VIETNAM PROGRAM UPDATES
Families Begin
Receiving 1-600 Approvals!
Children?s Hope is delighted to
report new referrals! In the first week of December, a family
received a referral for a 2-year-old girl from the Go Vap
orphanage in Ho Chi Minh City. Two referrals were received the
week prior: a 4?-year-old girl from Tam Binh 2 orphanage and a
2?-year-old boy from the Go Vap orphanage, both in Ho Chi Minh
City. And in mid-November, Children?s Hope received the referral
of a 6-week-old boy, born with a cleft lip/palate, from the Kien
Giang province. Congratulations to these families and this great
news of Thanksgiving!
More referrals are to come, but they
may not be received before the New Year. Some children recently
came into the orphanage and will need to have medicals completed
before we will receive their referral information. With this in
mind, we look forward to the New Year!
Travel: We were blessed with
seven of our families receiving their I-600 approvals in
December. Three of these families traveled to Vietnam on
December 6, two more on December 11, and the two remaining
families will travel once they receive their Giving & Receiving
dates from Vietnam. The I-600 approval for these families took
anywhere from 2 ? to 3 weeks to obtain, within the US estimation
for approval.
Our four families traveling in
Vietnam in mid-November finalized their adoptions a little
earlier than anticipated and were able to celebrate Thanksgiving
with their families in the US (one family decided to stay on
their own and keep their original tickets).
Anticipated Vietnam Adoptions
Completed in 2007: Seventy-eight adoptions have been
completed through the month of November for 2007. Last year was
a banner year for the Vietnam program, completing 60 adoptions
in 2006. With families traveling before the end of the year,
Children?s Hope will have completed over 80 adoptions in 2007.
It has been one busy year! This is fantastic and we are so
thrilled for all the children that have been united with their
loving families this year. Congratulations to our families!
News: Maura Harty was in
Vietnam last week to visit with Vietnamese officials to discuss
the re-signing of the Memorandum of Understanding agreement
between the US and Vietnam. Her full interview with a Vietnamese
television station can be read online, here:
http://vietnam.usembassy.gov/harty113007.html.
2007 Children's Hope International.
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