News and Updates

Waiting Children Advocacy Team

2012-01-27T13:02:00.008-07:00

Hello friends and families of IAN,

We all know how much of a heart you have for the waiting children of Ethiopia.

We are excited to announce a new parent led team to continue advocating for waiting children now and once they are home.

This team will manage a blog called Hoping You Home at www.hopingyouhomeian.blogspot.com.

Here we will have information on the waiting children (information that is allowed to be shared) and other adoption resources geared specifically to waiting children and older child adoptions.

We encourage you to follow this blog and share the posts as they are published.

Our goal is to help these precious children find a family and to encourage and support those families along the way.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to email the Team Leader Charisa Knight at gcknight@verizon.net

January 2012 Ethiopia Trip Report

2012-01-25T15:38:00.007-07:00

Please check the Current Updates section of our Family Center on the IAN Website for the January 2012 Ethiopia Trip Report

http://www.internationaladoptionnet.org/index.php/family-center-current-issues-a-updates/current-updates

Referral Acceptance!

2012-01-17T15:05:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the family of 'OO' and 'AO' from the waiting child site! OO is a 3 year old boy and his brother, AO is a 6 1/2 year old boy who have been waiting for 4 months to find their forever home.

List movement:

Infant girl: everyone after #30 moves one spot

Infant boy: everyone after #17 moves one spot

Toddler girl: everyone after #15 moves one spot

Toddler boy: everyone after #10 moves one spot

Siblings: everyone after #12 moves one spot

Referral Acceptance!!

2012-01-06T16:19:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to the happy family who accepted the referral for a beautiful 2 year old girl today!!

List movement:
Infant girl: everyone after #20 moves one spot.

Infant boy: everyone after #9 moves one spot.

Toddler girl: everyone after #8 moves one spot.

Toddler boy: everyone after #3 moves one spot.

Siblings: everyone after #6 moves one spot

Family's time on the waiting list: Twelve months, fifteen days

Christmas Referral Acceptance #3!!

2011-12-23T15:59:00.000-07:00

Triple your excitement! We are thrilled to announce yet another referral acceptance today!! Congratulations to all families!!

No list movement.

~ IAN Staff

Another Christmas Referral!

2011-12-23T15:34:00.000-07:00

It's a double Merry Christmas this year!! We are thrilled to announce another referral acceptance! Congratulations from everyone at IAN!!

No list movement

~ IAN Staff

Christmas Holiday Hours 2011

2011-12-23T15:01:00.002-07:00

IAN Office will be closed on Monday December 26, 2011
In Observance of the Christmas Holiday!
IAN Will be open during normal business hours on Tuesday 27, 2011.

Referral Acceptance!!!

2011-12-23T14:32:00.001-07:00

What a great way to start the holiday weekend!! We are very happy to announce the referral of an infant boy today!! Congratulations to the family!

List movement:
Everyone below #6 on the infant boy moves up one spot
Everyone below #15 on the infant girl moves up one spot

Family waiting time: 15 months, one day

Have a wonderful holiday weekend!!

~ IAN Staff

Wonderful News Article!

2011-12-20T08:54:00.006-07:00

Congratulations to the Winowisiki family on a very interesting article!

Please check out the article, you can view the article here:

http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20111218/WDH04/112180365/A-new-family-Christmas-Two-Wausau-area-families-grow-by-adopting-Ethiopian-children?odyssey=mod%7Cnewswell%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE%7Cp

New Waiting Kids

2011-12-15T09:47:00.002-07:00

There are new waiting kids on the website!

Please help IAN find all of our waiting kids a “Forever Home!”

Thank you very much for helping these waiting kids they should not be forgotten!

2011-12-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

USCIS Update on Cases Receiving a “Not Clearly Approvable” Notice

Today USCIS hosted a conference call on the current status of cases identified as “Not Clearly Approvable” by the US Embassy in Addis. Hopefully many of you were able to join the call, but for those who weren’t able to join the call, here is a summary:

In October of this year, a total of 65 cases were originally given the “Not Clearly Approvable Status” by the US Embassy in Addis Ababa, and were adjudicated to the USCIS field office in Nairobi, Kenya. The Nairobi team traveled to Addis to investigate, and found:

Of the 65 Cases:

-49 were cleared and returned to the US Embassy in Addis. Of these, 46 of them have received their Visas, the other three have embassy appointments scheduled.

-15 cases were adjudicated to a USCIS field office in Nairobi or Rome. These were given Request for Evidence (RFE).

-One case received a Notice of Intent to Deny (NOID).

Note from IAN: IAN families accounted for only one of the 65 cases, that family is now included in the 46 home with their child!

Among the points noted:

-The cases were a mixture of relinquished and abandoned cases, and included children of all ages from various regions, orphanages, and agencies.

-The most useful tool in clearing these cases was interviews with birth family members.

-Half of the 65 cases required more information than was originally submitted in order for “the totality of evidence to meet the burden of proof.”

-Less than 10% of the total cases submitted to the embassy have been identified as “not clearly approvable.”

Where we go from here:

-When cases are adjudicated to Nairobi (or Rome), USCIS has promised that the cases’ transfer will be expedited, and communication will be transparent and timely.

-Training for Adoption Service Providers will continue, both in Ethiopia and the US.

-All Adoption Service Providers will need to continue to work to improve the quality of casework. Prospective Adoptive Parents are encouraged to work closely with their Adoption Service Provider in assuring all paperwork is complete before embassy submission.

Note from IAN:IAN has already put into place procedures to assure the standard USCIS is requesting. We are in the process of putting procedures in place for parents who wish to request a copy of their paperwork before it is submitted to embassy. Please ask your coordinator for more information on this.

USCIS is working to implement a “Pre-Processing Pilot Program” to provide better service to adoptive parents. This would allow US Embassy officials to review cases before they are finalized in Ethiopian court to ensure the orphan status criteria is being met by all cases.

IAN is excited to see this program get off the ground, as it will allow parents additional peace of mind and simplify the embassy process!

Agency Feedback

2011-12-09T15:30:00.000-07:00

Many of you have contacted IAN recently asking about how you can best give feedback about your experience with our agency.

1. Email IAN directly. If you have concerns or suggestions, this is the ONLY way we can address them. If you have a testimony you’d be willing to have shared by IAN, we would LOVE to hear it.

Bill@internationaladoptionnet.org (or you can call us at 303-691-0808)

2. Fill out our online survey. We do track this information to see where we need to make improvements, and where we are doing things right. They are also kept on file for our annual state inspection.

http://www.internationaladoptionnet.org/images/Documents/client%20satisfaction%20survey.doc

3. Share your experience publicly.

www.groups.yahoo.com/group/adoption_agency_research

www.adoptionagencyreviews.com

4. Connect with us on Facebook. We love to hear your stories, and although IAN cannot recommend any specific groups run by our families, many of our adoptive parents have connected this way and are a source of support and encouragement to one another.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/International-Adoption-Net/45346077991?sk=wall

Thank you to all of our wonderful families for your support, and for your feedback about how to improve our services to you, and the children. As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any questions!

You Will Be Missed!

2011-12-06T14:23:00.000-07:00

It is with a combination of sadness and excitement that we announce the departure of IAN Program Supervisor, Liz Bogetveit.

Liz has made the exciting decision to relocate to Bergen, Norway. Much of the Bogetveit family lives in Norway and this move will give Liz the opportunity to live near her grandmother and many cousins. As many of you know, Liz has previously lived in Thailand and Bosnia, so this will be another chapter in adventure for her. She is anxious to see where the adventure will lead and what opportunities await her there.

IAN has grown and thrived with Liz’s involvement. Her dedication, passion and expertise will be impossible to replace. She has made multiple trips to Ethiopia to train staff, network with Ethiopian officials and supervise the care of children. She has implemented programs to streamline the process and improve the adoption process for parents. She has been tireless in her efforts to ensure that children from Ethiopia be treated with the highest moral standards while finding their forever families. Most of all, Liz has grieved alongside families during their adoption struggles, and celebrated families as they came together.

We are happy for Liz as she begins this new adventure, however, she will be greatly missed. We will be introducing you to our new staff member in the coming weeks. Liz is currently training our new staff, and making sure the transition will go well for all staff and families.

More Great News !

2011-12-05T11:49:00.003-07:00

Another beautiful toddler girl found her forever family today! Congratulations!!!

There was no list movement.

Referral Acceptance 12 05 2011

2011-12-05T08:51:00.001-07:00

More exciting news today!! A beautiful toddler girl and toddler boy found their forever family today. Congratulations!!!

