How to Use This Blog

A Wayfarer is a person who is traveling through......life, a particular place, a circumstance, a stage of life, etc. Let's walk the road of adoption together. The journey is so much better with company!
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Much of this information is useful for any adoption, but this blog is designed to be a
RESOURCE BLOG for ETHIOPIAN ADOPTION.
I hope this blog will be helpful to you in your adoption whether you are considering, waiting or home. I started this blog when we were adopting and found there was next to nothing on the web in any orderly manner. I set about to collect information for myself and then for others. Now, there are more sites for resources, but still not much that brings it all together. I hope this blog will serve as a sort of clearing house for Ethiopian Adoption Information. Please feel free to contribute your knowledge through commenting.
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You can search by topic in three ways. 1. Go to the "key word" tabs on top and open pages of links in those topics. 2. Use the "labels list" in the side bar or 3. use the "search bar" above the labels list. You can also browse the blog by month and year in the Posts section or in any of the above as well. The sidebar links are to sites outside of this blog. While I feel they provide good information, I can not vouch for each site with an approval rating. Use your own discernment for each. If you have more to add to the topic, please add it in the comment section of that page or post.
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And, please link to The Wayfarer Adoption Blog by putting my button on
your blog so others can use this resource too. Please link to this blog when ever you can and whenever you re-post things (or images) you have found here. Thanks!
The solid tabs are links to my other blogs for books and family. Check them out if you are interested.
Welcome to the journey!

Monday, July 25, 2011

KIDMIA aids local Ethiopians in adopting orphans

I want to send you all this news article about KIDMIA and the work they are doing to help the cause of the orphan in Ethiopia. I think you will all be encouraged and inspired by this bit of news. Because of a project called Seed Adoption bringing the news of how local people can be involved in adoption of children many local Ethiopians are now adopting orphans, keeping them in their own country and culture. This is a great thing and I personally am really excited about it.
Check it out.

KIDMIA

State Department on Orphanage closures in ET 7-2011

Notice: Orphanage Closures in Ethiopia

The Department of State has learned that several agencies are reporting to their clients the closure of Mussie Child Care Center in Hosana, Ethiopia due to a revocation of their license to operate by Ethiopian authorities. The Department is aware that rumors of several other orphanage closure are circulating through the adoption community.
The Department is seeking confirmation from Ethiopian authorities regarding the revocation of Mussie’s license and subsequent closure. We ask prospective adoptive parents and agencies that are hearing news of specific closures to inform the Department. The Embassy in Addis Ababa is working to gain confirmation of orphanage closure rumors from the appropriate authorities. Please send any specific information regarding orphanage closures to AskCI@state.gov with the subject line "Ethiopia Orphanage Closures."
Prospective and adoptive parents are encouraged to remain in contact with their adoption service provider to stay up-to-date on any information pertinent to their individual case. The Department will post any confirmation on www.adoption.state.gov as we receive it.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Skin issues to consider, Vit D, Melanoma, White patches, scalp issues

Being summer and more skin exposed and shorter hair, new braids, etc.... some skin issues may come up for our kids.  I just want to give some links and ideas about some of them.

1. Vit D.
Yes our kids need vitamin D. We all do. There are many schools of thought out there. I would say that it would be well worth your time to have your child's vit D levels checked and ask the doctor about a reasonable supplement. It is hard to get all we need just from sun. Various factors involved in that are ideas about the angle of the sun, where on the body or eyes is the most absorption, etc. Time in the sun, season, and much more. It gets complicated and even when we think we are getting sun exposure.... we end up deficient. If you are interested in this you can check out this article: Vitamin D Council.

2. Melanoma.
This goes with the vit D issue in that it is related to sunscreen, long sleeves, hats and sunglasses.... and sun exposure. While there are fewer cases of melanoma skin cancer in persons of African descent, there are fewer cases among them that have recovery stats. than those of European descent persons. So, block up.
You can read about that here: http://www.skincancerinfoline.com/skin-cancer-african-americans.html

3. Scalp issues:
OK, we know many of our kids come home with ring worm on the body and scalp. What we don't often consider is that sometimes a strep or staph infection can go along with that and persist even after the scalp ringworm is long gone, these occur when there has been scratching, lack of good hair hygiene, dirty conditions, impure water, etc. along with the tinea scalp fungus. This is usually seen in scaly patches that can be yellowish and may often ooze. Check it out: Strep follicultis, staph infections,

There is also a dermatitis of the scalp that can be seen and is itchy and annoying.  Another site that has good info on a variety of scalp issues is here at Health Hype. A whole web site dedicated to hair disease! Who knew.

4. White Patches on the face or body.
There are a lot of things that could cause this. Ring Worm, other fungus like Tinea versicolor, vitaligo or excema, or just regular old dry skin. If a great lotion or cream does not help your child then consider some of the other options. Check the links for more info. Another skin irritant causing white bumps on the skin is Psoriasis. Impetigo is a skin issue but also a hair follicle issue worth checking out. This is a great article that discusses many different skin irritants and is useful for ruling out or identifying possible irritants for the Dr. to check out.

Please post comments with more links and other ideas on these issues.
Thanks.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Ethiopian Festival in Denver, CO

Just want to let you know about a really good opportunity for those of you in COLORADO.
There is going to be an Ethiopian Festival sponsored by The Association of Ethiopian Community in Colorado, Inc.

WHEN: July 24 Sunday 9 am to 9 pm
WHERE: City Park Denver, CO
For more information contact them at:
EthiopianFestivalColorado@yahoo.com

An update 7/10/11:

This is their official press release

FIRST ANNUAL ETHIOPIAN FESTIVAL OF COLORADO
The first annual Ethiopian Festival of Colorado will take place on Sunday, July 24, 2011 in
Denver City Park from 9 AM to 9 PM, hosted by The Association of Ethiopian Community in
Colorado, Inc. in partnership with BBVA Compass Bank. It is open to the public, so that we may
share the beauty, history and celebration of Ethiopian culture with our fellow residents of
Colorado. Community Members and supporters alike will gather together in the Meadow Area
of Denver City Park for a family-friendly, fun-filled day of music, dance, food and joyous
celebration of all people of Ethiopian heritage alongside those with interests and involvement
in Ethiopian culture. BBVA Compass Bank will be an active participant, introducing its
compassionate and ingenious Compass for Your Cause® campaign, in support of The
Association of Ethiopian Community in Colorado, Inc. and the association’s community activism
and long-term goals for the local community.

You can find out more from their facebook page.

You can also learn more about their organization on their web page.

I would like to note that a few of the restaurants are also sponsoring this event as it seems from their poster on facebook.

I recieved an email from them inviting adoptive families to come and please spread the word. Please feel free to re post this post on your blogs and other places. Thanks.
Related Posts with Thumbnails

Sponsor a Child

Disclaimer

The content on The Wayfarer:Ethiopian Adoption Resource Blog is for informational purposes only. We are adoptive parents, but we are not professionals. The opinions and suggestions expressed here are not intended to replace professional evaluation or therapy, or to supersede your agency. We assume no responsibility in the decisions that families make for their children and families. There are many links on this blog. We believe these other sites have valuable information, but we do not necessarily share all of the opinions or positions represented by each site, nor have we fully researched every aspect of each link. Please keep this in mind when visiting the links from this page.
Thank You.

A Links Disclaimer

I post a lot of links. I do so because I feel that the particular page has good information and much to offer. I do not necessarily support all that each site has to say or promote. I trust you to sift the links for information you feel is worthwhile to you. Each person's story and situation are unique and different things will be useful or not useful to each one in different ways. Please use your own discretion when accessing links and information.