Happy New Year!!

From all of us at IAN, to all of you, our best wishes for a wonderful 2011!!

Our offices are closed today, December 31. 

Ending 2010...and a request

As 2010 draws to a close we find ourselves looking back over the year at IAN.  We have so many reasons to celebrate, including children finding their forever homes, new orphanages to work with, new humanitarian projects, new staff...we are going to need a newsletter to describe it all!  In fact, you can look for IAN's Newsletter to launch in January of 2011. 

At the same time, we want to enter 2011 with plans to continue to improve our service. We need your imput on this.  If you have comments, suggestions, concerns, or even praises, please take a moment to email them directly to IAN's Executive Director Joan Strauss at sjoan@adoptioninternational.net.   We value your thoughts, and look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you in advance!!!

IAN Office Closed Tomorrow

The IAN office will be closed tomorrow, December 24th for Christmas!  We will be back in the office on Monday, December 27th.  Happy holidays everyone!!

~ IAN Staff

Yep - Another One!!!

One more family accepted their referral for a precious baby girl today.  Congratulations to the happy family!

Everyone after #2 on the infant girl list moves one step closer to their referral!!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Another referral!

Congratulations to another happy family today!!  A gorgeous baby boy found his forever home today! 

The waiting lists move as follows:

Everyone below #3 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #15 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #3 on the siblings list moves up one spot

Referral Acceptance!

After a very long and emotional journey, we are very happy to announce the referral of a beautiful baby girl!  Congratulations HD and Baby S!

An exciting referral acceptance!

We are very excited today to announce the referral of a beautiful infant girl and a four year old boy who has been waiting over 4 months for his forever family!!!

The wait lists move as follows:

Everyone below #3 on the infant girl waiting list moves up one spot
Everyone below #4 on the toddler boy waiting list moves up one spot
Everyone below #19 on the siblings waiting list moves up one spot

Congratulations to the very happy family!!

Moving Day!!!

IAN is expanding our offices today!  For those of you who have visited us, we will now have our current office space, AND the old space we used to have across the hall. 

There may be times today when our phones and / or email are down, please be patient with us and we will get back with you as soon as we can!

Notice from State Department

Dear IAN Families,

The following notice was posted on the State Department website this morning. 

Adoption Alert: Ethiopia

Adoption Processing at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa

December 7, 2010

The Department of State continues to be concerned about reports highlighting adoption related fraud, malfeasance, and abuse in Ethiopia, and acknowledges the concerns expressed by families over the integrity of the adoption

process.  The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa actively tracks all adoption visa cases, incorporating information

provided by adoption agencies and the Government of Ethiopia, to ensure that the adoption process continues to

operate transparently and ethically.

The Ethiopian government requires that adoptive parents must appear at the Ethiopian federal court hearing for their adoptive child in order for the adoption to be approved.  If there are two adoptive parents but only one parent can attend the hearing, special permission from the federal court must be obtained in advance,* and the attending parent must have a power of attorney from the other.  It generally takes three weeks or more after the court date for the adoption agency to obtain the documentation necessary for an immigrant visa application, including the adopted child’s birth certificate and Ethiopian passport.  Adoptive parents can expect to wait at least one month after the court hearing for a visa interview appointment. 

Adoptive parents should be aware that in all adoption visa cases worldwide, an I-604 investigation must be

completed in connection with every I-600 application.  Depending on the circumstances of the case, this

investigation may take several weeks or even months to complete.  Additional information may be required to

determine the facts surrounding a child’s relinquishment or abandonment and whether a child meets the definition of an orphan under U.S. immigration law.   The Embassy strongly recommends that adoptive parents who return to the U.S. after the court hearing not travel again to Ethiopia for the immigrant visa process until they have confirmed with their adoption agency that the Embassy has scheduled a visa interview.  Those who plan to stay in Ethiopia

between the court hearing and interview should obtain Ethiopian visas in advance of travel, and ensure the validity of their visas to avoid immigration proceedings and/or significant fines.

* If only one parent meets the adoptive child before the court date, the child will qualify for an IR-4, not an IR-3 visa (which means that the child will not become a U.S. citizen upon entry to the United States and will have to be re-adopted in the United States).

The Embassy's Adoptions Unit can be reached at consadoptionaddis@state.gov.

Please continue to monitor http://adoption.state.gov/ for updated information.

Letter from Joan about pictures

Hello Families,


Thank you for the outpouring of responses from so many of you in regards to the new procedure for pictures. Our intention is to take the burden of taking photos off of our families and make the entire process better for the children, staff and parents. For a long time, we have been heavily reliant upon our parents for new pictures of the children. All of our parents have been gracious about giving their time and energy for this, which includes taking the long list of all children, making signs for the kids, spending their time taking pictures of all children at the IAN Care Center and Orphanage, and sorting and sending them to IAN upon return. IAN has grown, and with that growth has come challenges. We have been working on a way to make the process of picture taking more ethical and easier for all. After much discussion, I have created the photo policy, as well as all other IAN policies.


We have added two more staff to our in country team. In the coming weeks, we will have an additional third employee. With the new staff and increased number of children, IAN will now be responsible for taking children’s photos and updates. We will get updated photos once a month. We hope this will take the pressure off of traveling families so they will have more time to spend with their child(ren) and enjoy their time at the IAN Care Center and Orphanages. If for some reason we are unable to receive pictures from our staff on a regular basis, we will modify the policy and make whatever changes are necessary to ensure families are receiving pictures of their children.


Adoptive Parents will still be permitted to take photos of children and distribute them to families if they wish! With this policy, this can be done without first sending pictures through IAN. Parents will just need a signed release from the adoptive families before they can do so.


IAN understands the importance of having photos of your child(ren) for their future, and we want to continue to provide these to you.

We have emailed the updated Photo Policy with the Photo Release to all families. If you have any questions or concerns about this new policy, please contact your coordinator.

Thank you,
Joan Strauss, MA
Executive Director

Referral Acceptance

Happy Holidays indeed for the lucky family who accepted their referral for an adorable four year old boy today!!    The list movement will be as follows:

Sibling list:  - Everyone after #21 moves one spot
Infant boy: Everyone after #30 moves one spot
Toddler boy:  Everyone after #6 moves one spot. 

Congratulations to the happy family, and to all of you who are one step closer to your referrals!

Letter from Liz!

Dear IAN Families,
As many of you know, I recently visited Ethiopia for a very quick but exciting trip. In just four short days, I was able to meet all of our in country staff (including some new staff!), go to court and embassy, visit the new care center, and of course meet many beautiful children waiting to come home. It was wonderful to finally meet our in country staff and see the process first hand from Ethiopia. I learned many things and brought back exciting news and updates!!


Children and Staff
From visiting the care center and orphanages, it was easy for me to see how happy and well cared for the children are, and how much the staff absolutely loves them! The kids spend time in school every day, and I even had the chance to hear them sing songs in Amharic and in English!! It was a wonderful experience being able to meet so many children we have been working hard to bring home!


The New IAN Care Center
As you all know, we have now moved into a new, bigger care center. I visited the new location before the move and it will be great for the children and staff. There are more rooms and space for the children to play. We have a big indoor classroom and a wonderful setup for all of the bedrooms and offices.