Wait list movement:

Everyone below #20 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #10 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #8 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #3 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #5 on the siblings list moves up one spot

Family wait time: 12 months and 3 weeks

Thank you soooo Much!!

2011-12-05T08:45:00.003-07:00

We are so proud of our families for raising a total of $4510 in auction and donations for the three waiting children. $3900 in bids and $610 in donations. Thank you so much for your time and energy and to everyone who participated. We are grateful to work with such an amazing group of parents and can't wait to see these boys come home to their forever families!!!!!

Good News !

2011-12-01T16:28:00.001-07:00

More good news!! Our four most recent families submitted to embassy were cleared within two weeks of their submission date and we will be welcoming them home before Christmas!! Let's hope this continues!!!

2011-11-30T10:11:00.002-07:00

We are THRILLED to announce the referral acceptance for our waiting boy, "Z". He has been waiting for his forever family since May of 2010! In addition, he will be coming to Colorado, where his friend "L"'s adoptive family also lives!! We could not think of a more perfect way to start the week! Congratulations to Z and his family.

Referral Acceptances

2011-11-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful way to begin Thanksgiving week – thankful that TWO children have found their forever families!

Congratulations to the family of “L” from the waiting child site. L is a nine year old boy who has waited more than a year to be matched. The family was not on the wait list.

Congratulations also to the family of “KA,” an eight year old girl also from the waiting child site. KA has been waiting for her family for about six weeks. This family realized KA was their daughter after just over a year on the infant and toddler girl lists.

Wait list movement:

Infant girl list: everyone after #18 moves one spot.

Toddler girl list: everyone after #15 moves one spot.

2011-11-16T09:26:00.003-07:00

Dear IAN Families,

The IAN office will be closing today, Wednesday, November 16th at NOON for our Staff Appreciation Day. We are so lucky to have such a wonderful team!! Thanks to everyone at IAN for your hard work and dedication!!

2011-11-14T11:41:00.001-07:00

Hello to ALL,

International Adoption Net (IAN) is beginning an officialpolicy concerning the passing of ANY information electronically on the web toinclude any form of social media, web pages / groups, or blog sites. ALLcommunication electronically will be through official sites and channels ONLY.IAN will establish a point of contact for the purpose of addressing any and allquestions / comments families may have. The purpose of this policy is to allowadoption questions and issues to be addressed quickly, accurately, and in atimely manner.

This contact will be:

William"Bill" Dickerson

ProgramDevelopment Specialist

Bill@internationaladoptionnet.org

7500 E. ArapahoeRd. #250

Centennial, CO80112

Ph: 303-691-0808

Fax: 303-703-8250

Bill will be responsible for the accurate and transparentdissemination of information to the families. Bill will be easily contactableby phone, email, and if desired in person.

Please understand this is necessary inorder to conduct business in a professional manner and is part of IAN’s desireto improve its services to families and streamline the passing of accurate andup to date information.

IAN thanks you for your patience as we continue to improveour services and assist these wonderful children to their forever families.

Referral Acceptance!!

2011-10-31T12:26:00.001-06:00

Congratulations to the happy family who accepted the referral for a beautiful baby girl today!!

List movement:
Infant girl: everyone after #10 moves one spot.
Siblings: everyone after #4 moves one spot.

Family's time on the waiting list: Sixteen months, five days.

IAN Office is Moving!

2011-10-27T16:16:00.002-06:00

Dear IAN Families and Friends,

The IAN office will be moving to a new location (only 3.5 miles away). Our new address is 7500 E. Arapahoe Road, Suite 250, Centennial, CO 80122. Our office will be closed on Friday, October 28th while we move. We will be in touch with our in country staff and will contact families with important information about their adoptions. We will be back as usual on Monday. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to seeing you at our new location soon!

Joan Strauss

Executive Director

State Department Notices

2011-10-19T12:42:00.000-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

Below you will find the notices posted on the state department's website this month regarding Ethiopia adoptions. These can be found at www.adoption.state.gov. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact your coordinator.

~ IAN Staff

Notice: Confirmation of Orphanage Closures in Ethiopia

Ethiopian government officials confirmed the closure of several orphanages in the Southern Nations state due to revocation of the orphanages' operational licenses. Each orphanage in Ethiopia receives an operational license that the Charities and Societies Administration administers and monitors to ensure compliance with Ethiopian regulations. This is an update to the previous Adoption Notice posted on August 3, 2011.

These orphanages are:

SOS Infants Ethiopia (Arbaminch, Dila and Awassa branches)
Gelgella Integrated Orphans (Tercha and Durame branches)
Bethzatha Children's Home Association (Sodo, Hosaena, Dila, Haidya, Durame, and Hawassa branches)
Ethio Vision Development and Charities (Dila and Hawassa branches)
Special Mission for Community Based Development (Hosaina branch)
Enat Alem Orphanage (Awassa branch)
Initiative Ethiopia Child and Family Support (Hawassa branch)
Resurrection Orphanage (Hosaina branch)
Musie Children's Home Association (Hadiya, Hosaina, Dila, and Kenbata branches)
Organization for Gold Age (Kucha, Dila, Hawassa branches)
Hidota Children's Home Association (Soto branch)
Biruh Alem Lehisanat, Lenatochina Aregawiyan (Hosaina branch)

According to officials in the Charities and Societies Agency office, which oversees the licensing and regulation of orphanages in Ethiopia, the children in the care of those facilities have already been transferred to other orphanages.

Ethiopian officials indicate that cases involving orphaned children from these facilities which are already pending with the Federal First Instance court will continue to move forward. The Embassy in Addis Ababa is working closely with Ethiopian officials to determine if children from these facilities who had been previously referred for matches will be allowed to continue in the adoption process. Regional officials have confirmed that the affected children's case files are currently being reviewed on a case by case basis by regional Ministry of Women's Affairs offices.

We continue to ask prospective adoptive parents and agencies that are hearing news of specific closures to inform the Department. Please send any specific information regarding orphanage closures to AskCI@state.gov with the subject line "Ethiopia Orphanage Closures."

Prospective and adoptive parents are encouraged to remain in contact with their adoption service provider to stay up-to-date on any information pertinent to their individual case. The Department will post any confirmation on www.adoption.state.gov as we receive it.

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

In January,April and September, 2011, the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, the Office of Children’s Issues of the Department of State, and the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) conducted public meetings for adoption service providers (ASPs), adoptive parents, and other stakeholders to address concerns about the quality and completeness of intercountry adoption cases presented in Ethiopia. To ensure prompt adjudication and avoid concerns about possible malfeasance, it is important that I-600 petitions (Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative) and accompanying evidence be fully and carefully prepared before presentation to the Embassy.

Approximately 80% of I-600 petitions submitted to the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa in recent months were incomplete, contained inconsistencies or errors, or did not contain sufficient evidence to document the child as an orphan under U.S. law. In addition, the Embassy continues to see cases which involve abandoned children but do not include sufficient evidence to document the abandonment and/or evidence of appropriate efforts to locate a child’s birth family. The Embassy also has received evidence of unethical recruitment of children from birth relatives and cases involving known birth parents from whom parental rights have not been severed by the Ethiopian courts. In these cases, consular officers in Addis will need to take additional measures to confirm that a child meets the legal definition of orphan, which could delay processing by several months.

The Department of State and USCIS remind all families interested in adopting from Ethiopia that consular officers are required to forward any I-600 petition that is not “clearly approvable” to the USCIS Field Office in Nairobi for adjudication.

For families that already have an I-600 petition on file at the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, consular staff will advise them when a determination is made to approve the petition and the case may be scheduled for an immigrant visa interview in Addis Ababa, or when the petition is not “clearly approvable” and forwarded to USCIS Nairobi for adjudication. Upon receipt of a petition,” USCIS in Nairobi will notify the parents that the case has been received and issue any requests for additional evidence if necessary. Families can find more information about processing I-600 petitions referred to USCIS Nairobi at www.USCIS.gov under “Adoption/Country Information.”

It should be noted that, although this update specifically addresses I-600 petitions filed with the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, USCIS sees similar problems with I-600 petitions filed with the USCIS National Benefits Center (NBC). Families can contact NBC at NBC.Adoptions@dhs.gov.

If families have concerns about their adoption, we ask that they share this information with the Embassy, particularly if it involves possible fraud or misconduct specific to their cases. The Embassy takes all allegations of fraud or misconduct seriously.

