Heartbroken Maltese Couple Fear They Won’t See Their Adopted Indian Child Until Next Year
As the world sees some return of normality, some haven’t seen a ray of certainty since the COVID-19 reached pandemic status.
Maltese couple Angie and Kevin Farrugia have been anxiously waiting for news from Malta and India’s authorities as to when they can bring home their adopted two-year-old named Sathvika.
The Farrugia family, who have another daughter from India – 4-year-old Anamika – hoped to bring her new sister to Malta before her third birthday. But as India nears the five-month mark of lockdown, the likelihood of bringing Sathvika to Malta before August 23rd is looking slimmer than ever.
“We are heartbroken,” Angela explained.
“India’s government is resisting all options and there seems to be no way of reaching her or us bringing her home.”
It’s been two years since the adoption process began. But then India shut its borders and visa applications on 11th March when the outbreak of COVID-19 surged, the same day they had applied to make the trip.
Photos of Sathvika at the Indian orphanage
“We still have no clue when we are allowed to fly and till now no one made exceptions for us.”
While the couple is in close contact with her carer, they only get to interact virtually with Sathvika, who lives in an orphanage in Anantapur, once every three or four weeks. And since the pandemic hit India, Angie fears her daughter’s well-being is deteriorating.
“She has lost a lot of weight, as poverty in her orphanage is higher than usual,” she added.
Luckily, the couple manages to send parcels of shopping through their adoption agency with Amazon India.
“We even starting sending toys since I have learnt that they had none.”
But the Farrugias are not the only families in distress. There are two other Maltese couples stuck in limbo over the fate of their children in India.
“We know that Sathvika will need therapy,” Angie warned. Every day apart is affecting her development.”
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