New Staff
We are happy to introduce a new member of the IAN Ethiopia Staff. His name is Robel and he will work primarily as our Ethiopia Travel Coordinator. All traveling families will get the chance to meet Robel. He has years of experience working with inter country adoption and has so much to bring to our team! I met with him and I know all of you will find him friendly and helpful.


New Guest House/Hotel List
With the new move and staff, we have updated our list of Guest Houses and Hotels to include the most convenient and comfortable choices for your stay in Ethiopia. This new list will be effective starting January 1st.  Please contact your coordinator if you would like the updated sheet with contact information. The list includes:

1. Yebsabi Guest House
2. New Flower Guest House
3. Ethiopia Guest Home
4. Addis View Hotel
5. Ethiocomfort Guest House (for extended stay only)


Procedures in country
I had the chance to visit many of the important people and different sectors involved in the adoption process in Ethiopia. It was a very eye opening experience!! First, I can’t tell you all enough how knowledgeable and motivated our in country staff is. They work tirelessly to get everything together as quickly as they can to help bring the children home! My second eye opening observation was the size of the staff at MOWA and the courts. The MOWA adoption team is very small, making it easy to fall behind and difficult to get even a small mistake corrected. There is only one judge working on adoption cases for all of Ethiopia! It is amazing that such a small team can do so much every year!!


Pictures
One thing observed at the care center and orphanage was parents taking pictures of the children while they were there visiting their child(ren). This is uncomfortable for the staff, the children and many of the adoptive parents. It is taking too much from the adoptive parents limited time with their child(ren). While I know many of you love being able to help us, and help families by bringing pictures back of their child(ren), this will no longer be allowed. We have arranged for our in country staff to take regular updated pictures of the children (without nametags!) so adoptive parents will no longer be responsible for photographing children other than their own.  If you have pictures for your own personal use with other children included, this is fine but remember these cannot be posted online.  Please understand that this is being implemented to help relieve the stress on the children and staff, as well as help adoptive parents have a better experience in country.


For Embassy
It has been confirmed that the only required document needed at Embassy for the IR3 visa is the entry stamp in your passport from your court visit. They will not require a photo of you and your child(ren) or a notarized copy of your entry stamp.


Photo Book for Birth Families
Adoption is always a family’s last choice and no family ever wants to say goodbye to their child(ren). It is heartbreaking for these families and while they are saddened by this loss, they are happy to see what their child(ren)’s life will hold in the future. One thing that birth families’ love is to have a photo book of the adoptive family. We have always known that it was only ok to bring loose photos and a letter, but we have now learned it is fine (and strongly encouraged) for adoptive parents to create a small, simple photo book for the birth family.



Overall, while the trip was short, it was extremely productive and helpful!! Ethiopia is a wonderful country filled with rich culture and incredible people. I feel more honored than ever to be working with such an amazing country. I am excited for you all to make your trip to Ethiopia!!!



Sincerely,

Liz Bogetveit
International Program Supervisor

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

A reminder that IAN will be closed Thursday, November 25 and Friday, November 26 to celebrate the holiday with our families.

Good News from Ethiopia!

IAN’s executive director, Joan Strauss returned last night from a very successful trip to Ethiopia, and we have several exciting announcements to make!!

IAN’s Care Center is on the move – again! We have found a beautiful, 16 room building with a courtyard for a very reasonable price. This will allow the IAN offices to be in the same building, and to have specially designated rooms for family meetings. We are looking forward to having the new Care Center open and operating at the beginning of the new year!

IAN has also developed working relationships with two additional orphanages! The first one, the Special Mission for Community Based Development (SMCBD) Orphanage,is in the Soddo Region of Ethiopia. The second one, the Shalom Orphanage, is in the Awasa region.  Shalom has already assigned several children to IAN for placement as soon as their paperwork is ready and approved. 

IAN will continue working with Sele Enat, Selam and possibly Yengeda Orphanages. Please be assured that IAN has fully verified the credibility of these new orphanages with MoWA.  Both are fully licensed and accredited and are in good standing.

We would like to thank all IAN families for your patience during this time of slow referrals. As you know, while IAN is committed to completing adoptions in the most ethical manner possible, we are also committed to finding homes for a few of the five million orphans still without care in Ethiopia.

Please come back here often for news on IAN's International Program Supervisor Liz Bogetveit's trip to Ethiopia (she's there now!), an update on the humanitarian work IAN has completed in Awasa, and of course, referral acceptances!!

 

Updated Grace Guest House contact information

Hello IAN Families,

One of the recommended guest houses for families travel is Grace Guest House.  Joan has visited and thinks it is a wonderful place to stay during your trip!  We just received information regarding their contact information.  The old email address is no longer being used and all families should contact them at graceguest2010@yahoo.com.

As always, please contact your coordinator with any questions!

~IAN Staff

Update on Meeting Birth Families

Many of you are planning on meeting the birth family of your child when you travel. We think this is wonderful! It is a once in a lifetime opportunity to gain perspective on your child’s history. IAN has always done everything in our power to facilitate these meetings, and we have always honored and respected birth families for the challenges they are facing and the sacrifices they are making for the sake of their children. In the past it was very common for birth parents to meet with and say goodbye to their children at the orphanage immediately after they testified at court.

With the new regulations, all adoptive families will be able to meet the birth family of their child shortly after court. Culturally, Ethiopian birth parents are expecting a meeting with the adoptive parents and the child or children. While we understand that this situation can be a very difficult and emotional experience, it is important to remember where the children came from. This is the only opportunity birth parents will have to say their final goodbyes to their children. We ask that all adoptive parents be as sensitive as possible and respect the wishes of their child’s birth family.

As always, your coordinator is available to address any concerns or questions you may have.

Referral accepted!!

We are happy to announce a beautiful baby boy found his forever home today!  Congratulations to the happy family!

The lists move as follows:
Everyone below # 3 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #6 on the siblings list moves up one spot

Sibling referral accepted!!

We are thrilled to announce that two beautiful children have found their forever family today!  Congratulations to the happy family!

The list moves as follows:

Everyone below #9 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #2 on toddler boy moves up one spot
Everyone below #15 on the siblings list moves up one spot
Everyone below #42 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #22 on the infant boy list moves up one spot

Where are the Infant Referrals?

This is by far the most commonly asked question we get at IAN.  Many of you remember the days when an average wait for an infant was around six months, and it was not uncommon for several babies to be referred every month.

So what has changed?
Changes in the way the Ethiopian government over the last several months has lengthened all aspects of the process.  It takes longer for all of the paperwork to be completed and for children to be cleared for adoption.  This is hard on waiting parents, but it is a very good sign for the commitment being shown to continuing adoptions in the most ethical way possible.

Another change is that Ethiopia has become one of the most popular programs for international adoption.  This means there has been an increase in families applying to adopt, and an increase in agencies working in Ethiopia.  More people on the list means a longer wait.  Every other agency we network with is experiencing the same things: lots of older kids and very few infants.  This includes US agencies and others worldwide. 

What is IAN doing?
IAN has been regularly sending US staff to Ethiopia to work on increasing the number of orphanages we work with, without distracting our Ethiopian staff from their regular duties.  Executive director Joan Struass made one trip in the spring, Tomas Bayou has been in Ethiopia for the last several weeks, and Joan will go again next week.  This year we've already added two orphanages to our network, and we hope to add three more by year end.  While we can't control when babies become available, we can do everything in our power to increase the odds. 

