What does it cost to raise a child? As demonstrated in the opening credits of The Simpsons, it's $847.63 per month (a figure cited in a study at the time the show went on the air in 1989). 17 years later, the Simpsons are still going strong and haven't felt the effects of inflation, but it's a safe bet this amount has now doubled.


Some skeptics questioned when I threw out a figure of 14¢ a day a few months ago as the amount Zoe's orphanage was spending per child. Just not possible. Well, it turns out that 14¢ may be at the high end of orphanage care in Russia. According to the Guardian, some Russian orphanages are somehow operating with under a penny a day per child in funding.

Foreign adoptive parents and agencies have always supplemented Russian government spending with donations to orphanages. Fewer adoptions being processed mean fewer donations are finding their way to greater numbers of children requiring basic care.

Meanwhile, the children continue to wait...and wait...and wait. At pennies a day.

¶ 4:43 PM