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!!