What is the Good News?
In 2009, IAN referred 35 children under a year old to their families, along with 43 children older than a year.  In 2010, we have referred about 17 children under age one so far, and 55 children older than one.  The number of infants is indeed lower, but not the overall totals.  We anticipate more referrals in the remaining weeks of 2010. 
As you know, the world of International Adoption is unpredictable and ever changing, but  IAN is committed to doing everything possible to unite families and children. 

Sibling Referral!!

We are so happy to announce that two sibling boys from our waiting child site have found their forever home today!!  Congratulations to the happy family!!

There was some movement on the list today:

Everyone below #24 on the siblings list moves up one spot.

Travel Q & A

With our new itinerary, we've had many of you asking for clarification.   These seem to be the most common questions:

-Why does IAN have an itinerary now?  We never had one before.  There are several reasons.  One is to make your experience more enjoyable.  Another is to honor the schedule of the children and nannies in the care center and orphanage, which we'll talk about more below.  Finally, it's to respect the time of our in-country staff.  With so many families traveling, and the additional court trip, it would be so easy for our staff to get overwhelmed.  We know they will want to provide the best hospitality possible, and yet still focus on the most important job: getting children home.  By making travel a group experience rather than individual service, we are saving time and resources, which in turn benefits your children and the ones who will come after you. 

-Do we have to follow the itinerary?   Only for your court appointment and visiting hours at the orphanage/care center.  The tours and fun events are completely optional.  Keep in mind that our staff will be limited in the services they can provide outside of the itinerary.

-Will this cost us extra?  Yes and no.  There is no additional fee added to the in-country fee you already pay.  If there is a cost, such as for dinner out, you will be responsible for that on your own. 

-Am I allowed to go to the orpahange AND the Care Center?  Yes. 

-Why are visiting times with my child limited?  To protect the routine of the children.  All of our children are on a schedule of meals, naps, school for older kids, etc.  As parents know, having visitors come and go all day can be very disruptive and unsettling for the children.  As always, IAN's first priority is the care and well-being of our children.

-Will I receive an itinerary for my embassy appointment travel?  Yes, but the schedule will be minimal.  Our experience is that families traveling for their embassy appointment want to spend as much time as possible bonding with their new children - we think that's great! 

-Can I stay at guest houses or hotels not on the list?  Of course!  IAN staff just won't be able to provide transportation to other places. 

-Can I have the itinerary now?  Your coordinator can send you a sample of the itinerary if you're interested.  The sample is subject to change, and your official version will be sent to you about a week before travel, as soon as all families in your party have submitted their itineraries. 

Did we miss any of YOUR questions?  Leave them in the comments or contact your coordinator. 

Another referral acceptance!!

We are very happy to announce our second referral acceptance today.  A very happy family accepted the referral of a beautiful three year old boy.  Congratulations!!

The list moves as follows:
Everyone below #30 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #5 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #21 on the siblings list moves up one spot
Everyone below #52 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #16 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot

Referral Accepted today!

A baby boy referral was accepted today!!  Congratulations to the happy family!

The lists move as follows:
Everyone below #14 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyoen below #2 on the infant boy list moves up one spot

A Special Referral Acceptance!!

All of the IAN staff is thrilled to announce two more waiting boys have found their forever family!!  These handsome brothers, ages 5 and 7, have been waiting for their family for six months, the longest any IAN kids have waited.  All of the staff has fallen in love with these sweet boys, and have anxiously awaited the day we could announce they have found their home.  We are so thrilled for the family adding these two wonderful boys to their home!!  

Travel Updates!!

We are pleased to announced the brand new travel services now being offered by IAN's in country staff for families in Addis for their court appointment! 

IAN will now be providing transportation to scheduled visits to the Care Center and Orphanages, along with visits to local sights of interest while families are in town for their court appointments.  We ask families to plan their arrival for two days before their scheduled court appointment, and their departure for two days after.  The schedule for these five days will be filled with official business, visits with children, and fun group activities.  Your coordinator will provide you with an exact itinerary before you travel.  This schedule will apply only to court travel, as families traveling for embassy dates generally prefer to stay near their guest house and bond with their children. 

We will also be asking families to chose from four lodging options:  Hilton Hotel (court only), Yebsabi Guest House, Ethio Comfort Guest House, and Grace Guest House.  Please ask your coordinator for more information on these places.   You are welcome to stay in other guest houses or hotels, but you will be responsible to meet the group at one of IAN's recommended choices. 

It is our hope that not only will families enjoy their time in beautiful Ethiopia more with this new service, but also to reduce the strain on our in country staff by adhering to a schedule.  For this reason, we will be limiting services by IAN staff and visits with children to ONLY these five days, and visits with the children for the scheduled times.  Please understand that this allows our staff to focus on all of the work required to get these children home safely, and allows the children's schedules to stay consistent.   

These new services go into place for the November 22 court appointment.  Please feel free to contact your coordinator for more information. 

  

Referral!!

A beautiful 2 year old girl found her forever family today!  Congratulations!!!

The list moves as follows:
Everyone below #4 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #11 on the infant girl list moves up one spot

Referral Accepted!!

Two beautiful sisters, 2 and 4 years old, found their forever family today!  We are so happy for this family!

The waiting list moves as follows:
Everyone below #5 on the siblings list moves up one spot
Everyone below #21 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #8 on the infant boy list moves up one spot

Homes for 3 Waiting Boys!!

We are so happy to announce that 3 of our beautiful, young boys on the waiting child site have found homes!  Congratulations to the happy families! 

We now have 13 children waiting to find their forever families.  If you are interested in more information, please contact us at 303.691.0808 and help us bring these children home!

Training Updates!

Our next Older Child Webinar has been scheduled for Tuesday, November 9th from 7-9pm (mountain time).  All families adopting a child over age 2 is required to complete this wonderful training.  If you have questions, or would like to register, please call the office. 

The General Information and Cultural Awareness Training is also available on our website under Parent Training, Session V.  Please contact your coordinator for the password. 

Have a wonderful day!

~IAN Staff

Waiting Child Referral Accepted!!

We are so happy that one of our waiting boys found his forever home today!  We now have 14 children (3-10 years old) waiting for homes. If you are interested in getting more information, please contact us!

There was movement on the lists today with this referral acceptance. 

Everyone below #35 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #8 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #49 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #14 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot

Congratulations to the family!!

~IAN

Referral Accepted!!

We are happy to announce that a beautiful boy found a home today!!  The list moves as follows:

Everyone below # 28 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #4 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #49 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #14 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #20 on the siblings list moves up one spot

Congratulations to the happy family!

Great News!!!!

*The courts in Ethiopia are officially open today!!!


Announcing a referral accepted today!!!
Congratulations to the family who accepted a referral of an adorable toddler boy!! The lists move as followed:
Everyone moves up one if they are after-
Infant boy #27
Infant girl #49
Toddler boy #4
Toddler girl #15
Siblings #20

Waiting Child Referral Accepted!!!
Congratulations to the family who accepted a referral of a sibling group on our waiting child site yesterday!!
IAN has many children available for adoption on the "Waiting Child" page on our website (under Ethiopia). For more information, please contact Crystal in the office at 303-691-0808 or your coordinator.

Another beautiful referral and list movement!

We are happy to announce that a beautiful baby boy found his forever family today! 