The best way to contact the Embassy on issues related to adoption is by email at ConsAdoptionAddis@state.gov. Please include your name, your child's name, your adoption agency, the date of the adoption (month and year), and, if possible, the immigrant visa case number for your child's case (this number begins with the letters ADD followed by several numbers and can be found on any document sent to you by the National Visa Center). Please let us know if we have your permission to share concerns about your specific case with Ethiopian government officials and any other person or entity.

We strongly encourage you to register any complaint that you may have about an adoption agency in the following ways:

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

We encourage prospective and adoptive parents to remain in contact with their adoption service provider to stay up-to-date on any information pertinent to their individual case. The Department will post relevant information on www.adoption.state.gov as we receive it.

Thank You!!!!!

2011-10-12T14:29:00.000-06:00

We would like to send a big THANK YOU out to the families who have provided donations to the Care Center and Ajuuja Orphanage. The staff and children of Ethiopia are so grateful for your big hearts and efforts!!

Since October, Ethiopia has received the following donations at the Care Center/Ajuuja. This list is separated by different groups that traveled to Ethiopia.

- Formula and medications.

- A large container of formula and several jackets for the worker going into the villages.

- Another large donation of formula, a bumbo chair and Children's Tylenol.

- Toys, formula, and a monetary donation for the staff to buy formula. (they ended up buying this $250 worth of it!!)

- A new water filtration system.

- Many handmade baby hats.

- Other miscellenious items such as baby clothes, small games, blankets, shoes etc.!!

And on it's way now:

- A bible (requested by Sister Almaz)

- Pants for the older kids.

- Vicks for children.

- 48 scrubs.

- More formula and rice cereal.

Thank you to all the families who donated, knitted, carried, built, and coordinated these donations for our children, staff and friends in Ethiopia.

Have a wonderful day!!

~ IAN Staff and Kids

Embassy Updates

2011-10-10T10:17:00.000-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

As many of you know, the Embassy has been making numerous changes to their process over the last few months. While we agree with their intentions, and know that these changes are all in the best interest of the children, there have been some challenges. The Embassy, Ethiopian Government and Agencies are all working to improve the adoption program.

The following is a letter that was presented to the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia from the many adoption agencies working in Ethiopia. The letter clearly outlines the frustrations that agencies are having and requests input to work these frustrations out and improve the overall Ethiopian adoption process. There has been no response as of yet to this letter by the U.S. Embassy, IF and when a response is given, IAN will do its best to post it on the blog in order to keep families in the loop. This letter has not been edited or modified from its original format.

The only way to make positive change is to work together towards a common goal. We are happy to see these positive changes and improvements being made with the Ethiopian adoption program. We all want to ensure the orphans of Ethiopia have an option of finding a forever family, and want the entire process to be as ethical and smooth as possible.

Also, please note the US Embassy posted a new adoption Notice for Ethiopia on their website at www.adoption.state.gov in regards to their case review procedure.

Few Comments by US Adoption Agencies on the US Embassy prescreening process

It is evident that Us Embassy has greater responsibility in ensuring the US immigration law is full enforced in the issuing of visas to adoptable children. We also feel that we all have the same purpose of finding permanent home and loving families for children with dire need.

Having this common objective the US Adoption agencies with the unreserved support they received from the US Embassy had placed more the 9000 children during the past 7 years (2004-2010)

From our understanding of the Embassy in the past we have been encouraged to share concern and bring any question to the table in order to create more understanding and cooperation.

To this end we recently had a meeting to discuss on the Embassy’s prescreening process that has been put into effect since some time now.

Here is summary of the comments forwarded by participants in our meeting we had on August 27, 2011.

1. General

· The new Embassy screening process came into perspective without enough preparation from the government side. As a result getting responses for some of the questions asked by the Embassy were not that easy.

· These include posting announcement for finding birth parents of abandoned children, information on abandoned children, information on witness which include statement, signature, occupation, and death certificates or burial letter, life history based on the new form, etc.

2. Agencies requested to do things beyond their mandate

· Agencies are requested to put public notice to find parents who abandoned their children. The truth is that Agencies are not mandated to put notice to find the parents who abandoned their child. Anyone who abandoned his or her child is simply criminal by the Ethiopian law and searching for criminal is the right reserved for the law enforcement institution which the police, not for adoption agencies.

· It took a lot of effort and time to convince the Embassy that the Ethiopian law did not recognize the parent-ship right of step fathers/mothers.

· In some cases the Embassy Adoption Unit ask Agencies to bring amended court decision, Court decision as we know is the final step and should not be amended or altered unless there is a major error committed in the approval process.

· Eg. One Agency had a court decision on a case of abandoned child. The court decree says’’ Abandoned Child” but the Embassy Adoption Unit asked the Agency to correct the court decree by saying” Child abandoned by the mother”. The unit could have seen the details from other documents attached in the Embassy paper work instead of asking the Agency to get the court decree amended.

1.3 Knowing the Context

· We believe it would be helpful to know the context to give proper judgment on adoption cases. Although it is true that the Embassy’s current practice would definitely contribute to the effort being made by the government to improve the adoption screening process it would also be important to know the country’s situation and the practices carried out at different levels in order to set relevant criteria for reviewing cases.

· Sometimes the requested additional documents are not obtainable within the law of the land. So in such situation the best way Agencies can do is provide explanation on the case and bring documentation that can be provided within the law of the land. However in most of the cases the Embassy did not seem to give attention to the explanations.

2. Document Review Process

2.1 Issue related to consistency

· Agencies have noted some inconsistencies in the document review process. This problem is further revealed when similar cases are reviewed by different Embassy staff.

· Further sometimes the Embassy’s adoption unit gives documents back to Agencies without providing enough explanation, only stating ‘’ something is missing”.

· There have been situations where cases were cleared the next day after Agencies submitted copy of announcements for abandoned cases while it takes some weeks for the Embassy to clear some other cases even after it has received copies of the announcements.

2.2 The need to give comments exhaustively and oversight in reviewing documents

· Agencies have experienced that some time comments are not given exhaustively, as a result Agencies are called by the Embassy now and then to provide additional information for the same case.

Such practice has become a cause of delay in processing the paper work at the Embassy leaving many adoptive parents to despair and frustration

· Agencies are sometimes asked to provide additional information while the same information is already available in the attached documents submitted earlier.

2.3 Conclusions not based on general practice

· Sometimes conclusions are drawn based on single or few experiences that do not represent the overall agencies’ practice in Ethiopia.

· It is true that all Agencies are not the same; it is possible that irregularities could be seen more in some Agencies than others, However it would not be correct to assume that agencies are dominantly corrupted.

2.4 Birth parent or Relinquishing Care Takers’ interview

While many of us realize that the Embassy must do its own version of investigation we feel that the Embassy needs to consider some situations when planning to interview birth parents.

· Birth parents or relinquishing care takers travel a lot, from Kebele, Woreda to Federal level, to process the paper work, coming to Embassy for interview would be additional burden for them.

· In most cases birth parents come from remote areas, from entirely different environment. The interview apparently will create some stress especially when they are persuaded to say what the Embassy staff would like to hear from them.

· Some birth parents find it difficult to travel to Addis Because of different reasons, like chronic health problem, physical disability, and older age problems etc.

In summary we would like the Embassy – Adoption Unit to consider the following

1. We believe there should be lead time between the initiation of a new procedure and the execution of the same so that we could prepare ourselves and our stakeholders who in most case are not receptive to changes, This period will also help to explore areas where the new procedures needs to be improved or changed before they are enforced.

2. Although we know it is partly the responsibility of Agencies to keep the government stakeholders informed about changes of procedures and polices it will also be helpful if the Embassy takes the initiative to create awareness on changes of procedures and policies among relevant government bodies, This will obviously help all involved in the service have informed understanding and better cooperation in their duties intended to address children with dire need.

3. We are asking the Embassy to make the interview process birth parent friendly if this tool is considered to be indispensable in the prescreening process.

4. It is our hope that the document review process would be more consistent, comments are given exhaustively at one go to save our time and all agencies are not judged based one or two specific cases.

5. We all believe we are learning agencies; we should be ready to learn from our mistakes. We are asking the Embassy to give us more time and opportunity to discuss on our issues and irregular practices before these are communicated to the government regulatory bodies.

6. We believe training should be an integral part of the pre-screening process so that we all provide the service with capacity and efficiency.

Otherwise we very much appreciate the Embassy’s effort to make sure that the adoption cases are ethically processed and children who qualify for the service get a permanent home and loving families in USA.

