mowa news

I am encouraged by the participation by the adoption agencies. There are many who have willingly and unwittingly participated in questionable and outright unethical actions. I am encouraged that they are willing to buck up and make the changes needed. There is some indication that things could change once the agencies are applying themselves diligently to ethical practices. For some this will mean things as usual, for others this will mean major overhaul, for others there will be slight changes.
There are no mentions of the 20 letters per day..... soooo...... we still wait on public confirmation for this. Who knows. 


Here is the latest from the state department
http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html

Here is the latest from two agencies. The fact that two are stating similar things is encouraging. Both of these are good agencies. One i know more about than the other and they are one of the top agencies in ethics and longevity in country. I expect there are more we just did not know about them. Thanks for the tip from a friendly reader:

From agency 1

Families~
We know you have been waiting, as we were, to hear about what took place at the
meeting today. Unfortunately, there are still many unknowns, but this it what we
have been told:
-The chairman of the agency network committee had a phone call with the minister
of the adoption unit at MOWA prior to the meeting. We do not know when this
phone call took place. The meeting was with all the agency reps, not with MOWA.
Apparently, the minister had too big of a workload to meet; this is why the
phone call took place.
-The minister (of MOWA adoption unit) told the chairman (of agencies) that there
is evidence of wrong doing by agencies. If agencies work hard at correcting this
a reversal may be considered.
-The agency reps came up with a "code of conduct" and have a specific committee
put in place to hold agencies accountable.
-The agency reps decided to have the network committee write up an appeal asking
the minister to reverse the decision urgently.
-the minister ordered the MOWA adoption workers to clear the back log of court
cases within 10 days. This applies to anyone who has a court case scheduled and
might even apply to any case that has been submitted to court, waiting for court
date.
-the time line is not known for any of this

Although we were really hoping for a concrete positive decision to be made or
announced today, we do feel that it is a positive sign that the minister seems
to know the importance of clearing up the current backlog of court cases. We
also feel it is a positive sign that the minister appears to be open to changing
this new process of 5 letters, provided agencies follow through on what they
have been told to do.

We have a conference call with all agencies later today and are hoping to get an
idea about what other agencies are feeling right now. If we have any new
information after that call, we will be sure to post it.

from agency 2

"According to information provided to Dove's attorney at the March 16, 2011
Network meeting, the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) plans to process the
approximately eight hundred (800) files that they currently have in their
offices. All families who were assigned a court date prior to March 10, 2011
are expected to be included in this group.

MOWA anticipates completing the review of the approximately eight hundred (800)
files in their offices within ten (10) to fifteen (15) days. Dove cautions
families to expect delays and a possible revision to this timeline. While we
are all hopeful for a quick resolution, an ethical review may take longer than
anticipated. As a reminder, MOWA must complete the review of the file and issue
the required letter to the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) prior to the courts
granting custody of a child. Prospective parents who have been assigned a court
date should still plan on traveling to Ethiopia to give their testimony on their
assigned date.

After completion of the eight hundred (800) files, Ethiopian officials will
determine what course of action to take; this may include increasing the number
of files processed on a daily basis. For now, families who are adjourned
(assigned a court date) on or after March 10, 2011, will likely be processed
according to the new, five (5) file per day rule. As this new regulation may
cause delays, we also believe that it could result in an even stronger, more
ethical process.

We have also been told that a Code of Ethics is being implemented by the Network
and several government agencies. On March 16, 2011 all adoption agencies
working in Ethiopia approved this code and submitted their revisions to the
Ethiopian government. This code will provide additional support to adoption
agencies who are working to provide ethical services in Ethiopia.

Ethiopia remains open for adoptions. Dove is continuing to receive referrals for
children and adoption files are continuing to be processed in Ethiopia. We do
not know, nor can we predict the impact this will ultimately have on adoption
cases. This requirement could result in a temporary delay for some files, a
minimal delay in future adoptions or a more significant delay. As we continue
to obtain information and wait for MOWA to processes current files, we ask that
you join us in praying for Ethiopia, the adoption process and everyone
involved."