The list moves today as follows:
Everyone below #2 on the infant boy list moves up one spot!
Everyone below #3 on toddler girl list moves up one spot!

Congratulations to the happy family!!

Long Awaited Referral Accepted!!!!

We are so excited to announce that the referral of a precious baby girl was accepted today!   We, like many of you, have been anxiously awaiting movement on the baby girl list, and this seems like a great start.  Let's all keep our fingers crossed that this will be the first of many!! 

Everyone after #2 on the baby girl list moves up one spot!! 

Thanks to all of you for your patience, and congratulations to the happy family!

Confirmed Court Opening Date!

Dear IAN Families,

We received confirmation from our Ethiopian staff about the court closure.  The court has announced they will re-open on September 28th, 2010.  Thank you for being so patient during this time!  If you have any questions, please contact your coordinator!

~IAN Staff

Referral!!

We are very happy to announce a beautiful 2 year old boy has been matched with his forever family today!  The lists move as follows:

Everyone below #42 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #22 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #3 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot

Congratulations to the happy family!!!

Updates

IAN Families,

Thank you for being so patient during the Ethiopian court closure! 

We are happy to announce that we no longer have a hold on our infant applications for new families!!  Please contact the office for more information if you are interested in applying!

The office will be closed on Monday, September 6th in observance of Labor Day.  We will be back in the office on Tuesday, September 7th.  Have a wonderful long weekend!

~IAN Staff

Another Sibling referral today!!

We are happy to announce another sibling referral this morning.  A 5 year old girl and 5 year old boy were matched with their forever family this morning.  More list movement:

Everyone below #23 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #2 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #13  on the siblings list moves up one spot
Everyone below #43 on infant girl moves up one spot
Everyone below #10 on toddler girl moves up one spot

Congratulations!! 

Sibling referral!

A 4 year old girl and 2 year old boy were matched with their forever family this morning!  The list moves as follows:

Everyone below #3 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #1 on toddler boy moves up one spot
Everyone below #2 on the siblings list moves up one spot
Everyone below #16 on infant girl moves up one spot
Everyone below #3 on toddler girl moves up one spot

Congrats to the happy family!!

Referral!!

Two beautiful infant boys have been matched today!!!!  The list moves as follows:

Everyone below #2 on the infant boy list moves up 2 spots!
Everyone below #1 on the siblings list moves up one spot.

Congratulations!!!!

Dear IAN Families,

We are working to improve our parent training and cultural awareness surrounding adopting from Ethiopia. We have completed our new general and cultural sensitivity which is now available to you for FREE! This is a great training which includes information on many different topics including; the adoption process, staff roles in the US vs. Ethiopia, the average day in the care center, an adoptive parents journey, Ethiopian culture etc.
This training is required for all families. It does not take too long and can be completed in multiple sittings. Please find this training on our website at under the parent training tab, under session V or http://www.adoptioninternational.net/train/index.php. Please contact your coordinator for the password. Please complete the final questionaire and return to your coordinator for credit. We have had a few families complete this training so far and we have heard great feedback. If you have any questions, please contact your coordinator!!
There will also be an older child adoption webinar starting in September. This will be a live, 2 hour training required for families adopting children over age 2. The first two webinar dates will be announced soon (expected dates 9/21 and 9/25).
We hope these trainings will help you throughout your adoption and after coming home!! As always, if you have any questions or concerns, don't hesitate to contact us! Have a great day!

~IAN Staff

More referrals and list movement!!!

We are happy to announce another referral today!!  A family accepted a boy and girl sibling set (2 1/2 year old girl and 3 year old boy).  The list moves as follows:

Everyone below #3 on toddler girl moves up one spot.
Everyone below #3 on siblings move up one spot
Everyone below #1 on toddler boy move up one spot
Everyone below #5 on infant boy moves up one spot
Everyone below #14 on infant girl moves up one spot

Another family has decided to pursue a domestic adoption and has been removed from the Ethiopia list.  The following lists move:

Everyone below #41 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #11 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #24 on the infant boy list moves up one spot

Feel free to contact your coordinator if you would like an update on your current list numbers!

Another Referral accepted!!!

Another family accepted a referral for a beautiful 3 year old girl this morning.  The lists move as follows:

Everyone below #21 on the siblings list moves up one spot
Everyone below #21 on infant girl moves up one spot
Everyone below #11 on toddler girl moves up one spot

Congratulations to the happy family!!

More Referrals Accepted!!

Today two THREE children found their forever families!

One family accepted a referral for a one month old baby boy, the second family accepted their referral for a toddler boy.  A third family accepted a five year old girl referral!!  Congratulations to both all three families!!!

The wait list movement is:
-Toddler boy list:  Everyone after # 7 moves up one spot.
-Infant boy list:  Everyone between #3 and #17 moves up one spot, everyone after #17 moves up two spots. 
-Toddler girl list:  Everyone after #11 moves up one spot
-Infant girl list:  Everyone after #33 moves up one spot. 

Another referral!!!

We are very happy to announce that a beautiful little girl found her forever family today!!  The list moves as follows:

Everyone after #4 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone after #15 on the infant girl list moves up one spot

Congratulations to the happy family!!!

Nepal Suspension

The US Department of State announced the suspension of new adoption cases for children who have been identified as abandoned. This is effective today, August 6,2010 to all families who have not yet received a referral. The Department of State has concluded that the documentation they have seen with referrals is not reliable, and they can no longer reasonably determine if a child is an orphan.

The state mentioned that there are 80 cases that have been matched in Nepal, but there is no I600 petition or visa. We will be contacting our facilitator in Nepal today for more information regarding all of our Nepal families. At this point, we do not expect to see any referrals from Nepal, as all referrals have been abandonment cases from Nepal. USCIS is allowing all families to transfer their case to another country at no cost.
IAN will keep you informed as we hear more information. We are happy to speak with about Nepal and your options. Please do not hesitate to contact us anytime!

Links to suspension posts:
http://adoption.state.gov/news/NepalFAQ.html

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/08/145767.htm

And another referral acceptance!!!

A toddler girl found her forever family today!  Congratulations!!

The wait list movement is as follows:
Everyone after #4 on the infant boy list moves up one
Everyone after #1 on toddler boy moves up one
Everyone after #10 on infant girl moves up one
Everyone after #3 on toddler girl moves up one
Everyone after #2 on siblings moves up one

Yet Another Referral Acceptance

A sibling group of three sweet kids has found their forever home!!  Congratulations to the new family!

The waiting list movement is:

• Everyone after #6 on the infant boy list moves one spot.
• Everyone after #4 on the siblings list moves one spot.
• Everyone after #14 on the infant girl list moves one spot. 

New Children!!!

Dear IAN Families,
We have new children!!! We hope we will be able to find wonderful families for them very soon! If you are interested in getting more information on any of these children, please contact your coordinator. If we do not find matches for them by August 18, 2010, they will be placed on the waiting child site. We hope to hear from you soon!

Children looking for families:

4 year old boy
5 year old boy
5 year old boy
6 year old boy

Another Referral Accepted!!

Yesterday a family officially accepted the referral of one of the precious toddler boys who had been waiting!!  Congratulations to the family on their new son! 

All of the following lists will move one spot:

-Everyone after #21 on the infant boy list
-Everyone after #36 on the infant girl list
-Everyone after #5 on the toddler boy list
-Everyone after #13 on the toddler girl list
-Everyone after #15 on the sibling list. 