Thank you

US Adoption Service Providers in Ethiopia.

Mentor Program and Waiting Children Update

2011-10-07T16:08:00.000-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

Just a quick Update concerning the Adoptive Family Mentor Program.

The program is completed and will be presented for final administrative approval next week.

Thank you to the families who volunteered and provided input in the composing of the beta version of this program. It was appreciated.

Also on another note there are new children on the waiting kids portion of the website please go take a look and assist us in finding these wonderful children a forever home.

There is also an Online Training Section in the family center of the website now, please contact your coordinator for log in information.

Finally there is also a way to log into the data base from the family section of the website. Your log in information has not changed.

IAN would like to say Thank You for your support and patience as we continue to improve our services to you and work to provide a more central communication arena as well.

Have a great weekend!

IAN Staff

Adoptive Parent Mentor Program Response Letter

2011-09-21T10:05:00.001-06:00

WOW! That’s all I can say to the outstanding response to our request for volunteers to assist with this new Adoptive Family Mentor Program, Thank You Very Much. This response is an example of the wonderful families at IAN and why we could not do this without you!

IAN will be contacting each family that responded and volunteered within the next 48 Hours to provide information on the program and solicit feedback before the program goes into effect, this will be a collaboration between the agency and families to make this program all it can be in order to fully support our families and build the IAN community even stronger.

IAN Staff

Adoptive Family Mentor Program

2011-09-20T16:33:00.000-06:00

Hello and Thank You to all the wonderful IAN families that have made it through the adoption process. IAN continually strives to improve its services and now wishes to implement a program that cannot function without your great support.

IAN wishes to begin an Adoptive Family Mentorship Program for families in any stage of the adoption program, from the first paperwork packet to post adoption reports. Many new families feel lost and anxious at the beginning of the process due to the overwhelming amount of paperwork and questions concerning the long road ahead. IAN works very hard to comfort and support these families, however, the ability to reach out to an experienced family would be a great comfort and reassurance. IAN would like experienced families (ready to travel or further down the adoption process) to volunteer to mentor or communicate with new families and be able to answer questions from the perspective of the family and not the agency.

This new program is completely voluntary and would be explained in detail to any family that wishes to volunteer for the program. If you are interested in supporting this new program Please contact Bill at bill@internationaladoptionnet.org.

Thank you for your support as WE continue to find “Forever Homes” for these wonderful children!

IAN Staff

Uganda Adoption Program!!

2011-09-15T10:09:00.003-06:00

We would like to officially announce our NEW Uganda Adoption Program! We are now accepting applications for the Uganda pilot program. For more details and the application, go to our website at www.internationaladoptionnet.org or contact Bill Dickerson at 303.691.0808, Bill@internationaladoptionnet.org.

Referral Acceptance!!

2011-09-14T10:33:00.000-06:00

Referral Accepted!!

We are very happy to announce that a beautiful 3 year old boy found his forever family today! Congratulations for the happy family, we can't wait to bring you together!!

List movement:

Everyone below #18 on the infant boy list moves up one spot.

Everyone below #10 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot.

Family wait time: 3 months and 5 days

~ IAN Staff

Waiting Children!!

2011-09-06T14:55:00.000-06:00

There are two beautiful boys (siblings) waiting for their forever family on our waiting child site. They are 7 1/2 years and 21 months old. Help us find their family!!

www.internationaladoptionnet.org

Thanks!

~ IAN Staff

New Website Blog

2011-09-01T16:23:00.000-06:00

Dear IAN Families,

As you know, our new website is now active!! When you visit our website, you will find important updates on the bottom of the home page and our blog in the family center section. In the coming weeks, we will be posting all IAN News and Updates on the new website. www.internationaladoptionnet.org. Please use our new site as your primary source for updates and information.

Thank you!

~ IAN Staff

August 29 Office Update

2011-08-29T10:57:00.000-06:00

Today from 11am to 2pm MST all IAN staff will be in Hague training. We will not be in the office or answering phone calls. Please feel free to leave us a message or call us back after 2pm. Thanks for your understanding!

Letter From the Embassy

2011-08-23T16:25:00.000-06:00

Embassy Letter Update

The following is a copy of an email sent to IAN from the embassy in Ethiopia:

From: Addis, Adoption

Sent: Tuesday, August 23, 2011 3:22 AM

Subject: Issues regarding the adoptions.

Dear Adoption Agencies,

Several issues have arisen over the past few weeks that make it necessary for us to clarify some points with you regarding how we screen documents and schedule interviews with adoptive parents.

We want to stress that we will not expedite cases simply because parents are in country. We screen cases in the order in which they are received and we schedule interview appointments in the order in which the cases are cleared. We recommend that all adoptive parents wait to travel until the Embassy has confirmed a scheduled appointment. We will not fast track any case because adoptive parents chose to travel to Ethiopia without a scheduled appointment.

Our documentary requirements for cases do not change when the parents are in-country. If in the course of screening the documents we determine that we cannot clear the case because of errors or inconsistencies in the file that require further investigation, adoptive parents could find themselves spending significantly more time than expected in Ethiopia.

Families should not book return travel without a confirmed interview date. We will not expedite appointments on this basis.

Please keep the following in mind when communicating with your adoptive parents. We will be sharing the same information:

adoption cases will be screened in the order received
interviews will not be scheduled until a case has been screened and cleared, including any required corrections
Embassy staff require several business days to screen a case
corrections may require several days to weeks to complete
investigations and/or interviews with birth or relinquishing relatives may take a significant amount of time to complete
interview slots are normally available within one week of a case being cleared
it takes 48 hours from the time of the interview until we are able to deliver a printed visa.

We respectfully ask you to continue informing your parents of our recommendations regarding travelling for the visa interview.

Esther Bell

Vice Consul

US Embassy

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

bellef@state.gov

Referral Accepted!!

2011-08-19T15:18:00.002-06:00

We are pleased to announce that a referral has been accepted for an 8 1/2 year old brother and 2 1/2 year old sister!

The list moves as follows:
Everyone below #7 on Siblings moves up one spot!

Congratulations to the happy family!

Waiting Children Update

2011-08-18T12:42:00.000-06:00

There are new children looking for their forever families (two sibling sets, 2-9 years old). Please help us find families for these wonderful children!

www.internationaladoptionnet.org, Email Bill@internationaladoptionnet.org for login information.

~ IAN Staff

IAN Family Picnic - Last Call!!!

2011-08-11T09:34:00.000-06:00

Don't forget the IAN Family Picnic is THIS Sunday, August 14 from 1-3 pm at Belleview Park in Englewood, Colorado.

We would LOVE to have all of you join us for this wonderful event...please RSVP by the end of the day today, August 11, 2011 so we can plan for the right amound of food.

To RSVP, please visit: http://www.eventbrite.com/event/1859948155.

Please contact Allison at allison@internationaladoptionnet.org or 303-691-0808 with questions.

Referral Acceptance!

2011-08-05T09:32:00.004-06:00

A beautiful young toddler girl has found her forever home. Congratulations to the happy, happy family! Families on the baby girl waitlist ~ everyone under #12 moves up one; on toddler girl waitlist ~ everyone under 4 moves up one.

Calling IAN Families!

2011-08-02T13:46:00.000-06:00

The IAN annual picnic is just around the corner and we are putting together a photo/video presentation of our wonderful families. We want your photos! If you are interested in being a part, please send your photos/videos to Bill at Bill@internationaladoptionnet.org by Monday, August 8th. Include the name of your favorite song as well! These photos will not be posted on our website unless you request the photo release waiver. We can't wait to see you there!

~ IAN Staff

A Family's Review of the Guest House and Care Center

2011-07-28T16:31:00.000-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

Below is a recent review of the Guest House and Care Center, completed by one of our families with previous experience with many different orphanages, in more than one country. We have sent the recommendations listed to our staff in Ethiopia and expect we will see positive changes soon with these items. We hope these thoughts will be helpful to you.

~ IAN Staff

Addis View Review

We loved the Addis View! The rooms were clean and the food was good (and lots of variety—be sure to tell families to ask for a snack menu if they want sandwiches or burgers.) The staff was very helpful and accommodating. I also left my ipod touch out in the room and just ‘knew’ that it would be gone when I got back. I was very pleased that it was still there. The manager was very nice and asked us each day how we were and if there was anything we needed. And the cappuccino was wonderful J A driver was always available and he was very professional and trustworthy.

