CNN news story about African adoptions

CNN front page article on African adoptions. This is an interesting article, vague and not very well founded, but worth consideration, and touches on the idea that some regulation is needed. Yes, it is needed, but not to halt it all. Protect the children, yes, we all want that. No one wants to adopt a child who was kidnapped, trafficked, or sold. No one.
Interesting read.

Wall Street journal article

Here is an interesting article on Ethiopian adoption. It was published in some Wall Street Journal publications.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304811304577368243366708110.html

USCIS announcement regarding I-600 petitions

This is what seems to be holding up many an adoption. Be sure to do your paperwork the way they want it. If your agency is not giving you the correct info you need to insist they do. 

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=ethiopia_11

Notice: Information regarding processing of Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative, Filed at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa

In January,April and September, 2011, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, the Office of Children’s Issues of the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducted public meetings for adoption service providers (ASPs), adoptive parents, and other stakeholders to address concerns about the quality and completeness of intercountry adoption cases presented in Ethiopia. To ensure prompt adjudication and avoid concerns about possible malfeasance, it is important that I-600 petitions (Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative) and accompanying evidence be fully and carefully prepared before presentation to the Embassy.
Approximately 80% of I-600 petitions submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa in recent months were incomplete, contained inconsistencies or errors, or did not contain sufficient evidence to document the child as an orphan under U.S. law. In addition, the Embassy continues to see cases which involve abandoned children but do not include sufficient evidence to document the abandonment and/or evidence of appropriate efforts to locate a child’s birth family. The Embassy also has received evidence of unethical recruitment of children from birth relatives and cases involving known birth parents from whom parental rights have not been severed by the Ethiopian courts. In these cases, consular officers in Addis will need to take additional measures to confirm that a child meets the legal definition of orphan, which could delay processing by several months.
The Department of State and USCIS remind all families interested in adopting from Ethiopia that consular officers are required to forward any I-600 petition that is not “clearly approvable” to the USCIS Field Office in Nairobi for adjudication.
For families that already have an I-600 petition on file at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, consular staff will advise them when a determination is made to approve the petition and the case may be scheduled for an immigrant visa interview in Addis Ababa, or when the petition is not “clearly approvable” and forwarded to USCIS Nairobi for adjudication. Upon receipt of a petition,” USCIS in Nairobi will notify the parents that the case has been received and issue any requests for additional evidence if necessary. Families can find more information about processing I-600 petitions referred to USCIS Nairobi at www.USCIS.gov under “Adoption/Country Information.”
It should be noted that, although this update specifically addresses I-600 petitions filed with the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, USCIS sees similar problems with I-600 petitions filed with the USCIS National Benefits Center (NBC). Families can contact NBC at NBC.Adoptions@dhs.gov.
If families have concerns about their adoption, we ask that they share this information with the Embassy, particularly if it involves possible fraud or misconduct specific to their cases. The Embassy takes all allegations of fraud or misconduct seriously.
The best way to contact the Embassy on issues related to adoption is by email at ConsAdoptionAddis@state.gov. Please include your name, your child's name, your adoption agency, the date of the adoption (month and year), and, if possible, the immigrant visa case number for your child's case (this number begins with the letters ADD followed by several numbers and can be found on any document sent to you by the National Visa Center). Please let us know if we have your permission to share concerns about your specific case with Ethiopian government officials and any other person or entity.
We strongly encourage you to register any complaint that you may have about an adoption agency in the following ways:

• You may file a complaint with the state licensing authority where your adoption agency is licensed and conducts business. The Child Welfare Information Gateway, which is maintained by the Department of Health and Human Services, provides such a list at the link below: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/reslist/rl_dsp.cfm?rs_id=15&rate_chno=AZ-0008E
• You may also file a report with the state's Better Business Bureau. Following is the link to the Better Business Bureau's website where you may file a complaint on-line: https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx
• If your agency is a Hague-accredited adoption service provider, you may file a complaint on the Hague Complaint Registry located at the link below. While Ethiopia is not a Convention country, the ASP’ practice in a non-Convention country may impact its substantial compliance. http://adoption.state.gov/hague_convention/agency_accreditation/complaints.php The U.S. Embassy continues to work with the Government of Ethiopia to ensure that appropriate safeguards exist to protect prospective adoptive children, their birth parents, and prospective adoptive parents.

