November 7, 2007

Courts Rescheduled, Families Traveling to Unite with Their Children

There are so many wonderful things happening in the Ethiopia program; 16 families have been matched with a referral since the courts closed and reopened, families have received court dates and more are preparing to travel. Two families returned home with heir children in late November. One of our singles leaves for Ethiopia this Saturday, December 8. We wish you the best in your travels!

Holiday Closures in Ethiopia: The U.S Embassy in Ethiopia will be closed December 25 and January 1 for the American Christmas and New Year’s holiday and January 7 in celebration of Ethiopia’s Christmas. The courts will be open for the American holidays, but will also be closed January 7 in celebration of Ethiopian Christmas.

Wait Time: As more and more agencies become licensed to work in Ethiopia, time frames for various processes become longer, and more changes are implemented. The current wait time from referral acceptance by the family to the court date is now approximately 37 days; last month the time frame was 30 days. This time frame may increase.

Court Dates May Be Rescheduled: At this time, a number of our families’ court dates have been rescheduled, as are the court dates of families in every agency working in Ethiopia. The Ministry of Women’s Affairs delivers all documents to court. If the documents are not received by the date scheduled, the case will be moved to an alternate court date. There is no notice given to the agencies by the MOWA, as some documents might actually be delivered while court is in session. In other instances, the birth relative is not at the court hearing. It is the responsibility of the orphanage director of your child’s orphanage to locate the birth relative and to bring him/her to court. Sometimes the birth relative may have moved and the director will need additional time to locate them, or perhaps the relative is still registered at the original address through the local city administration but they were not located in time. The court will be rescheduled to await the birth relative, as well. 

Correction – Children’s Hope works with 2 orphanages in Addis Ababa for the referral of children (Hope for Abandoned Children and Finot Lewegon Orphanage) and one orphanage in the Assela rural area (Numan Orphanage Center). 

 

November 15, 2007

Adoptions to Be Completed, Families to Be United

The Ethiopia Team has matched fourteen Children’s Hope families with their children since the Ethiopian courts closed in September and have now reopened. Since the beginning of November, four families have received referrals and four additional families with earlier referrals have had court dates scheduled. It is an exciting time as the courts reopen to finalize our families’ adoptions prior to their travel to Ethiopia!  

Children’s Hope Ethiopia program continues to grow and more and more of our families completed applications to adopt from Ethiopia are being delivered to the country everyday. November’s referrals have been for a 10-month-old girl, a 14-month-old boy, a 3 ½-month-old girl and a 6 ½-month-old boy. All families waited 2 ½ months or less for their referrals. Congratulations to the happy families!  

Information on Travel 

Families will travel approximately 2 to 3 months after their referral acceptance and will stay in Ethiopia for 5-7 days. Families who wish to visit Ethiopia for a longer time period are free to do so; however, Children’s Hope transition home House of Hope will only accommodate families who will be staying up to 7 days. 

 

October 15, 2007

Rejoicing in the Rain

Ethiopia families have been celebrating this past month with referrals. Nine children have been referred to eight families since September 10, with one family receiving a referral for twin girls! The youngest referral received was for a 6-week-old infant girl. These children were referred from three orphanages Children’s Hope is currently working within in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The Ethiopian courts reopened after the rainy season, on October 1. Court officials have not completed processing all of the adoptions submitted for court dates prior to their closing in August; therefore, there is a slight delay in processing Ethiopia dossiers and adoptions.

• There are currently 103 families going through the adoption process with Children’s Hope

• 16 of those families have dossiers in country; nine of whom have been matched with a referral

• ·3 families have completed their adoptions and are home with their children

Meeting Birth Relatives of Your Ethiopian Children

Many families will have the opportunity to meet a birth relative of your child while you’re in Ethiopia, but not all families will. Some children will not have a living relative, or perhaps that relative does not desire to have a meeting with the adopting parents, for various reasons. The birth relative is the one who says “yes” or “no” regarding whether a meeting will take place.