Care Center

I wanted to write about our experiences, thoughts, and observations for the Care Center. I write this having experienced 6 different orphanages—2 in Guatemala and 4 in Ethiopia (all within the last 3 years).

Most of our time was spent in the baby room or outside in the play area.

The baby room was clean. The floors were clean. Everyone took their shoes off when coming in (including Abebe!)

While there we saw all the crib sheets changed and the shelves wiped down and a serious cleaning in the diaper changing area.

When our baby’s diaper needed changed, a nanny pleasantly changed it and his clothes that had soaked. During a blow out—he was changed and given a bath before being re-dressed. He threw up one time and he was cleaned and the bumbo he was in was taken outside and thoroughly cleaned.

We saw babies that were attended to quickly when they cried. I saw them in bumbos, on the floor, in bouncy seats, having tummy time, in strollers—they are regularly changed to a different spot while we were there. They were loved on by the nannies. They enjoyed them and you could see that they were loved. We enjoyed watching the nannies have their tea and bread with the older ones and dancing and singing with them. All of the nannies seemed to know our baby’s name and spoke to him while we were holding him.

Our baby’s health was good and has grown and gained a lot of weight since being there. I was very happy with his care and could tell that he is loved.

Recommendations:

The only thing that I wish could change was the bottle propping. (Understanding why they do it though-lots of babies) It would be nice if another nanny could be hired to help with feeding. However—they do walk around and make sure the bottles are finished and hold the bottle for the babies to finish their formula.

Another thing that I think would be helpful would be to have outdoor time for the babies. One of the orphanages I was at in Ethiopia did this—seats/chairs/etc were taken out and the babies had some ‘sun’ time. (I think about 1/2hour) This helps with vitamin D absorption and gives a change of scenery—even if it they rotate babies (one room each day.) I think this would especially be good for those older babies that are walking. (of course, this would need to be while the older ones are inside)

Donation Need/Update

Ajuuja

Abebe said this is a poor orphanage and can use everything--with formula and diapers being the most needed things for there.

Care Center Needs: (per Sister)

Diaper covers

Hand sanitizer

Baby wash

wipes

Bottle brushes

Petr. Jelly

Crib sheets

Bottles and nipples

My suggestions:

Crib toys (toys that attach to cribs) I saw some toys tied to cribs with strings.

Would love to get some play mats like these http://www.walmart.com/browse/Baby-Toddler-Toys/Gyms-Play-Mats/_/N-6jv4?_refineresult=true&_refineresult=true&ic=48_0&path=0%3A5427&ref=+305680&catNavId=491351

The nannies are putting the bigger babies in the bouncy seats (because they love the toys attached to them) but they have to prop them up with the bumbos. These mats would give them a place to play and would easily be washed.

One thing that I liked is as I showed the stuff to Sister—she said “I have plenty of this, we’ll send it to Ajuuja” I think it’s good for families to know that things go where the greatest need is.

Sister wasn’t aware that the athlete’s foot antifungal was the same thing and could be used for the ‘head fungus’. I let her know that it was the same thing (per my pharmacist) and all the kids had it on their head in short time J

Updated Court Closure Dates

2011-07-26T10:23:00.001-06:00

The Ethiopian Court has posted their official closure dates for the upcoming rainy season. Please note, it is possible these could change slightly.

Closure Dates: August 6 to October 15

During court closure, there will be no court dates for birth families or adoptive families and no new court dates will be given. Court decrees can still be processed and MOWA and the US Embassy will continue to process adoptions as usual.

~ IAN Staff

Update on Happenings in Southern Ethiopia

2011-07-21T12:05:00.000-06:00

Many of you have been asking about the recent orphanage closures in the Southern region of Ethiopia. While none of the orphanages IAN works with have been directly impacted, we certainly understand the worry these things cause in adoptive parents. We want to clarify and answer some of your concerns.

· The Southern Region (or SNNPR) regional government has closed 18-20 orphanages at this time. It is possible more will be closed in the future. These investigations began more than six months ago.

· The Ethiopian government is continuing to take steps to improve adoptions. One way of doing this is to empower the regional governments and encourage them to take a greater role in overseeing orphanages in their region.

· The regional MoWA, court and police investigated all the orphanages in the southern region. They reviewed budgets, childcare, facilities, paperwork procedure and humanitarian aid provided.

· Regional MoWA made the decision to shut down several orphanages who were not meeting the standard in one or more of these areas. Most often the orphanages were not providing adequate humanitarian outreach to children in their area not being placed for international adoption.

· IAN works with Ajuuja orphanage in the Southern region. IAN followed the procedure we always use when working with orphanages. We meet with official representatives of the regional and federal MoWA, along with local police and courts to ensure the orphanage is in good standing. This was done last March with Ajuuja.

· Ajuuja has completed their investigation successfully, and remains in good standing and recommended by MoWA.

· IAN provides humanitarian aid through EVERY orphanage we work with. We provide medical supplies, school programs, library programs, older child support, or whatever need is expressed by the orphanage.

· While we are saddened by the orphanage closures, we are supportive of the Ethiopian government’s efforts to continue to improve adoptions and provide the best care for orphans and vulnerable children.

· We have been assured that all children who are currently in process with any orphanage will be moved to an approved facility and the adoptive parents will be permitted to complete their adoption.

Summer Camp Registration Deadline Extended

2011-07-15T14:20:00.000-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

We have extended the registration deadline for Family Journeys Culture Camp to Thursday, July 22nd. There are limited spaces available so reserve your spot today! Email us at FJCC@internationaladoptionnet.org.

Have a great weekend and we look forward to seeing you at camp!

~ IAN Staff

Updated Wait Time Estimates

2011-07-11T15:21:00.000-06:00

A recent analysis of the current wait list times (time from when a family submits their completed dossier, to when they receive the referral for their child) was very encouraging! The estimates as of July 2011 are:

Infant Girl (0-2 years): 13 months
Infant Boy (0-2 years): 12 months
Toddler Girl (2-4 years): 6 months
Toddler Boy (2-4 years): 4 1/2 months
Older children (5 and up): under two months.

Please bear in mind that these times are estimates. We have no control over the timing of children in need of families. However, if the trend continues over the next few months, we anticipate all wait times being under one year.

Care Center Update - part 3

2011-07-11T15:10:00.001-06:00

Joan's recent trip allowed her to document some of the changes at the Care Center! Things like:

New playground equipment and grassy areas for the children to play in.

New screen doors! Our children can now enjoy the fresh air without flies!

New crib bumpers for all the cribs to protect the babies!

Brand new carpet for all the rooms! Plus new toys to play with.

Carpeted space for the children to play....

..that becomes a quiet place for parents to meet their children, or birth parents to meet adoptive parents.

IT'S HERE!!!!!

2011-07-07T15:18:00.000-06:00

As promised per the IAN improvement project: Our new and improved website!!!

www.internationaladoptionnet.org

Please come on over and check it out!!! We'd love to have your feedback. You may leave it in the comments here, or email Bill@internationaladoptionnet.org

Referral!!

2011-07-06T13:33:00.000-06:00

We are very happy to announce that a beautiful 7 year old girl found her forever family today! Congratulations!!!

No list movement

Family wait time: 3 weeks

~ IAN Staff

Infant Girl Referral!

2011-07-05T16:54:00.000-06:00

Another big congratulations to the family who accepted their beautiful baby girl referral today!

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

Wait time: 13 months, 25 days

~ IAN Staff

Referral!

2011-07-05T14:39:00.000-06:00

A big congratulations to the family and beautiful toddler boy who were matched today!!

Wait list movement:
Everyone below #10 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #2 on the older girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #1 on the older boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #18 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #19 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #35 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #14 on the siblings list moves up one spot

Family wait time: 2 months exactly!

~ IAN Staff

Referral!!

2011-07-01T14:23:00.000-06:00

We are thrilled to announce that a beautiful toddler girl found her forever family today! Congratulations to the family!!

Wait list movement:
Everyone below #7 on the toddler girl waiting list moves up one spot
Everyone below #10 on the infant girl waiting list moves up one spot

Wait time: 8 months, 9 days

~ IAN Staff

Office Closed for Independence Day!

2011-07-01T14:20:00.002-06:00

The IAN Office will be closed on Monday, July 4th for Independence Day. We will be open again on Tuesday. Have a wonderful holiday weekend!!

~ IAN Staff

Another referral acceptance!

