MORE THING. HAVE YOU ADOPTED ANY CHILDREN FROM THE U.S. IF HAVE NOT STOP WHINING ABOUT IT AND ADOPT YOURSELF. INTERNATIONAL IS MORE PREDICTABLE AND YOU ARE GUARANTEED A CHILD. HOPEFULLY MY TWO COMMENTS TO YOU OPEN UP YOUR EYES.
Everybody: ADOPTION IS NOT A CONTEST. PEOPLE SHOULD NOT FEEL THAT ONE CHILD IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN ANOTHER CHILD. YOU HAVE TO HAVE AN OPEN MIND WITH ADOPTION. LEA I HOPE YOU READ THIS BECAUSE IT SEEMS THAT YOU ARE SO STUCK ON THE NATIONALITY OF A CHILD. BECAUSE OF ANGELINA THREE KIDS NOW HAVE A CHANCE AT HAVING A LIFE. DO YOU THINK HER KIDS WOULD BE GOING TO SCHOOL IN CAMBODIA, ETHIOPIA, AND VIETNAM. ALSO HER DAUGHTER WAS REALLY ILL WHEN SHE CAME HOME WAS SHE SUPPOSED TO JUST PASS ON ADOPTING HER AND ADOPT AN AMERICAN CHILD? PEOPLE HAVE TO ADOPT FROM WHERE THEY ARE COMFORTABLE AND HAPPY WITH. EXCUSE THE ALL CAPS!
Lea: Why does it matter where a child comes from? If she feels that her children are in different countries that is her choice to make. Adoption from anywhere is wonderful. It is a freaking shame that people cannot open up their eyes and see that the world larger than the united states. Many children here have so many problems that It may take years for them to fully adjust. If you read my other post none of my children come from America either because I was not prepared to handle a child who had been abused or shifted from home to home. Adoption is not a contest to see which child gets a home. When I adopted I went in with the attitude that I am giving a child a home and if I had to go overseas to do that than I would. Hopefully this makes people understand how beautiful adoption can be. Shame on everybody who can't see that she is saving a child. You all see that the child is from Africa or Asia etc.
Sify I think she does but she may feel a bit more for a child who lives in dire poverty,filth, a place stricken with illness. Can you tell me when this interview occurred I just want to see it. Like her I also make money here but none of my children came from this country. Had I adopted two American children instead of my son Jeevan (India) and daughter Amina (Liberia) both would be dead by now. My daughter was malnourished and my son needed heart surgery. International adoption is also a bit quicker and you do not have to worry about birth parents showing up and wanting their child back. That was a main reason that I decided not to adopt here.
all children deserve homes, yes, i couldn't agree more but why is it that when brad wanted to adopt an american child angelina snapped and got angry? i don't think angelina cares too much for americans. which is crazy because thats where she makes her money, thats where she was born and raised, that's where she lives
Very inappropriate indeed.
Very Inappropriate indeed!
derek You cannot get through to these dense people. All they see is that the child comes from another country.
Says: Where did you get the idea that nobody cares about American children. Any child regardless of where a child comes from deserves to have a home. Any child who does not have a home tugs at my heart. After speaking with a couple of my friends who are not only social workers but also adoptive parents explained to me why some people choose a foreign child over an American. First the birthmother chooses you and she may take the child back.To you may have to have an open adoption which means the birth parents would have some contact with the you and the child. That scares some people. Another reason is that some of these children are so messed up from being abused, abandoned, and shipped from home to home that they never really learn to trust and it may take years for them to fully adjust. I do believe that Angelina wants to do the right things. If she had not adopted Z from Africa in 2005 and instead adopted an american child Z would be dead by now. I read somewhere shortly after Shiloh birth that she fell in love with Cambodia and Ethiopia and decided that her children were there.
To all the people who are concerned about American children adopt them yourselves and you will see how long it takes and how many of these children have some serious issues. A child is a child regardless of nationality.