As always, please contact your coordinator with any questions!

Sibling referral!!

We are happy to announce that two beautiful sisters, 2 and 6 years old, have found a home.  The lists move as follows:

Infant girl: Everyone after #22 moves up one spot
Toddler girl: Everyone after #7 moves up one spot
Siblings: Everyone after #7 moves up one spot

Congratulations to the happy family!!!

Referral!!!

We are happy to announce that one of our waiting children has officially been matched with his new family.  Congratulations!! 

Another beautiful child found a home today!!

A referral was accepted today for a 3 year old girl.  Congratulations to the happy familiy!

The list moves as follows:

Everyone below #5 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #1 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot

Another Referral Acceptance and more!!

Today a family accepted a referral for a 3 year old boy!!  The wait list movement is as follows:

-Infant boy - everyone after #34 moves up one spot.
-Toddler boy - everyone after #7 moves up one spot.
-Infant girl - everyone after #56 moves up one spot.
-Toddler girl - everyone after #21 moves up one spot. 
-Siblings - Everyone after #21 moves up one spot. 

Congratulations to the whole family!! 

By the way, please check out http://www.adoptioninternational.net/ and see the new forever family pictures!  If you would like to see YOUR family there, please let us know. 

Revised Referral and List Movement!!!

We are happy to announce a family has accepted their referral for a beautiful 6 year old girl today!  The list has moved as follows:

Everyone after #17 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone after #9 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone after #18 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot

Congratulations to the happy family!!

Habesha Restaurant Dinner!!!!

All Families:
Habesha Restaurant in Denver would like to invite all Ethiopia adoptive families to dinner on Thursday, August 5th at 6pm. The dinner will be hosted by Habesha (families must pay for their own drinks). Kids welcome! Please RSVP to Aneata at IAN (aneata@internationaladoptionnet) as soon as possible as space may be limited. This event is sponsored by Habesha, not IAN.



Habesha Restaurant is located at:
5707 E. Colfax Ave.
Denver CO 80220


Hope to see you there.

New Court Process and Requirements

We would like to thank all families for their patience while waiting for this information. We are yet to have an IAN family travel for court so the information we have been given is not based on our personal experience. We have heard from our staff in Ethiopia and know that the following is true regarding the new court process.

1. There will be two separate court dates, one for the birth family/guardian and another for the adoptive family. The birth family will have the first court date. If the biological parent or guardian does not appear, they will be given a 2nd appointment. We do not know if this will delay the adoptive parents scheduled court date. Approximately 20-30 days after the birth parents/guardians court date, the adoptive families will have their court date. The reasoning for having two separate court dates seems to be to keep the birth and adoptive families from meeting. Both parents will be required to travel for court.

2. The following documents are required to open the file to get a court date. 

a. Birth certificate (new)
This has not been a requirement until now. Birth certificates were required after the court approved the case and prior to the embassy interview. The districts/kebeles will issue the birth certificates, which is a new system. Until now, we have received the birth certificates after passing court.
b. Photos of birth parents or guardians (new)
This is now going to be required to be attached with the social history of the child when the file is opened at court. Previous to the new regulation, only the child’s photo was required.
c. A copy of the families passport (new)
This has not been required in the past. It will now be a part of the families Dossier.
d. Translated medical of the child.
e. Translated homestudy.

How will this change the adoption timeline?

We do expect the wait time to increase with these changes and new requirements. The Ethiopian process has changed and it will take time for them to become familiar with these new regulations. We expect some delays in getting the birth certificates and family photos. We also expect an increased wait time because there will be two separate dates for birth and adoptive families.
We hope this is helpful and thank you again for your patience. We will keep you posted as the new process continues to develop.


Court Closure Date

The courts will be closing in Ethiopia from August 9th until the end of September. MOWA and the embassy will be open during this time.

Referral Acceptance!!!!

Today a family accepted their referral for a beautiful baby boy!! 

Today's list movement is as follows:
-Everyone after #1 on the infant boy list moves one spot. 
-Everyone after #54 on the infant girl list moves one spot.
-Everyone after #20 on the toddler girl list moves one spot.

Congratulations to the happy family!!

Change in Ethiopia

Beginning July 15, 2010 IAN will only be accepting new families into the Ethiopia program who are open to children age two years and older.  This new policy will not have any impact on families who are already a part of the program.

As all of you know, the combination fewer infant referrals coming out of Ethiopia and growing interest in the program has resulted in a much longer waiting list and longer wait times.  It is our hope that this limit on new families will be temporary and we will again accept all families when the wait time is more reasonable. 

Meanwhile, three new young boys will be placed on the waiting children list today.  We currently have 10 boys waiting for homes.  If you would like more information on these precious boys, please contact your coordinator. 

Happy 4th of July

In honor of Independence Day, IAN will be closed on Monday, July 5.  Please enjoy the celebrations with your families!!! 

Ethiopia Program Update - June 28, 2010

-We have been hearing from many of you that you are concerned about the slow down we've recently been seeing in referrals, especially infants.  We certainly understand your concern, and while it is impossible to predict when things might change or why they are happening, there are a few things that may help clarify:  

• Things have not returned to normal after the elections. From our point of view, the election is over and things should be back to normal, but we don't really understand how things work in a developing country. The children must have paperwork completed in their home regions by the local authorities.  That is one place where the process is stalling right now.  It is not unusual for changes (or in this case a return to normalcy) to take longer in the outlying regions then it does in Addis. 
• The process is going to be permanently longer due to the new regulations after all the shake up last spring. The Ethopian authorities are being a lot more diligent when clarifying orphan status before we even know about the kids in the pipeline over there.
• In the light of the lengthening of the process, we have adjusted the wait times we estimate for the different lists.  Please bear in mind that these are only estimates, and we always hope wait times are shorter than we estimate.  Times given are from the time the family is added to the waiting list.

1. Infant girls:  12-18 months
2. Infant boys:  12-15 months.
3. Toddler girls:  6-12 months
4. Toddler boys:  4-8 months
5. Children over 5 years:  3-6 months
6. Siblings:  We cannot predict, as there is such a wide variety of what families on this list are approved for. 

-We know that many of you are anxiously awaiting information on the new court travel requirements.  Our in-country staff is working diligently on clarifying the details, and we look forward to having our first families complete the process in the near future.  Thanks for bearing with us as we do our best to provide the most accurate information available in a timely manner. 

-IAN has a representative, Tomas Bayou, currently in Addis Ababa.  Not only will Tomas be escorting children home, but he will be providing a great source of communication between the Ethiopia and US offices of IAN.

-Finally, we do have wait list movement!!!  An IAN family has chosen to pursue other opportunites for building their family, and have removed themselves from all wait lists.  So

• Everyone after #20 on the infant girl list moves one spot.
• Everyone after #10 on the infant boy list moves one spot.
• Everyone after #6 on the sibling list moves one spot. 

As always, if you have questions about any of these updates, please do not hesitate to contact your coordinator.  Thank you!!

 

 

IAN Family Picnic

Here are the details on IAN's Family Picnic!!  If you did not receive an evite, please let your coordinator know or comment here so we can send it to you.  Everyone is welcome!!


