Friday, April 29, 2011

Referral Accepted!

We are very excited to announce the referral of two adorable baby boys!! Congratulations to the happy family!!

The list will move as follows:

Everyone below #3 on the Infant Boy list will move up 2 spots
Everyone below #4 on Sibling list will move up 1 spot

Family wait time: 1 year

Have a great weekend!!

~IAN Staff

Thursday, April 28, 2011

Family Journeys Culture Camp!!

We are happy to announce that our annual Family Journeys Culture Camp (FJCC) will be from August 8th to 12th this year!  We will have many activities for children of all ages, including language, dance and art.  More informaiton about registration and schedules will be coming soon!! And don't forget, our annual picnic will be the weekend after culture camp, on August 14th! 

If you are interested in joining us for camp or have any questions, please email fjcc@adoptioninternational.net.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Referral!!

We are very excited to announce the referral of a beautiful baby girl today!! Congratulations to the happy family!!

List movement:

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

Waiting time: 16 months

~ IAN Staff

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Referral Accepted!

We are so happy today to announce the referral of a beautiful baby girl! Congratulations to the happy family from everyone at IAN!

List movement:

Everyone below #10 on the infant girl list moves up one spot

Everyone below #4 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot


Family's wait time: 1 year

~ IAN Staff

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Easter Holiday Closures

Fasika (Easter) is a very big holiday in Ethiopia, one considered even more important than Christmas! There will be celebrations all over Ethiopia throughout this weekend. Ethiopians are breaking their fast.  Everyone dresses in traditional white clothes, spends time with their loved ones, goes to church and it is very common for families to sacrifice a lamb early on Sunday morning. 


In Celebration of Easter (Fasika) in Ethiopia, the IAN Office in Ethiopia will be closed on Friday, April 22nd.  Staff in Ethiopia will not be working over this holiday weekend.  In addition, the Embassy, Courts and many other organizations will be closed on Friday, April 22nd. The IAN office in Denver will be closing at 12:30 MST.
 
We wish everyone a wonderful holiday weekend!
 
~ IAN Staff

Embassy Medicals

Hello IAN Families,

In Liz's newsletter, she wrote about the possibility of families requesting the Embassy medical from the immigration officer when entering the US.  We have received clarification from the Embassy regarding how to get this document.  If you wish to get a copy of your child's Embassy medical report after your Embassy appointment, you must contact the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency upon your return to the U.S.  Please let us know if you have any questions!

~ IAN Staff

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

IAN Numbers Update for 2011

Hello IAN Families,


It’s hard to believe it’s already April! We have compiled our numbers for 2011 with some details for your information. We are very happy with the current numbers and movement we have seen this year and we are excited to see what the next 4 months will bring!


Numbers for 2011

36 children (26 families) came home to their forever families. Of these 36 children;

    ~ All were matched in 2010.
    ~ 8 are 2 years or younger
    ~ 28 are over age 2
    ~ 20 Boys and 16 Girls
    ~ 8 Sibling groups

56 families are currently waiting for a referral.

24 families with a referral are waiting to travel for court (2 in Ethiopia now).

18 families passed court and are waiting for embassy.

33 families working on their home study and dossier.


And in the coming weeks:

We are thrilled to announce that 7 children have been cleared and will be traveling home within the next 3 weeks! We expect even more to come soon!!

Friday, April 8, 2011

New Intake Procedure at Embassy

Good morning IAN Families,

The U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa has announced a change in the documents required during the adoption intake process. In addition to the current intake procedures, effective Monday, April 25, 2011, all cases submitted for the Embassy’s review must also include the following information.

1) A signed, notarized I-600 petition by the prospective adoption parent(s).
2) Copies of the PAP’s Ethiopian visa indicating travel to Ethiopia for their Federal First Instance Court Appointment.
3) Payment of all fees associated with the Embassy process, including the $404 immigration visa fee.
4) A signed Privacy Act Waiver.

These are not new documents. In the past, these documents were required during Adoptive Parents Embassy trip, after April 25th they will be required during the court trip. With your help, we anticipate this will be a simple adjustment.

If you have already been submitted to Embassy, you can disregard this. All other families, please contact your coordinator for instructions on what is needed for your particular case.


Thank you,

IAN Staff