2011-06-27T16:35:00.003-06:00

A double wonderful Monday! We have another referral acceptance today for a beautiful 4 year old boy. A big congratulations from all of us at IAN!

List movement:
Everyone below #1 on the Older Boy waiting list moves up one spot.

Wait time: 3 months, 13 days

~ IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance!!

2011-06-27T16:27:00.000-06:00

What a perfect end to a Monday! A beautiful 2 year old boy found his forever family today! Congratulations to everyone!

List movement:
Everyone below #11 on the infant boy list moves up one spot.
Everyone below #4 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot.

Wait time: 6 months, 20 days

~ IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance!!

2011-06-21T13:02:00.000-06:00

Congratulations today to a very happy family and beautiful baby who were matched today!!

List movement:
Everyone below #3 on the infant boy list moves up one spot.
Everyone below # 12 on the infant girl list moves up one spot.

~ IAN Staff

General Information Webinars!

2011-06-20T11:14:00.000-06:00

IAN will be hosting General Information Webinars for new families on the following dates and times. If you are interested in joining us, please email info@adoptioninternational.net to reserve your spot.

Wednesday, June 22nd, 7-8pm (MST)
Saturday, July 9, 9-10am (MST)

We hope to see you there!

~ IAN Staff

Court Closure Dates

2011-06-17T09:18:00.000-06:00

IAN Families,

Court closure dates in Ethiopia have been announced. The Ethiopian Court be closed from August 8th to September 19th for rainy season (please note that this date could change slightly, as it is based on Ethiopia's rainy season). MOWA and the US Embassy will be processing cases as normal.

~ IAN Staff

Letter from Joan

2011-06-16T15:36:00.000-06:00

Greetings IAN Families,

I wanted to take a moment to update you on some of the exciting happenings here at IAN.

I will be leaving tomorrow morning for a short trip to Ethiopia to check on IAN’s program there. I look forward to seeing how things are going, meeting with our in country staff, making sure the care center has made all the necessary changes and is meeting our standards, and of course to spending time with our children!

I also wanted to address the feedback I’ve received on the Addis View Guest House. When choosing our guest house for families to use, we based our decision on a number of criteria. These include priority for IAN families, cost, location, comfort, amenities, play areas for children, food, as well as many others. Addis View met all of our criteria. With any change, there is always room for improvement. I appreciate all of you who have taken the time to share your thoughts about areas for Addis View to improve. We have been in close contact with AV’s management, and they have agreed to make some immediate changes. Some of these will include: limiting smoking to a designated area, providing ample play room for children, providing rooms on the lower floors for IAN families to avoid restaurant noise, informing IAN of scheduled weddings or events, providing internet access for families who prefer to use laptops rather than public computers, providing a cell phone for IAN families to share, providing more accommodations for families with young children and ensuring bottled water is available in every room. Every comment IAN has received about AV – positive or negative –has been communicated to the management of AV, and I have been pleased to see how willing the AV staff is to make changes to better serve our clients. We appreciate your willingness to allow AV a second chance and please continue to share your thoughts with us to keep moving in a positive direction!

We have posted some beautiful photos here of some of the improvements being made at our care center. Thank you to all of the families who made this possible and keep your eye out for more updates on our Care Center Improvement Project!

I’m also excited about the eleven families who received their referrals this month!! Providing loving homes for these children is why we all work so hard!

Thank you for your support of IAN. I hope to see as many of you as possible at Family Journeys Culture Camp in August! Don’t forget to register: FJCC@adoptioninternational.net.

Referral Accepted!!

2011-06-15T10:44:00.000-06:00

We are thrilled that a handsome baby boy has found his forever family! Congratulations to the family!

Everyone below #4 on Infant Boy moves up 1 spot.

Family wait time: ~ 1 year

~IAN Staff

Two referrals!!

2011-06-10T13:35:00.000-06:00

We are thrilled that two more beautiful girls found their forever families today!! Congratulations to the happy families!!

List movement:
Everyone below #8 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below # 11 on the toddler girl waiting list moves up one spot
Everyone below #5 on the toddler girl waiting list moves up one spot

Family waiting time:
~ 13 months for the infant girl
~ Six months for the toddler girl

~ IAN Staff

Summer Camp Registration!!!

2011-06-09T15:28:00.000-06:00

Registration for Family Journeys Culture Camp is now OPEN!!

Date: August 8 to August 12th

3 to 6 year olds: 9am to 12:30

7 to 12 year olds: 1 to 4:40

Activities available for children over 12

About Camp:

We have outstanding Ethiopian teachers who will lead camp this year.

Activities include: Ethiopian language, dance, games, haircare, cooking, even a coffee ceremony!

Each child will receive an authentic Ethiopian outfit (*Must be registered by July 15)

A perfect opportunity for your children to meet friends and siblings with similar experiences!

To Register

Email Liz at FJCC@adoptioninternational.net

All children must be registered by July 15th. Sign up now to reserve your space!!

We can't wait to see you!!

Two MORE Referrals Accepted!!

2011-06-09T14:14:00.001-06:00

Two sweet baby boys found their forever families today!!! One is just under two months old, the other eight months old. Congratulations to both happy families!!

Families times on wait list:
-13 months, 10 days.
-9 months, 21 days.

List movement:
Baby Girl List: Everyone after #9 moves two spots.
Baby Boy List: #7 - #21 move one spot; #22 and after move two spots.

As always, please contact your coordinator if you have any questions!

-IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance!

2011-06-09T09:58:00.000-06:00

A beautiful baby girl was matched with her forever family today! Congratulations!!

Waiting list movement:
Everyone below #8 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #3 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot

Family Waiting Time: 13 months

~ IAN Staff

Two referral Acceptances!!!

2011-06-08T09:56:00.001-06:00

We are very happy to announce that two beautiful baby girls have found their forever families!!

Waiting list movement:
Everyone below #8 on the infant girl waiting list moves up 2 spaces
Everyone below #3 on the toddler girl waiting list moves up 1 spot

Family waiting time:
13 months

Congratualations!!

~ IAN Staff

An unexpectedly happy ending

2011-06-02T16:30:00.000-06:00

This week one of our baby boys who was in the process of being adopted received the best possible gift. Due to a change in circumstances, he was able to be reunited with his birth mother and will be raised by her. Neither birth nor adoptive families had passed court.

While this was a difficult time for the adoptive family, they showed unbelievable strength and faith in the news that there was one less orphan in Ethiopia needing a family. While this is a highly unusual turn of events, and not something that should cause other adoptive parents concern, it does indeed show that the process in Ethiopia is working and healthy.

Today, the family accepted a referral for another baby boy, one who still needs a family. Congratulations to all of you!!

No list movement.

Referral Acceptance!!

2011-06-02T15:56:00.000-06:00

Today a beautiful 5 month old baby girl was matched with her forever family!! Congratulations to the happy family!

Time on wait list for the family: 13 1/2 months.

List movement as follows:
Baby girl list: Everyone after #9 moves one spot
Sibling list: Everyone after #3 moves one spot.

IAN Care Center Improvement Project - part one.

2011-05-27T13:44:00.000-06:00

Dear IAN Families,

As we continue to strive towards improving the conditions at the Care Center, we have received the following update from Abebe after a recent meeting. The following are the rules that have been implemented.

"1. The babies room cleanliness will be given emphasis and the nannies assigned for the rooms will be accountable for any unsanitary condition observed. Everyday both Yared and I will do the supervision whenever we are in the compound, and we will take serious measures if any dirt or uncleanness observed.

2. Sister Alemaz is strictly informed she should give total attention for the health care of the children. She is free from any other activity like shopping and unnecessary jobs that can be covered by other staff.

3. Children’s hair should be kept clean by nannies respectively assigned for each room. The responsibility of setting schedule for children’s hair by the nannies is given for sister Alemaz.

4. It is totally forbidden to keep any waste material in the children room including dirty diapers.

5. No foodstuff of adults allowed at any of children’s room to avoid cockroaches and rodents.

6. Shortage of water was raised as a problem for cleanness. A barrel of water is to be kept in the baby’s room for bathrooms.

7. Such meeting as this would be held regularly every month and regular simple check in. Handling and how to clean the compound will be demonstrated for the nannies.

8. Shortage of plastic for diaper cover raised as a problem and local means should be sought as a solution. Plastic diaper cover available at the market or plastic sheets should improvise and prepared until we get from head office. (From IAN US staff: Parents, keep note if you're looking to bring donations to the care center)

9. All rodent attracting food should be kept in a well-covered container.

10. At last we designed a means of competition among different room nannies to award as the best worker of the month for those who kept their environment cleaner.