When: Sunday, August 8, 12:00PM to 3:00PM
Where:  Belleview Park, Englewood, Colorado

It's time to celebrate IAN Families!
Please join us for the Annual IAN Family Picnic. There will be yummy barbeque food, drinks, cotton candy, fun and games. This year we have moved the fun to Belleview Park, between Sante Fe and Broadway on Belleview Avenue in Englewood. The park has a shallow stream for wading, a playground, plenty of shelter, and a petting zoo and train ride available for $1 per person.

The barbeque will be catered, and a $5 donation per family is suggested, but not required!

Please RSVP so we can plan for numbers. We look forward to seeing you there!!

Our new care center!!

We would like to share some new photos and information with you about our new Care Center.  As mentioned in a previous post, we moved our care center to a new, bigger facility in early May.  All of the children (and even the playground) moved to the new location.  We are all very excited about this great new facility because it is much bigger and can accomodate more children with lots of space to play and learn!

Please see the photos below and the description of the facility.

1. The front of the care center. 2. The fun playground3. Beautiful painted wall4. Front (balcony on the left)

5. Patio

The infants stay in the room behind the balcony. The kids eat lunch on the tables and chairs on the balcony. The classroom is the door you see beyond the slide on the balcony.

The classroom is above the tuck-under garage area. The kids like to play in the cool area the "garage" creates. The toddlers/preschoolers sleep in the green building.

The facility and that the playground equipment is well loved by the children and the staff in Ethiopia.

Referral Acceptance!

We are happy to announce that a family has accepted their referral for a six-month old baby boy.  Everyone after #1 on the baby boy list and everyone after #7 on the baby girl list moves up one spot.  As always, please contact your coordinator with questions.  Congratulations to the happy family!

New Referral!

Wonderful news!!  One of our waiting four year old boys has found a home!!  Congratulations!!

IAN Office Closed on Monday

The IAN office will be closed on Monday, May 31st for Memorial Day and will re-open on Tuesday.  We hope everyone enjoys their holiday weekend!!

Communication with Staff in Ethiopia

We at IAN feel that one of our biggest strengths is the “family” that has been created by adoptive parents. Parents of kids adopted from Ethiopia develop friendships and bonds with one another, and with the IAN staff, through the process. Like any positive relationship, it’s important to work hard at fostering healthy boundaries.


Recently, more and more families have been connecting with the staff in Ethiopia via email and facebook. This is a wonderful way to maintain contact once the children are home, however it has become an outlet for families to contact the Ethiopia staff directly with requests and questions about their adoption.

IAN’s policy guidelines state that families must work directly with their coordinator at the IAN United States office, not with the Ethiopian staff.

Being contacted directly by families greatly increases the workload on the Ethiopian staff, who are already so busy. Even those of us in the US office refrain from emailing more than once daily. IAN has worked very hard at creating a system within the agency to provide the best possible service to the families, and as the agency has grown by leaps and bounds, it is even more important to utilize the system we have in place.

Thank you for your respect on this matter. As always, our goal is to provide the best service possible to both children and families.

Ethiopian Election Impact on IAN

As many of you know, Ethiopia is preparing to hold elections on May 23.  Results of this election will be announced on June 21.  We anticipate that this election will effect IAN families in two ways:

1.)  Travel:  The state department has issued a travel advisory for citizens traveling to Ethiopia between May 23 and July 1, 2010.  After the last elections Ethiopia held in 2005, there was an outbreak of violence.  While measures are in place to prevent this occurance, it is possible, and IAN advises families to take the following measures:

a.  Avoid large crowds, public gatherings, and try to avoid being out and about after dark.
b.  Do NOT travel outside of Addis Ababa during this time, especially to the southern regions. 
c.  Register with the US embassy in Addis before you go.
d.  Monitor local media and internet while in Addis to stay aware of any dangers.
e.  Consider purchasing oversees travel insurance.

IAN is in constant contact with our Ethiopian staff, and we all still feels that travel is reasonably safe if these precautions are taken, but will have an additional waiver for families to sign if they are traveling during this time. 

For more information on travel advisories please visit travel.state.gov or ethiopia.usembassy.gov. 

2.) Processing referrals:  During this time, court officials are extremely preoccupied with election business and are not available to process paperwork that allows children from outlying regions to be transported to Addis and become available for adoption.  This has been a large part of why referrals have slowed down recently, and we look forward to things picking up again after May 23, although it may take a few weeks for things to return to normal. 

If you have any questions, please contact your coordinator.  We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. 

Registration for camp now open!

Camp Registration is open for all families interested in joining us for an exciting week of Ethiopian games, culture, and friends!!  This is a great opportunity to meet other families and learn about Ethiopia!!  Please visit our website at http://adoptioninternational.net/camp.shtml.  You will find registration forms, the camp schedule and details of events.  If you have any questions, please contact Liz Bogetveit at Elizabeth@adoptioninternational.net or 303.691.0808.  We are very excited for our first camp and hope to see many families from all over the US! 

Save the Date!!

IAN's annual picnic will be on August 8th, 2010! 

New Care Home Open!

IAN is happy to announce that our new care home is up and running!  The younger kids have moved over and are settling in to their spacious new surrroundings! 

Still More Referral Acceptance!!!

Two more precious four year old boys have found their forever family today!!  Congratulations to the happy family who accepted their referral!

This family was on several wait lists so the movement will be as follows:
-Infant girl:  everyone after #41 moves up one spot.
-Infant boy:  everyone after #25 moves up one spot.
-Toddler girl:  everyone after #15 moves up one spot.
-Toddler boy:  everyone after #5 moves up one spot.
-Sibling: everyone after #17 moves up one spot. 

As always, please contact your coordinator if you have questions. 

One more referral today!!!!

One more happy family accepted a referral for a 3 year old boy today!  Congrats!!

Four more referrals!

We are very excited to announce again today that four more referrals have been made! Three 3 year old boys have found homes along with a 3 year old girl!!  Congratulations to all of the happy families!!

We have a lot of movement on our lists today, so if you would like to know your current number, please contact your coordinator tomorrow.

Referral!! Lists move!

We are happy to announce that a referral was accepted today for two year old twin girls! 

Everyone below #12 on the infant girl moves up one.
Everyone below #2 on the siblings list moves up one.

Congratulations to the happy family!!

May Update!!

Hello IAN families! We have had a very exciting last few months filled with a few changes in Ethiopia, new orphanages, new staff members and very exciting referrals. Check out our referral numbers so far for 2010!!

January: 4 babies
February: 5 Children (2 babies)
March: 8 Children (2 babies)
April: 6 (3 babies,triplets)

As you know, we have started work with two new orphanages in Addis Ababa. We are very excited to be working with these orphanages and are expecting new referrals soon! We have three and four year old boys looking for families so please let your coordinator know if you would like to get more information. We hope to place these children and avoid placing them on the waiting child site!

POLICY UPDATE: There are new policies regarding independent travel and meeting birth families while in Ethiopia. IAN has put a temporary new policy in place, starting now regarding meeting birth families. IAN has implemented this temporary policy to protect the families, children and all future Ethiopian adoptions. We would like to remind families to respect the policy regarding giving money or gifts to birth families as this is not allowed and could potentially change Ethiopia’s policy on international adoption. IAN’s temporary policy will be enforced until we update our current policy. Adoptive parents who are interested in meeting birth families can do so only if:

1. The birth family travels to Addis.
2. The meeting must take place in the IAN office.
3. Our IAN facilitator must supervise the meeting.