We encourage prospective and adoptive parents 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 relevant information on www.adoption.state.gov as we receive it.

Africa Rising video and article

Just wanted to share this video and article regarding a group of Ethiopians using their natural resources well to feed their community. What if Africa could feed itself? What is holding it back? What help does it need to go forward in health and prosperity? Maybe this article and show will provide some of the answers.
View it here.

Some heartbreaking news

http://spearsfamilyne.blogspot.com/2011/08/why-god.html
In the above blog article you can read a little bit about the unfortunate and heartbreaking news given to 5 families from CHFS.
Five families who had attended their first court have been told that the court will not approve the adoption. There is the idea that the court had "passed" and that it is being overturned. I am not sure of the actual logistics of the situations, however, it is very discouraging for the families. They are effected by the orphanage closings and reshuffle  in Awassa. The children are to be placed back with their families.

While this is heartbreaking for the families involved and quite disheartening for countless other PAP's waiting...... I do want to say that the first and foremost interest is the child and ethics of adoption. We don't know the exact situations here, but the fact that there are birth families to which the children could be reunited in the opinion of the court says they are doing their job. We hope that the future does not bring more of this sad news to parents but instead makes these decisions ahead of time. This will increase the ethics of adoption in Ethiopia. We are sad for these families and hope that they are able to open their hearts to a new referral of a child who is truly available for adoption.

State Department on Orphanage closures in ET 7-2011 confirmation

Notice: Confirmation of Orphanage Closures in Ethiopia

Ethiopian government officials have confirmed that several orphanages in the Southern Nations state are closed due to revocation of their licenses to operate by Ethiopian authorities. 
These orphanages are:

• SOS Infants Ethiopia (Arbaminch, Dilla, and Awassa branches)
• Gelgella Integrated Orphans (Tercha and Durame branches)
• Bethzatha Children’s Home Association (Sodo, Hosaena, Dilla, and Awassa branches)
• Ethio Vision Development and Charities (Dilla branch)
• Special Mission for Community Based Development (Hosaena branch)
• Enat Alem Orphanage (Awassa branch)
• Initiative Ethiopia Child and Family Support (Awassa branch)
• Resurrection Orphanage (Hosaena branch)

According to officials in the Charities and Societies Agency office, which oversees the licensing and regulation of orphanages in Ethiopia, the children in the care of those facilities have already been transferred to other orphanages. 
Ethiopian officials indicate that cases involving orphaned children from these facilities that are already pending with the Federal First Instance court will continue to move forward.  The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa is working closely with Ethiopian officials to determine if children from these facilities who were previously referred for adoption or matched with prospective adoptive parents will be allowed to continue in the adoption process.  MOWCYA officials have confirmed that the affected children’s case files are currently being reviewed, a process that is expected to last at least one month.
We continue to ask prospective adoptive parents and agencies that hear news of specific closures to inform the Department.  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 confirmed information on www.adoption.state.gov as we receive it.

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

radio show on adoption

I wanted to make you aware of a web site. I have noted this one before. Creating A Family. They have a radio show that I am linking here that directly talks about Ethiopia. There are a bunch of great shows that will help you along the way on every phase of adoption. This particular broadcast features Melissa Fay Green.
Check it out: Creating A family radio show

MOWA/MOWCYA court news

Just wanted to direct your attention to a few newish resources and articles regarding the MOWCYA slowdown.

The actual notice from MOWCYA regarding the slow down -original statement. This is a great thing to read for yourself. It is clear and well laid out with thought and intention. 

Department of State notice regarding a statement issued by MOWCYA more recently affirming the slow down for ethical integrity. While Ethiopia has not stated at this time the actual number it will be reviewing per day, the US Embassy feels that 5 is what can be expected.

An interesting article written as opinion by an Ethiopian national on this topic.