Says: My children were adopted pretty quickly to. Guess what I have one African daughter and she is okay with that. But we also live in a very diverse neighborhood she goes to a diverse school and I have taught her all about her country Liberia and her continent of Africa. If you raise children to have confidence in themselves they would be okay being the only African, or Asian child in the home. Buy the way if you read my post I broke down the fees that everybody pays when you adopt a child. It is not buying a child. It does not matter where a child comes from. I never said I care about Jolie I care about adoption because people keep making these idiotic statements. Adoption is a beautiful thing and something that is dear to my heart. I have two brothers one from Vietnam and the other India and we grew up just fine. I was not treated any differently then my brothers because I was the biological child.
Says: I really getting sick of people treating international adoptions as buying children. Here are the fees that you pay when adopting. Agency Fees Adoption agency fees vary widely different agencies have different fees for the same countries. The following is an example of one agency’s recent fees to use as a guide for estimating adoption expenses: Application $175 Homestudy $1,500-$2,750 Dossier Fee $2,700 Adoption Program Fee $4,750-$12,250 (varies by country) Travel for an escorted child $1,500-$4,000 Post Placement $700-$1400 Total: $11,325 - $23,275 I found this out by doing research and not making some dumb comment like that. I realize that everyone has an opinion but you were just completely wrong.Buy the way if you say Angelina bought her children do think that way about everybody else including myself who went overseas for an adoption Everybody pays these fees even Pitt and Jolie. You
karima and Anonymous It is actually harder to adopt here in the U.S. Thats why it took Ms. Bullock 4years to adopt Louis. Judging by how fast the Jolie-Pitt family has grown she may feel that international suits her better because she can adopt a child within a matter of months. Also many older children have been abused in some sort of way and have been shipped from home to home. She may not have enough time to help a child like that adjust. Adoption from anywhere is a wonderful thing. Adoption is also a personal decision made by the immediate family members thus Brad and Angelina. Its to bad that some people can't see that every child regardless of nationality deserves a loving home.
mellisa i don't think you fully read my post, i have white friends too and they are amazing and i would die for them but sometimes they just can't identify with my problems the way my black friends do. zaharah has a life of opportunity and that's all great but if angelina does adopt next (which i doubt she will, considering she's gotten as much publicity as she could out of all the adoptions) she should adopt an american black child that zaharah will have more in common with. you say that race doesn't matter, and that's true but why is angelina so obsessed with collecting children of different races? i read she is considering adopting a child from Syria next. her heart is not in the right place, she just wants a rainbow colored family to parade them to the rest of the world. maybe someone should tell HER that race doesn't matter........ and btw this isn't about me, i'm still in high school and yes one day if i have the means i will too adopt a child but if there are homeless children right outside my doorstep, why disregard them?
so she says she adopts children because she loves different cultures? so why then does she raise them as atheists and in america. this woman talks a whole lotta crap, how are her children supposed to learn about their own cultures when angelina keeps them in america or like recently in france? and are you saying orphaned babies in america don't tug at your heart like babies born in third world countries do? look my mom was born and raised in africa and yes there is a lot of poverty but i don't believe for one second angelina's heart is in the right place. and another point adopting a baby from as third world country is faster for rich people like angelina and madonna because they've got the cash, they are literally buying kids, ignoring laws. i have gone of my point, i did not read this article because of angelina, i do not care about her like you do marcus, i care about zaharah, i'm sorry but i see myself when i look at that little girl and yes she may have a life of wealth but money cannot make you happy when everyone is saying how jealous you are of your sister shiloh's beauty and on top of it you have no friends to identify with because your mommy doesn't send you to school
not a fan of these phonies-i'm jamaican and im 15 and i was born and grew up in the US in a mostly all white school and im fine, i proud of my colour but just because im black doesn't mean i only want black friends, most of my friends are white and i don't give a damn, and it don't feel alone, so maybe Zahara feels the same also just because the baby is black,white,chinese or indian it doesn't matter, every child deserves a home whether from America or Africa and if your so concerned about kids in America being left adopt them youself and don't expect Angelina to do all the adopting. I think she's awesome and she's taken children who need help into her home and Lea your post disgusts me, all countries need help, help the country youself if you want it to be done!
May 26, 2010 - 1:23pm * Says Like Angelina I also have the coordinates of my children's birth places tattooed on me. I did this because my children are the best things that have happened to me. By the way none of my children come from america