We have a wonderful volunteer donation coordinator who is helping with needed donations for our care center in Addis. If you are interested in donating, please contact Charisa Knight at gcknight@verizon.net or 540.294.4849.

We look forward to a very exciting new month! If you have any questions about the new policy or are interested in the boys looking for homes, please contact your coordinator!

Homestead Community Run!!

Come join IAN at the Homestead Community Run on Sunday, May 23rd and help families adopting from Ethiopia!!  The Wiley, Morgan and Parker Fund helped three IAN families adopt their children last year bringing the total number of assisted adoptions to 13 total! 


This is a great way to get the whole family out to enjoy some exercise and for a great cause! Bagels and hotdogs will be provided after this great event.


Date: Sunday, May 23rd
Place: Homestead Elementary School 7451 South Homestead Parkway, Centennial, CO 80112
Time: 8:30 registration and warm up
         9:00 children's 1K run
         9:30 5K run/walk for everyone

You can sign up the morning of the race, and get ready to run with Liz and Jan from IAN!!  If you have more questions, contact Liz at IAN (Elizabeth@adoptioninternational.net).

Hope to see you there!!
http://www.wileymorganparker.org/

Family Journeys Culture Camp

IAN's Ethiopian culture camp has officially been named Family Journeys Culture Camp.  Thanks to Stephanie for that great suggestion!!

The camp is scheduled for August 2-6, 2010 and will feature a variety of classes for children adopted from Ethiopia, along with their parents and siblings, promoting Ethiopian culture and adoptive adjustment. 

Pre-registration for the camp is now open!!  Please visit http://www.adoptioninternational.net/ and click on the Family Journeys Culture Camp logo to pre-register today!

News and Updates from Ethiopia

New court travel requirements

-As you know, starting May 9, 2010, families must be present for their court appointment
-One parent will be allowed to represent the family at either court or embassy appointments. It will not need to be the same parent.
-The in-country time needed for the court appointment will be less than 24 hours.
-Parents will be required to visit their child before going to their court appointment.
-More information on visiting your kids while you are there for court will be coming soon. 


Travel Advisory
As you may be aware, the State Department has issued a travel advisory to Ethiopia until after the May 23 election. At this point, we ask families to utilize basic safety practice: avoid large groups or public gatherings, avoid traveling at night, stay within the city of Addis Ababa. Please see the complete advisory at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_ethiopia.html



And Now Some GOOD News:

-IAN has reached agreements with two new orphanages to place children with families! We hope to begin finding families for these kids in the next few weeks.
-IAN’s care home will be moving in the next few weeks. We have already outgrown our current location, so the new home will have eight rooms, and will house 10-20 more children.
-The new care home will allow kids 2 1/2 years and up to attend preschool classes at the care home.

Ethiopia Program Update - April 13, 2010

Dear IAN Families,




The Department of State posted an update about the new travel policy. This will begin on May 9th, 2010. Every family with a court date after May 9th will be effected by this new rule and should plan on traveling twice. One parent can travel with a POA to the court date. If your family chooses to do this, you will receive an IR-4 visa instead of the IR-3 visa. This means that your child will not become a citizen upon entry to the US. The list of orphanages that had their licenses revolked are listed. IAN is not affiliated with any of these orphanages. You can read the update at http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html.

Name That Program!

As many of you know, IAN will be holding our first annual Ethiopian culture camp this summer. The big question is, what should we call it?!

This camp will be for all ages of kids and their entire families. It will be open to all Ethiopian adoptive families - not just IAN families. So give us your best ideas!!! The name chosen will earn the namer one free class!

We hope to have the class descriptions and times up on the website by the end of this week.

Referral Acceptance!!

We are thrilled to announce that a family has accepted the referral of beautiful and healthy infant girls who are triplets!!   We are so very happy for the lucky family. 

Everyone below #8 on the baby boy list moves up one spot, everyone below #15 on the baby girl list moves up one spot, and everyone below #4 on the sibling list moves up one spot. 

If you have any questions about your place on the wait list(s), please call or email your coordinator.

Court Travel Decision Made

As many of you know, today the adoption agency representatives and court officials in Ethiopia spent the entire day meeting and discussing the new requirement of having families present for their court appointment.


The court is standing by the original decision to require families to travel for court. This regulation will not begin until mid-May, 2010 in order to give as many families as possible the opportunity to submit their paperwork and court application.

Many of the details at this time are unknown because the meeting went until very late in Addis Ababa. We know there are many questions you may have, but we don’t have reliable answers yet. IAN’s executive director will be traveling to Addis Ababa next week to be our eyes and ears “on the ground” to continue our efforts to do everything we can to get answers as quickly as possible

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Update for March 26

We know that everyone is anxiously awaiting news on the new travel requirement in Ethiopia.  We are in daily communication with our Ethiopian facilitator, and are monitoring all news on the issue.

IAN will not confirm or deny any information unless it comes directly from the court in Ethiopia.  At this point, the president of the court has not made an official statement, so we are not able to confirm any information regarding when or if the new regulations will take effect.

Please bear with us as we do our best to get reliable information to you in a timely manner. 

Adoption Tax Credit...Good News!

Please see the following announcement from the Joint Council on International Children's Services on the Adoption Tax Credit:



Joint Council is pleased to confirm that the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC), which was scheduled to expire in 2010, was extended for one-year (through December 31, 2011). The highlights of the ATC are;



The maximum credit was increased from $12,150 to $13,170,

The ATC is now retroactive to January 1, 2009. This represents a potential increase of $1,000 for adoptive families.

The ATC was made refundable. If a family has no tax liability, the IRS will refund the amount due.

The extension of the ATC through 2011, was passed as part of the health care reform bill which was signed into law by President Obama on Monday, March 22, 2010. There was some concern that the ATC would be included in the reconciliation process, however we have confirmed that it is not part of reconciliation. This means that the ATC is law until December 31, 2011.



Joint Council along with many other advocates and adoptive families have long advocated for making the ATC permanent. We applaud Congress and the Obama administration for the extension and continue to call for a permanent tax credit.



The ATC is a critically important element in finding permanent families for children in the U.S. foster care system and the children of our world, who live without permanent parental care. The ATC makes adoption a viable option for many families who may otherwise be unable to afford to adopt. We again applaud the extension and improvements to the Adoption Tax Credit.

Update for March 12

Dear Families,


The latest news from our Ethiopian facilitator is that parents will need to begin attending the court hearing in Ethiopia. We believe this will become effective sometime in April but do not have a confirmed date yet.

Families who already have a referral, depending on where they are in the process, should have a confirmed court date in the next few weeks and may not have to travel to attend the court hearing. Our facilitator in Ethiopia is doing everything he can to move these cases along and we will keep you posted.

Thank you again for your continued patience in this matter. 

Some Good News!!

A lucky family accepted the referral of their beautiful baby boy this morning!!!  Everyone below #1 on the baby boy list moves up one spot.

Questions and More Questions

With yesterday's news of the new travel requirement for court appointments, many of you are asking the same questions we are:

1.  What if the family does not pass court the first time?  Will they need to travel again?
2.  Will there be a change in the time between court approval and embassy appointment?
3.  Will both parents need to travel, or will one be enough?
4.  Will there be cases "grandfathered" in?  If so, what would the cut off be?