With Regards

Abebe"

Stay tuned for more updates and pictures coming soon!!

~ IAN Staff

Office Closed Monday

2011-05-26T15:06:00.000-06:00

International Adoption Net will be closed on Monday, May 30th in observance of Memorial Day. We will be open again on Tuesday.

~ IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance!!!

2011-05-26T14:56:00.002-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

A very happy family accepted the referral of a beautiful baby boy!

Waiting list movement:
Everyone below #3 on the infant boy list moves up one spot.

Family's wait time: One year and 16 days!

Congratulations to the family!!

(Also, This was a very special referral for our coordinator, Aneata, as this was her 100th referral!!)

~ IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance

2011-05-25T10:55:00.000-06:00

A family today accepted their referral for beautiful, two-month old twin boys!! Congratuations to the happy family!!

The list movement is:
Infant boy: Everyone after #7 moves one spot.
Infant girl: Everyone after #20 moves one spot.
Siblings: Everyone after #5 moves one spot.

The family's time on the wait list: 11 months, 3 days.

IAN Improvement Project

2011-05-24T14:23:00.000-06:00

We're taking the next step in our IAN Improvement Project!! Join IAN's official Yahoo group, set up for you, to have your questions answered, hear from other IAN families and meet Bill!! http://groups.yahoo.com/group/IANfamilies/

IAN Care Center Improvement Project

2011-05-23T18:33:00.001-06:00

A letter from Joan:

I wanted to take some time to respond to some comments I have recently heard from our families about our care center. First, thank you to all of you who took the time to share your thoughts with me. I cannot make improvements to the agency and the program unless parents bring their concerns to me directly. We must all work together to provide the very best care for our children.

As you may know, we are very much in the process of improving the care center. I'd like to share with all of you my plans for this:

1. Liz Bogetveit, International Program Supervisor, traveled to Ethiopia in April, with one of her goals being to improve the care center. The following changes have come as a direct result of Liz’s visit:

More space has been devoted to children by moving IAN offices out of the care center.
New sanitation policies are now in effect to minimize the spread of germs. These include more frequent clothing changes, hand washing, use of purell, a room for newly arrived children until their health status is determined.
We have hired a pediatrician who visits the care center weekly to evaluate any health needs.

2. We have asked one of IAN's adoptive families to visit the care center during their court trip next week, and they have graciously agreed. This family has extensive experience in orphanages from various developing nations, and have adopted from Ethiopia before. This family will present an unbiased report, and we will implement any suggested changes.

3. Finally, I will personally travel to Ethiopia soon to ensure all needed changes have been made, or to restructure the program if they have not.

While our first priority is the care of the children entrusted to IAN and it's families, it is also important for us to maintain our respect for the culture and people of Ethiopia, not to demand our American standards be met. More importantly, we need to maintain perspective on exactly how and why these children came to be in our care. Please allow me to share some thoughts from Abebe Bayou, IAN Ethiopia Director.

"We work on Ethiopian standard, supervised by MoWA, MOJ and MoFA at least twice a year. We have been given no negative feedback for the last three years.

It is true most children are fragile, malnourished and sick when they arrive at our care center; we are not ashamed of that. We are proud and glad for saving their lives and improving their quality of life.

Shall we reject such children and search for the best, well-fed, healthy children? No way, that is not what we stand for and believe. Adoptive families understand the problem of institutional care. Adoption is preferred from institutional care because whatever you do in an instituion it is always the last choice."

IAN is committed to continuing to improve the care given our children, while giving respect to the history and culture in Ethiopia. I encourage any family with additional thoughts or suggestions to email me directly. We will continue to post updates about the progress of this Care Center Improvement Project.

Sincerely,

Joan Strauss, MA
Executive Director

Upcoming Travel Webinars

2011-05-23T14:28:00.000-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

We will be hosting two travel webinars this week for families getting ready to travel. If you are interested in joining us for information about your upcoming trip and for the opportunity to chat with other traveling families, please email info@adoptioninternational.net.

Court Webinar: For families with scheduled court dates
When: Friday, May 27th at 2pm (MST)

Embassy Webinar: For families who have passed court and are waiting on Embassy and families with scheduled Embassy appointments.
When: Friday, May 27 at 3pm (MST)

Hope to see you there!

Share Your Photos!!!

2011-05-11T10:56:00.000-06:00

Hello IAN Families,

IAN is creating a new website and we are looking for pictures!!!! If you are interested in sharing pictures of your family for our new site, please send them to Bill@adoptioninternational.net. Thanks!

~ IAN Staff

Sign up today for our Post Adoption Group!!!

2011-05-10T10:30:00.000-06:00

Hello Families,

It is finally time to sign up for our first Post Adoption Group! We hope to use this first meeting to hear directly from YOU about what you would hope to see with this new group! This first meeting will be on Saturday, June 18th from 11am - 1pm at the IAN office in Centennial. Lunch and childcare will be provided. If you are interested in reserving a space, please email ianadoptiongroups@gmail.com with your name, child's name and age, and contact information.

Thank you and we hope to see you all soon!!

~ IAN Staff

Referral Accepted!

2011-04-29T14:58:00.000-06:00

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

Family Journeys Culture Camp!!

2011-04-28T13:21:00.000-06:00

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.

Referral!!

2011-04-27T15:48:00.000-06:00

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

Referral Accepted!

2011-04-26T16:18:00.000-06:00

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

Easter Holiday Closures

2011-04-21T16:10:00.000-06:00

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

2011-04-21T11:07:00.000-06:00

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

IAN Numbers Update for 2011

2011-04-19T14:33:00.000-06:00

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!!

New Intake Procedure at Embassy

2011-04-08T10:09:00.000-06:00

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

Addis View Q&A

2011-03-30T16:03:00.000-06:00

Two IAN boys enjoying Addis View before heading home!

Many of you have expressed to us via phone call, emails and facebook posts your concerns about Addis View. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to provide answers.

1. Why is IAN limiting approved lodging to one place?

First, as a response to the frustrations we’ve all been experiencing with transportation. Our goal is to provide transportation to ALL families and avoid delays and long wait times. When families were spread all around the city, it became an impossible task that was overwhelming the staff and frustrating for families. The more time we can save driving around the city, the more time families will have to visit the children and Ethiopia!
Second, having all IAN families in one place will help families get to know each other during their stay.
Third, it helps with the communication between families and our in country staff. They can easily contact you with updates. Meetings with the in country staff and meetings for paperwork, information etc. will be much easier.

2. How did IAN Choose Addis View?

There were several factors that were important to us.

One, proximity to the court and embassy. As nice as it is to be close to the care center, it’s more important to be closer to the official buildings. It won’t matter much if you are stuck in famous Addis traffic and you’re late for a visit with your kiddo, however being late to court or embassy could have dire consequences!
Second, cost. We wanted someplace that would be in reach for all IAN families.
Third, attitude of the management toward adoptive families. Obviously we want an environment that is adoption supportive and friendly. The managers at Addis View have expressed their gratitude and love for adoptive families. There are comfortable spaces for children to play, including an indoor and outdoor space and comfortable indoor and outdoor dining areas.
Fourth, availability. Many guest houses already have a contract in place with other adoption service providers, and could not accommodate our request to have IAN families as priority.
Finally, comfort for everyone. There are some wonderful faith-based guest houses that many of our families enjoy. However, since IAN serves families of all religious backgrounds and beliefs, it would not be appropriate to ask families to stay somewhere that promotes a faith not of their own.

3. I thought we had to stay at Guest Houses, isn't Addis View is a hotel?

While Addis View is named as a “hotel”, it functions like a guest house. 90% of their guests are adoptive parents. They are adoption friendly and this is the most important piece of the guest house only “rule”.

4. Does Addis View have play areas/cribs/kitchen facilities/other things I will need for my child?

Yes! The rooms have a sink, fridge and cabinets included. They have nice play areas both indoors and outdoors. Cribs are available for free and extra beds for older children are available for $15 a day. Nannies can also be hired for a minimal cost.

Did we miss anything you were wondering about? Please let us know here! Reviews of Addis View from the parents of the two handsome boys above will be coming soon!

Addis View Guest House!!

2011-03-23T10:48:00.000-06:00

We are so happy to announce that IAN has signed an agreement with Addis View Guest House/Hotel to provide lodging for all IAN families!