When the meeting does take place, it will always be after the adoption has been finalized in the court (for those families who may be traveling prior to the court date), and the meeting will be arranged for you by our in country representative and the director of the orphanage where your child lived prior to coming to Children’s Hope transition home, House of Hope. The meeting will be held at the previous orphanage of the child, which will give you an opportunity to visit your child’s orphanage at that time as well. The birth relative will enjoy having a photo of the child as a keepsake and if you’d like to leave a short letter with the birth relative, that would be acceptable. Photographs and video tapes can be taken at the orphanages, but you will want to ask permission before you take any photos of the other children, the orphanage itself, the staff or any birth relatives. Most likely the photos will be allowed, but you will want to ask first.

 

September 15, 2007

A New Referral and a New Year Going into a New Millennium

On September 11, Ethiopia celebrated its own new millennium. Welcome, Ethiopia, to the year 2000!

Adhering to the 13-month Julian calendar (which all countries followed for 1500 years), Ethiopia is now seven years and eight months behind the current international standard Gregorian calendar. The Ethiopian New Year is celebrated on 1 Meskerem, or September 11, which marks the end of the rainy season and the beginning of spring.

We at Children's Hope are excited to be a part of this new century in Ethiopia with our adoption program, and are eager to develop our humanitarian aid efforts in this country. Orphan sponsorship within Ethiopia is slated to begin in October 2007.

This month so far, we received a referral for two siblings - a 14-month-old girl and her 3-year-old brother. We were thrilled to be able to refer them to a Children's Hope family. More children are now entering the House of Hope, Children’s Hope transition home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As children prepare to take their medical examinations we hope to give referrals to families in coming weeks.

Congratulations to our referral family and congratulations to Ethiopia on this much celebrated occasion!

International Adoption Requirements Awaiting Approval:

Our Children's Hope staff attended a mandatory meeting in Ethiopia in late August in which the Ethiopian ministries over international adoption discussed possible upcoming changes. As a result of this meeting, Children's Hope is no longer taking singles applications for our Ethiopia program until the final changes are announced. We have singles who are currently working on their dossier and we will be assisting their adoptions at this time.

As a new agency, Children’s Hope has previously been asked to abide by several of the possible requirements that previously licensed agencies are not yet required to implement with their families.

Proposed requirements awaiting approval:

• 3 year age gap between the youngest child in the home and the adopted child

• Adoptive parents travel to Ethiopia to complete their adoption as opposed to escort

• The number of children allowed in the prospective parents’ home prior to adoption

• Singles availability to adopt from Ethiopia

Please keep in mind: when most countries change their requirements, they do not do so abruptly, but will typically give a time frame for the new implementation. When final changes are announced in Ethiopia, we will share them with our families.

 

August 31, 2007

More children are now entering the House of Hope, Children’s Hope transition home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. As children prepare to take their medical examinations we hope to give referrals to families in coming weeks. Several dossiers have been received and it is exciting to see our new families completing their paperwork for submittal to Ethiopia.

In a meeting yesterday in Ethiopia, U.S. agencies were invited to discuss the new Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs requirements. These new requirements are currently awaiting approval. As a new agency, Children’s Hope has already been asked to abide by several of these requirements that previously licensed agencies are not yet required to implement with their families.

Proposed requirements:

• 3 year age gap between the youngest child in the home and the adopted child

• Adoptive parents travel to Ethiopia to complete their adoption as opposed to escort

• The number of children allowed in the prospective parents’ home prior to adoption

• Singles availability to adopt from Ethiopia

Please keep in mind: when most countries change their requirements, they do not do so abruptly, but will typically give a time frame for the new implementation. We are committed to keeping you updated on any changes which occur. Also, remember all, some or none of the new requirements may be implemented. No time frame was given on the approval of these requirements.

On September 11, Ethiopia will be bringing in the New Year (also called Enkutatash- meaning “The gift of jewels”). There are many celebrations planned and this year will be special as Ethiopia crosses over into a new millennium. The year 2000! Read more about this special holiday this week on the Children’s Hope blog, www.childrenshopeint.blogspot.com.

 

August 25, 2007

The Ethiopia program remains a very popular program for adoptions and it continues to grow daily.

• There are 89 families in the Ethiopia program.