These seem to be the questions everyone has.  We don't currently have the answers, but bear with us as we work dilligently at finding them.  Please feel free to add other questions in the comments here, and we will continue to update. 

URGENT ETHIOPIA UPDATE

Dear IAN families,

Evidently, this morning the Ethiopian government announced an additional change that will be implemented and will impact all agencies facilitating adoptions in Ethiopia, including IAN.

All adoptive families must now travel to Addis Ababa to be present for their court appointment. There have been rumors of this change for several weeks now, and the change is a direct result of the dramatic increase of "revocation" cases - cases in which the adoptive parents decline to bring their children home after they have passed court. This will mean families will make two trips to Ethiopia to complete their adoptions, which will certainly increase the time and money required for adoption.

On a positive note, if parents see their child before the court appointment, the child will be eligible for an IR-3 visa, thus making the child a US citizen immediately upon arrival in the United States.

There are many unanswered questions and we have no further details at this time. Please bear with us as we await further news and seek further information. Your coordinator will be contacting you as we learn how this will impact your specific case. Please feel free to email your coordinator if you have specific questions, and they will do their best to find out the answer.

IAN Statement on Ethiopia Updates **UPDATED**

Updated on March 9:  We have heard definitively from the US Embassy in Addis Ababa that the current changes in Ethiopia will NOT affect IAN at this time. 

We know that many of you are very concerned about the recent news regarding Embassy appointments in Ethiopia. It is always IAN’s goal to keep families fully up to date, but sometimes information is unclear and needs to be sorted through. We have been in contact with the US Embassy in Addis and with our in-country facilitator, and this is what we know of the situation:

The I-604 form is not new, but has always been done in every case. The in-country facilitator generally submits it at the time of your embassy appointment. What is new is that now specific cases will be more thoroughly investigated.

Right now the investigations are only for specific agencies and specific orphanages, not everyone. IAN does not appear to be among the agencies, nor does Sele Enat appear to be among the orphanages that will have their I-604 applications investigated at this time. Therefore, IAN does not expect a change in the time between court approval and embassy appointment.
If in the future these changes do impact IAN, the time frame for embassy appointments does not appear to be significantly impacted. IAN has always followed the policy of insisting families wait for embassy confirmation before travel is confirmed. Now all agencies will be following that policy. The impact we see will be in the amount of notice families receives to plan their travel.
Please be aware that these changes are clearly an assurance that your adoption has been done correctly and ethically. It is very reassuring that the US embassy has moved swiftly and surely in addressing any concerns of improper adoption practice. Although no one wants to see increased wait times until travel, those few weeks are certainly worth it for the health of the program and the children.
We understand your concern and fears in this situation, and we appreciate your patience as we continue to actively pursue additional information and answers. In the interest in getting the information out as quickly as possible, please check the IAN news and updates blog for updates: www.adoptian.blogspot.com. Please contact your coordinator directly if you have further questions.

Important Ethiopia Update

Today there was information coming out of Addis Ababa that could potentially impact the wait time to travel for IAN families.  Please see the following announcement: 

http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html

At this time it is unclear what, if any, impact this will have on IAN families.  We are currently in communication with our Ethiopia in-country staff, the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, and the Joint Council on International Children's Services.   

IAN is supportive of any and all efforts made to ensure the highest ethical standards for all children adopted from Ethiopia.  At the same time, we are very aware of the concern that an additional wait time poses to adoptive families.  It is our intent to clarify the changes, determine their impact for our families and post an update as soon as we have further information. 

Thank you for your patience.

Referral Acceptance!!

A family accepted their referral for two beautiful children today!!  They were on multiple lists, so the following movement took place:

Baby girl list: Everyone below #9 moves up one spot
Baby boy list:  Everyone below #3 moves up one spot
Toddler girl list:  Everyone below #2 moves up one spot
Toddler boy list:  Everyone below #1 moves up one spot
Sibling list:  Everyone below #1 moves up one spot. 

As always, please contact your coordinator if you have questions about your place on the lists. 
Congratulations!!

Referral Acceptance!!

The number one family on the baby girl list accepted their referral for a beautiful baby girl today.  Everyone below #1 moves up a spot. 

Congratulations to the happy family!

Exciting Announcement!!

IAN is thrilled to announce the start Ethiopian Culture Camp for adopted children!!

The first camp will be August 2-6, 2009.  Classes will be held here in Centennial, Colorado at the campus of  CCAI (Chinese Children Adoption International).

Classes offered will include language, the arts (music and dance), and for the older children, cooking lessons.  All classes will be offered at a minimal cost. 

Please note that classes will be held the week before IAN's annual family picnic on August 8, so hopefully many of our out of town families will make a Colorado vacation out of it! 

Watch for details in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, please comment here or email allison@adoptioninternational.net with the following information: 

1.  Is Ethiopian Culture Camp something you might consider this summer?
2.  Are there other classes you would like to see offered? 

Thanks for your support! 

New Service for Parents of Older Kids - Updated

Updated to Add: the webinar will be March 13th 9:30 MST.  To register, please send an email to ianwebinar@yahoo.com


IAN is pleased to announce a new opportunity being offered for parents of older adopted children.  Beginning March 13, we will be offering a webinar on Adolescent Basics, designed to give strategies for manuevering through the challenges of adolescence.  This unique webinar will offer specialized information for parents of newly adopted adolescent children, addressing the dual isssues of adoption and adolescence. 

This webinar will be led by Micheline Brault, a trainer with Denver's division of youth corrections.  Micheline has 30 years experience in working with adolescents and their families. 



Look for more announcements later this week on more exciting educational opportunites for IAN families.

Wait List Movement!

A referral for a baby boy was accepted today! Everyone below #1 on the baby boy list and below #2 on the baby girl list moves up one spot! Congratulations to the happy family!

Referral Accepted!

Today a family accepted the referral of a beautiful little girl!  Everyone below #1 on both the toddler girl list and the 5 year old and up girl list moves up one spot!  Congratulations to the lucky family!!

Saying Goodbye......

With mixed feelings we announce the resignation of IAN’s International Program Director, Sarah Strong.

Sarah and her husband Sean are embarking on their next adventure, a two year term of service with the Peace Corps in Latin America. Joining the Peace Corps has been a lifelong dream for both of the Strongs. Sarah will utilize her fluent Spanish and experience with teenagers, and Sean will put his engineering skills to work while they live and work in community with the local residents. Sarah will be here at IAN through the end of the month, before she takes some time off to hike the 211 mile John Muir trail in the Sierra Nevadas with Sean and visit with family all over the country before they leave for their assignment in June.

All of us at IAN are excited for Sarah as she fulfills her lifelong dream, but are soooo sad to see her go. Her contributions at IAN are many and wide reaching. As some of you may remember, Sarah made a solo trip to Addis Ababa in November of 2008, laying the groundwork for what is now IAN’s care home. She has been instrumental in developing pilot programs in Nepal and Mexico, has expanded IAN’s outreach through Webinars, Web Chats and Information meetings, and increased IAN’s visibility with national organizations supporting adoption. Most importantly, Sarah has a genuine heart for finding homes for orphans. She loved working with adoptive families and truly celebrated the arrival of the children she helped to bring home. To say she will be missed is an understatement.

Sarah is in the process of training her replacements, and a future blog post will introduce you to Liz and Connie.

Please send your well-wishes to Sarah Strong, c/o IAN or to sarah@adoptioninternational.net.