Beginning May 1, we will be requiring IAN families to stay at Addis View in order to provide the best possible transportation and service. Until May 1, we strongly encourage families to stay at Addis View if possible, but we will still honor our transportation service to other approved guest houses. If you do not wish to stay at Addis View, you will need to arrange your own transportation to the hotel as it will be the meeting point for all activities.

IAN's travel coordinator will be making reservations on your behalf in order to get the best possible price. You will need to let us know dates, how many rooms/beds, number of people and any other preferences within a week prior to departure.

Payment can be made directly to Addis View.

Please visit Addis View at http://www.addisviewhotel.com/ for more information on their services and amenities. Prices range from $65 - $85 per night, which includes breakfast and all taxes. A driver is available for a very reasonable price for any activities outside official IAN events.

2011-03-18T16:01:00.000-06:00

We thought we should share two more good pieces of news to start the weekend!

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

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

Have a great weekend!

~IAN Staff

Referral Accepted!

2011-03-18T14:18:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to the happy family that accepted a referral for a beautiful one year old little girl!

Everyone below #9 on Infant Girl moves up one spot!

Family's time on wait list = little under 1 year

Congratulations!!

~IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance

2011-03-14T15:24:00.000-06:00

Congratulations to the family who accepted the referral of the sweet little boy who had recently been featured on IAN's waiting child site!! This precious two year old boy so many of you inquired about has found his forever family.

Wait list movement:
Everyone after #10 on the infant boy list..
Everyone after #26 on the infant girl list...
Everyone after #8 on the sibling list...

...all move one spot.

Family's time on the wait list = 7 months, 6 days.

Congratulations to everyone!!!

Good News out of Ethiopia!!

2011-03-14T09:14:00.000-06:00

We have heard from our staff in Ethiopia this morning, and we understand that MoWA has agreed to process 20 cases a day rather than the 5 cases we had heard recently.

Please know that we are still waiting for the official MoWA announcement on this to confirm it 100%. There are still many question unanswered and we are watching and waiting to see what develops. We will keep you posted!!

Another Referral Acceptance!

2011-03-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a Friday! We are excited to announce the referral of an adorable 3 year old little boy! Congratulations to the happy family!

List movement:

Everyone below #20 on the infant boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #3 on the toddler boy list moves up one spot
Everyone below #13 on the sibling list moves up one spot

Family wait time:
4 months, 11 days

~IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance!

2011-03-11T14:17:00.000-07:00

We are very happy to announce the referral of a beautiful 4 month old little girl!
Congratulations to the very happy family!

List movement
Everyone below number #22 on the infant girl list moves up one spot

Family wait time:
9 months, 19 days

~IAN Staff

Ethiopian Adoption Alert

2011-03-09T16:08:00.000-07:00

As expected, the Department of State has issued the statement below on the changes in adoption processing in Ethiopia. At this time, IAN staff in Ethiopia is confident the situation can be resolved quickly. We will continue to monitor developments, including the DOS conference call this Friday, and will keep you up to date on developments.

In the meantime, please consider visiting www.jointcouncil.org to sign JCICS's Emergency Campaign for Ethiopia petition. http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43714.html

*********************************************************************************

DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Bureau of Consular Affairs

Office of Children’s Issues

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Government of Ethiopia Plans Major Slow-Down in Adoption Processing

March 9, 2011

Citing the need to work on quality and focus on more important strategic issues, the Government of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) will reduce to a maximum of five the number of adoption cases it processes per day, effective March 10, 2011. Under Ethiopian adoption procedures, MOWCYA approves every match between prospective adoptive parents and an Ethiopian child before that case can be forwarded for a court hearing. The U.S. Embassy is working with Ethiopian government officials and adoption agencies to learn more about this change in procedures. We will continue to share information as it becomes available.

Given MOWCYA's current caseload, the U.S. Embassy anticipates that this change could result in an overall decline in case processing of some 90 percent. If this change is implemented as proposed, we expect, that parents who have begun the process of adopting from Ethiopia but have not yet been matched with a child could experience significant delays. It is not clear if this change in procedures would have any significant impact on cases in which MOWCYA has already approved matches.

Prospective adoptive parents should remain in close contact with their adoption service provider to obtain updates on individual cases.

The Embassy's Adoptions Unit can be reached at consadoptionaddis@state.gov.
Please continue to monitor http://adoption.state.gov/ for updated information as it becomes available.

Looking at the Bright Side....

2011-03-09T10:44:00.000-07:00

As all of you know, the road to Ethiopian adoption has been a bumpy one for the last several weeks. It has been heartbreaking for all of us as families waited and waited for approval to bring their adopted children home. We have been promising to do everything in our power to adapt to the new regulations and to return the program to as close to the former time frame as possible - five weeks from court approval to Embassy submittal.

Ten families passed court, on their first appointment, on February 28. All of those families have been submitted for their passports. It is very possible they will be submitted to the Embassy next week - two and a half weeks after court approval.

We didn't meet the former standard - we exceeded it.

This may sound like bragging - and it is. Our Ethiopian staff deserves all of this and so much more. We are so fortunate to have such dedicated men and women working on our behalf.

This is not to minimize the suffering for those whose road was not easy, nor is it a guarantee that the future will continue to be smooth sailing.

But today, in this moment, a bright light to be grateful for and to celebrate!!

Referral Acceptance!

2011-03-08T14:04:00.000-07:00

We are thrilled to announce the referral of a beautiful 4 year old girl! Congratulations to the very happy family.

List movement
Everyone below #28 on the infant girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #7 on the toddler girl list moves up one spot
Everyone below #9 on the siblings list moves up one spot

Family wait time: 7 1/2 months

~ IAN Staff

New Guest House

2011-03-07T15:51:00.001-07:00

We have found a new guest house in Addis Ababa we would like to encourage our families to use!! It is called the Mimosa Hotel, but it does function as a guest house. Liz will be staying there later this week and will report back when she returns.

If you have already booked lodging at one of the other guest houses, that's fine. If not, please consider using Mimosa. Eventually all of IAN's families should be staying at Mimosa in order to use transportation services.

Mimosa Hotel

Tel : ++(251-11)6616690

Fax: ++(251-11)6616691

E-mail: mimosahotel@ethionet.et

Web: www.mimosahotel.com.et

Changes at MOWA

2011-03-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

I have read the recent Voice Of America article regarding changes in how the Ministry of Womens Affairs (MOWA) will be processing adoption cases in Ethiopia. I have been in direct contact with my in country representative about the possible changes occurring at MOWA. According to our in country staff, MOWA has posted that they will limit their processing to five adoption cases per day, starting on March 10th. We do not know if this is a permanent change, or how it will affect our current and future families, if at all. Our in country representative is planning to meet with a member of MOWA to gather more information in the coming week. I want to encourage families not to worry, as we do not, as of yet, know the possible ramifications of this change

~ Joan Strauss, Executive Director

Off to Ethiopia

2011-03-04T14:11:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce to you that our Program Supervisor, Liz, will be leaving for Ethiopia next Tuesday for 2.5 weeks. Our in country staff have done a wonderful job adapting to the new changes in the most accurate and efficient way possible. With all of these recent changes, Liz's primary purpose will be to learn about these changes and new processes. She will be observing the paperwork submission process, visiting MOWA, Court and Embassy and making sure everything continues to move forward in a positive direction.

~ Joan Strauss, Executive Director

Another referral!!

2011-03-04T12:42:00.000-07:00

A beautiful 3 year old girl found her forever home today! Congratulations to the family!

List movement:
Everyone below #44 on infant girl moves up one spot
Everyone below #15 on toddler girl moves up one spot
Everyone below #16 on siblings moves up one spot

Family wait time: 3.5 months

~IAN Staff

Referral Acceptance!!

2011-03-04T12:01:00.000-07:00

We are happy to announce the referral of a beautiful infant girl this afternoon! Congratulations to the very happy family!

List movement:
Everyone below #6 on the infant girl waiting list moves up one spot

Family wait time: 13 months

~ IAN Staff

New Waiting Children

2011-03-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon IAN Families,

We have added two young children to our waiting child site. You can see their pictures (with the password) at http://www.adoptioninternational.net/waitingethiopia/index.php.

If you are interested in learning more about these children, please contact our waiting child coordinator, Cat at Catherine@adoptioninternational.net by Tuesday at 9am MST. In order to help bring these children to their forever families as quickly as possible, their information will be given to the family closest to paper ready.

We look forward to hearing from you and helping these beautiful children come home soon!

~ Joan Strauss, Executive Director