Resources for Adoption Paperwork Site Links

Resources for Adoption Paperwork:
Adoption Home Study Resources - 1-800-HomeStudy
Adoption Tax Credit - How to Claim the Adoption Credit
Colorado Bureau of Investigation
i-600instr.pdf (application-pdf Object)
Immigration Offices and Procedures in Colorado
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services - Office Locator Office Detail
USCIS Home Page
ChildCitizenshipAct_022701.pdf (application-pdf Object)

Resources for Paperwork after you are home:
PostAdoptPaperwork.pdf (application-pdf Object)
Child Citizenship Act Program Update
USCIS Home Page
Special Requirements for Children Under Age 16
Application for a Social Security Card
New Rules For Getting A Social Security Number And Card
Colorado State Judicial Branch - Self Help - Forms
also check out this post.

travel to Ethiopia --site links

Travel information:
http://ethiopiaguesthome.com/index.php?id=2 Ethiopia Guest House
Addis Ababa Local Customs Tips by DAO - VirtualTourist.com
Addis Kidan Guest House, Addis Ababa Ethiopia on Vimeo
Addiskidan Baptist Guest House
Beza International Church where we worshiped while we were in Addis Ababa
Immunizations, Health and Environment, El Paso County, CO
International Traveler’s Health Service at University of Colorado Hospital - University of Colorado Hospital
Port Angeles, WA - Welcome to Susan Parr Travel Agency Travel Agency Extraordinaire!!! Who we used and liked.
New Flower Guest House, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Guest House Extraordinaire!! Where we stayed
Passport Health Colorado, Denver Travel Shots, Colorado Immunization Services, Boulder Vaccinations, Malaria, Typhoid, Yellow Fever Vaccine, Travel Medicine, Global Travel Health
Center for Disease Control

Other posts:
Expectations
Arriving
Traveling through Frankfurt Germany
New Flower
Other ideas on places to stay
Packing list
What to do and see and shopping tips  For shopping.... IF you are a woman going alone and you do not feel up to going out alone or can not find a reliable driver to take you and barter for you...... Get a driver to take you to the Haile Selasse Market. It is a one stop shopping experience under one roof. It is fixed price and very reasonable. They have linens, clothing, books, baskets, carved animals, wool animals, flags, post cards, crosses, jewelry, etc.....

HOPE Enterprises, meal tickets to buy and give to beggars and others in need. Post with link to web site.

Site links for Ethiopian Heritage and History

Resources on Ethiopian heritage and history:
NOVA A Walk to Beautiful PBS
EAHCS Ethiopian American Historical and Cultural Society
EthiopianHistory.Com A history of Ethiopia
Imperial Ethiopia - Ethiopia's Religions
CIA - The World Factbook
Ethiopia
Ethiopia - History
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia - Home
circumcision female-Traditional Practices
Southern Ethiopia - Fascinating Tribal Cultures Photo Gallery by monique jansen at pbase.com
OneWorld Magazine - Ethiopia, The Lost Ark of the Covenant
The Tesfa Foundation The hope of a community is the mind of a child
Restaurant guide, this is a site for Ethiopian food, it has recipies and traditions, very informative, as well as helpful in finding a restaurant near you.

Resources for kids and families:
Welcome To The Colorado Heritage Camps, Inc.
AbshiroKids.com, kids info & gifts
Amharic Kids - Home, kids stuff
Ethiopian Kids Community Home, kids stuff
Ethiopian Kids Playground, kids stuff
KidMia - Instilling the Ethiopian Heritage in Ethiopian-American Children, kids stuff
More than 75 Culture Camps and Heritage Tours - Adoptive Families

Other posts:
100 Things
Birth
Hunger
a bunch of other posts

Site links for adoption resources

Other sites with good info and adoption resources/also sponsoring children:
Adoption Health and Medecine
Orphan Doctor
http://www.kingdomkidsadoption.org/
http://awop.org/
Ethiopian Children And Orphans' Association
MELISSA FAY GREENE'S UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO ADOPTION IN GENERAL AND ETHIOPIAN ADOPTION IN PARTICULAR Informative site Ethiopia
My Ethiopian Name - A Bravenet.com Hosted Site
Sponsor a child from Ethiopia - Ethiopian Child Sponsorship
Welcome to The Ethiopian Children's Fund
Home Ethio-blended families
Adoption - Adoptive Families
AACASA Home, resource, names
Welcome To Simple Language for Adoptive Families!
Ethiopian Orphan Relief, Inc. Home
Adoption Country Specific Information
Adoption Resource Center of Connecticut - Welcome
Hope for Orphans
International Adoption Seminars - Commonwealth Adoptions International
Adoption Advocates International -very informative site
Adoption Today magazine
Coalition of Colorado Adoptive Families 

Choosing an Agency

I am breaking up my original post of Ethiopian Adoption Resources so it is more easily searchable by content.  So this is the first of a few.

(In deciding on an agency you must be very careful. I used to have a few agencies listed here that passed my  inquisition and research mission. I have decided, that while MOST of them are still great, I will not post any agencies on this blog as recommended. So many have hidden stories and I can not uncover them all. There are others who do a great job of that. Please see the following sites and check out my other posts on choosing an agency.)


Check out the agency review web site and this site, adoption agency checklist for agency selection too. Also check the PEAR site (Parents for Ethical Adoption Reform) they have great info too.
Be sure to do a google search on any agency and the agency director/country coordinator's name(s) and the agency as well, and ask lots of questions. There is a yahoo group for the purpose of finding out about agencies, look into that too. I have posted a list of questions to ask on a few group sites. If you want my questions send me an email and I will send it to you. jillanddave@yahoo.com Decide what is important to you and use that as your guide. The most important thing to decide is if you feel comfortable with the level of ethics they have showed over the last 5 years. Be careful.