With this in mind, I have had some families note that with their agency families who have received referrals after this proclamation are still receiving court dates for as early as May. It will be interesting to see how things adjust to the new normal.

MOWA/MOWCYA court news phone conference April 6, 2011

Children's Hope International posted it's commentary review of the April 6th phone conversation. Read it here.
This is the pack of slides that go along with this presentation. Slides.

This is a very good presentation. It seems that the main thing that they are working to change is to have USCIS verify the orphan status of the child before the child  goes to court so that when Ethiopia declares the child legally and irrevocably adopted by the new family then the Embassy can be sure that the status of the child also follows US guidelines and is as sure as possible that this is true and verified fact. This is a good idea. It is also what the court is hoping to do so that would work in tandem.

I appreciate that the court is saying that it will push through those who have been given a court date. After that they will implement better investigations to verify orphan status of children. Due to this they will not process as many per day. Then they will see how that goes and alter as needed. I am glad that all the major parties are invested in ethical practice and will be working together to ensure this. I believe that this will help to bring the number up again in time. Of, course only for those children who are really and truly adoptable. This is of course in everyone's best interest not just the child. Really who wants to adopt a child who will later tell you that their situation is quite different than what you were told.

Sounds like encouraging news all around. Not fast, but it is the effort to maintain "open for adoption" status and to clean up ethics that will benefit the program the most in the long run.

USCIS presentation 4-6-11

Here is the visual of the presentation from USCIS phone conference. Still waiting on verbal transcript of that.

politician is a fellow adoptive dad!

Ok, VERY FEW of you are in the Colorado Springs area. But, I want to put this out there for those of you who are. If you are trying to decide who to vote for for mayor please give Brian Bahr a good look. He and his wife are traveling to China to pick up their newly adopted daughters. As with any international adoption there are many unknowns and for a China adoption you could get the call that you can go at any very unexpected time. WOW! they got the call and despite the mayoral race he is going. That says a lot to me. Check him out and make your vote count.

MOWA/MOWCYA court news

WACAP had issued a paper on the topic of the Ethiopia adoption court slowdown. You can read it here. There is a lot of good information here, nothing new, but well written.

National Council For Adoption has issued their statement on the recent happenings as well. You can read that here.

Both are vague as there is not a lot of clear information out there about how this is going to play out or effect current or future adoptions. Both are also supportive because they support ethical adoptions and are most interested in the well being of the children.

Another view on the MOWCYA slow down

A news article about the issues in Ethiopian adoption by an Ethiopian American. This is a good article and gives some view into the issues around adoption and the perception of Ethiopians in Ethiopia as well as some here in the US. I want to point out that the persons mentioned in the article as having concerns are those in the elite societies of the culture. This is the same report we heard when we were there in 2008.  Many, many others who we have met in that time, there and here, are more than supportive, seeing the problems. In most cases we are asked how our children came to be orphaned. They are always pleased that we adopted them. We have never felt anything other than support. For a culture who prides itself in it's young people as the future of the country, there would naturally be alarm at so many of them leaving and under questionable circumstances perceived by this group of concerned persons. I will agree with the article in the stance taken to suspend the authority of any agency found to have engaged in fraudulent practices regarding obtaining children for adoption. This must be stopped. The Ethiopian government has the right to pull the licenses of adoption agencies who are found to have been unethical in this way as well as to suspend the license of others while suspicions are investigated. Let's hope they do it and get it done quickly so children who are truly in need of a family can be given that very precious gift.
So, with that said. Go read this very very excellent article, expressing some real and legitimate concerns.
http://ethiomedia.com/above/2284.html

MOWA/MOWCYA court news //encouragement for PAP's

Some recent news from an agency:
___________________
We thought we should share two more good pieces of news to start the weekend!

First, MOWA wrote 25 letters yesterday! These are letters for all agencies and we are not sure if this trend will continue, however we will take it while we can!

Second, all our families that traveled for court on March 11, 2011 passed!
____________________

I think that it is encouraging to see the effort to get the letters done for kids who are waiting for their family to be able to pick them up. And, for the first time in a long time all families passed because NO ONE was missing their MOWA (now called MOWCYA) letter!!!!! That is great news!