Other posts on this topic:
Other sites
Be careful
Questions to ask

Health Issues for Children Adopted from Ethiopia

Here is an excellent article on health issues for children adopted from Ethiopia. It is from the Orphan Doctor site.
If you are about to travel or have recently brought your child home, you should read this BEFORE your first Dr. visit. If you have already been to see the Dr. read it anyway, it will help the next time you go.

If you are in Colorado Springs, I would recommend ABC Pediatrics. They are very good, thorough and knowledgeble on these sorts of things. It was not until we went there (a year after getting home) that our son was successfully treated for Giardia with a new med that is really great.  Medication information: it is 45 ml tinidazole 250 mg/5cc suspension meds. It is the kind that kids who have been resistant to the traditional flagil seem to respond to. It worked and we had two rounds of flagil, and two rounds of something else and one round of another. Right now I don't know what the other two were.

Your child may also have a small scar on the upper arm. That is from a BCG for Tuberculosis. Your Dr. here may not know what that is for.

Circumsision: Well if he isn't that is pretty common. Do as you like, but medically it is controversial if it is even necessary. Most adhere to it is not, but there are some good reasons it may be. I guess it deserves a good search.

If SHE is......... this is also common for older kids anyway. Here is a great link to help for that very sensitive issue. Full Circle
Denver Post
Other skin issues post

sharing information and stories

Hi friends,

I got this from an online friend and she wants this shared everywhere. You can go to this blog and write your story. I like to share helpful information, as you see on my blog. You can share too on her blog if you would like to do so. Read below for details. As always if you have extra information you can share on any of my posts to make them better for others, PLEASE comment and leave more info for others reading here. Thanks!

Jill

 

Dear Friends,

 

As 2009 is coming to a close much quicker than I remember any year ending - my heart is very aware of the need for all who have been touched by adoption to share their stories.  To share what you learned from beginning to end - about your faith and how God grew you through this amazing experience.  How He provided the finances for your adoptions.  

Success stories that show God's faithfulness to provide.  His grace that is sufficient to meet your needs and how by it you were able to handle the challenges met once your child came home.  And is standing there with you each day.

 

These are just some of the ideas to get you thinking about how you can bless others even considering adoption:

 

Share what your wait was like - how you got through it.  Share how you chose your adoption agency and knew that God brought you to them so you could be matched with the child selected by God from before time even began.  Share your stories of how your child was not even ready for adoption until your dossier arrived in country.  Share what it was like upon meeting your child.  What was your time in country like and traveling home?  What is life like now with all the changes that have taken place to meet the needs of your child?  What resources have you found most helpful - books, DVD's, etc to prepare you for adoption?  What resources do you wish were available now that your child is home?

 

You don't have to share names.  You don't have to share dates.  You can do this all anonymously if you prefer. 

 

I pray you will join me in being a voice for the voiceless.  The more people hear the good, bad and even the ugly side of adoption in love and truth - the more people will be inspired to adopt.  The more families who can read our stories of success despite the years of challenges we have faced - from spiritual battles to emotional or physical the better we can stand side by side encouraging others facing the same things - sadly too many are doing it in secret and often alone!

 

Too many families (mom's mostly) feel like a failure when they have adopted - asked friends and family to help them raise money for an adoption only to come home and their world be turned upside down by the child they worked so hard to bring home.   For whatever reason they have not been supported and we as a body need to change that.  We can help them to stop believing the lies of this world and bring them the love they so desperately need to do the greatest job God could ever call any of us to do - parent the fatherless and too often forgotten.

 

Many of you have such beautiful success stories to share - especially those of you who have adopted toddlers and older children.  Please consider helping me to bring love where there is too much pain!

 

Happy New Year!  May God richly bless you and your families!

Jill Samter
ADOPTION IS FOREVER
http://adoptforever.blogspot.com

Birth in Ethiopia

In researching for my son's Life Book, I came across some interesting articles on birth and related topics in Ethiopia, etc..... You may be interested.
Blog with information on this: Choosing Life
Home Deliveries and untrained birth assistants
Nursing your baby for better health (Ethiopia)
Mother welfare and survival in childbirth
A study of medical and social practices
Child birth in rural Ethiopia  I would not recommend this site as a general one to read, but this article is interesting. Some errors, such as Coptic Church rather than the Ethiopian Orthodox church, but interesting information none the less.
Birth attendant training
Traditional medical practices in rural Ethiopia
Promoting safe motherhood
Birth registration promotion

2008 Christmas

Christmas letter from 2008. Because I could not figure out how to do this last year. This is the letter announcing the homecoming of our new sons! Most of the people who got this had NO IDEA we were adopting. What a shock. In fact the year before WE had no idea we were adopting in 2008 either. It all came about in half a year! What a blessing!

Merry Christmas letter

Merry Christmas. We just wanted to share our Christmas newsletter with you and I finally figured out how to get it from the computer to the blog. You can follow this link to see the newsletter if you are interested.  Our Annual Newsletter has been called the Wayfarer (after several corny versions of Khaliqi Chronicles and such) longer than we have had this blog, like maybe for 12 years or so......so welcome to the original Wayfarer, just in case you are new to it.
Our Christmas Letter for 2009
We hope your season is filled with hope, love, laughter and a light heart.

The Khaliqi's