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."

news on the recent MOWA happenings

Well, one reader found good news on an adoption agency site. It goes well with the information I have been getting from other sources as well. So, as they say it so well............ I will post so you can go read it for yourself.
http://adoptedbydesign.typepad.com/blog/2011/03/ethiopia-update.html

news on the recent MOWA happenings

Confirmation of the MOWA informal allowance to process 20 letters per day rather than the official notice of 5 letters per day.I got this a few days ago.
This is the second adoption agency I have heard of stating this.
http://adoptian.blogspot.com/2011/03/good-news-out-of-ethiopia.html

Joint Council is also confirming that they received this news but are waiting for a more formal statement before embracing it as a ruling. They are cautiously optimistic, as we all ought to be.  I am still optimistic. I am also still waiting to hear more on the meeting yesterday...... anyone find some news? Please comment!

news on the recent MOWA happenings

A new article, NO new information. Of course this is in panic mode........... again, which I feel is unnecessary and does not show any sort of trust in the ability of those at work to solve the problem of unethical practices and still continue adoptions. I believe they are able and will do the best job they can to right the system. I believe they are working for the child.
You can read the article here. A bit dramatic, but that is what makes news.
http://betheanswerforchildren.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/ethiopia-washington-times-article-by-andrea-poe/

Another agency post their take on the conference call:
http://www.westsandsadoption.org/ws/state-department-conference-call/
Again, I still maintain my hopeful belief, that things are going to work out for the better. I see a lot of working on it and a lot of belief in the need. There is no guarantee. Still we pray and wait with hopeful hearts.

Kat shares many of my feelings and thoughts and so I would like to link to her posts on this topic because I feel they add to the discussion and thoughts on the recent happenings: 
Momentum 1
Momentum 2

There are two bloggers who do personal blogs that I like the posts they have written on this topic. How they feel about it and their own personal ideas on the topic. They both take the side of being more interested in the ethics of the thing than in the slow down itself. Read them if you are interested.
The Watershed
Gracelings

MOWA court news //encouragement for PAP's

I just want to take a post to encourage all of you waiting PAP's out there. I have watched the program in Ethiopia for three years now. We brought home our two sons in 2008. There have been numerous changes and statements issued and all sorts of new things put into place in that time. Each time there was 1. a statement (which is a more formal level but comes after a lot of talking and informal statements in country, so, not out of the blue as it seems to us), 2. a panic by all sorts of invested parties, including much action and waiting 3. a discussion within country as well as with those invested parties, 4. an alteration and a more formal statement of new practice, 5. and things settled back into a good balance and adoptions continued. Changed, but still moving. Slower and slower, but safeguards are good to ensure the continuation of the program.
I know that this is similar. Maybe a bit more drastic change will come but really, I think it will not be as drastic as it is being made out to be right now. Drastic things have been proposed before and a more moderate version has taken effect. Ethiopia recognizes the need for adoption and that there are not many good options for the children in country. They know the extent of the issue and they are willing and wanting to continue adoptions. They are working hard, very hard, to maintain the program and to make it ethical. It is really hard to do this and they are working at it.
I am not saying this won't slow things down or change things. I am saying it may not be as bad as it looks right now. Things will settle. If you are in limbo to commit. Wait to see what comes of this. Maybe a few weeks. Then decide if you are willing to go for it. If you are waiting for a referral this will slow things down some. No agency can tell you how much right now. We will all know more in a few weeks. If you have a referral and are waiting court. The thing that will be slowed down is the letter from MOWA. I *suspect* that if a child is waiting to pass court after having not passed they will continue to try to work those out a bit quicker. I am also guessing that a special needs child (however they choose to define that) will move a bit quicker too. If you have passed court, this should not effect you at all.

So, IF things go as they have for the last three years we should know more about how this is really going to actually play out some time in early April. I am just guessing, but it is based on the last three years. So, lets all pray hard, sign the petitions, send our letters and wait.