• 2 families will be returning from Ethiopia with their children this weekend.

• 4 children were adopted by our three pioneer families—three boys and one girl. All of the boys were 3- to 5 ½-months old and the girl was 2-years-old. Congratulations to these families!

With so many families in the process, the wait time for referrals will expand. A good estimate is 3 to 9 months from the time the completed adoption paperwork is in Ethiopia until the time of referral. Those with dossiers currently submitted may have a shorter wait. All wait times will depend on the age and gender the family requests in their home study; families requesting twins, and only twins, may potentially have the longest wait as many families are requesting twins.

Also, many families are requesting boys, which is wonderful, but girls are also adoption-ready in Ethiopia. The wait at this time will be minimal if a family requests a girl or either gender. Please keep in mind that the wait times are estimated. Ethiopia is a new program and is growing quickly. As with any international adoption program wait times can and will change at any time during the process. We look forward to keeping you informed of any changes.

 

July 20, 2007

After patiently waiting for Children’s Hope Ethiopia licensure, Kevin and Stacie submitted their adoption paperwork and received the referral for their beautiful healthy boy just one month later. On July 18 in the Ethiopia courts, their adoption became official!

His name is Yabsira, “work of God the Father”. The new family will travel in three to four weeks to meet their adoptive son and bring him home to Missouri, where they will rename him Micah Yabsira.

“His name is an affirmation for me,” says Sharon Turner, Ethiopia Program Director. “Truly this is God’s work...and I’m reminded here of how He can use even a baby to deliver His message. For our first referral to come with his name speaks volumes to me.”

Congratulations to our first family!

In the last few weeks, Children's Hope has received two additional referrals for our first pioneer families, one for a sibling group of a 2-month-old boy and a 2½-year-old girl, and the second for a 3-month-old baby boy. These children are receiving direct care in Children's Hope transition home, House of Hope, while the families wait for adoption approval in court and their travel dates. As courts finalize these pioneer family adoptions, their happy photos will be shared with their permission.

Children's Hope families will continue to receive referrals while Ethiopian courts break beginning August 5. The courts will remain closed for 3-12 weeks.

 

June 4, 2007

Children's Hope currently has 55 families approved for the Ethiopia program and two dossiers in country. The courts in Ethiopia are set to close August 5. The exact date has not been confirmed. The courts are scheduled to reopen mid-September; however upon reopening, adoptions will not be processed through the court until the beginning of October.

 

May 09, 2007

House of Hope Future Transition Home for Children’s Hope Referrals: Since gaining our licensure to facilitate adoptions in Ethiopia April 5, Children’s Hope In Country Coordinator Tsegay Fisseha has been hard at work first acquiring and then staffing and furnishing our transition home in Addis Ababa, now officially named "House of Hope". This home within the capital city will provide care for a maximum of fifty children concurrently. Once a child is referred to a Children’s Hope adoptive family they will leave their orphanage or community to come into direct care and guardianship.

House of Hope is located in the center of the city, near the Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the High Courts responsible for finalizing adoptions. Included within the 22 rooms and 7 bathrooms are several large rooms in which adoptive families may stay in lieu of a hotel if they prefer.

The home has space for office, laundry, classroom, infirmary, lounge, playroom, and sleeping quarters for both staff and children. Depending on the size of the room, four to eight children will board in these freshly painted bedrooms.

Once our Ethiopia program is established, all children will meet their families at the transition home. Until the home is fully staffed and furnished, families may meet their children at their original orphanages or alternate locations.

There are currently 44 families who have successfully applied to adopt from the Ethiopia program and 2 have submitted their dossiers thus far. Congratulations to those fast working families! Several other families are waiting on CIS approval.

Referrals: Everyone is anxiously waiting for the day we will receive referrals, and so are we! Much is being done within Ethiopia to establish the program, including staff hires for House of Hope and data collection for referrals. Thank you all for your patience and support. Blessings to all of you!

 

April 13, 2007

It's Official: Children's Hope Receives Adoption License from Ethiopia!

The news we have all been waiting for finally arrived early on April 5, Children’s Hope is officially licensed in Ethiopia. With the signature of the Ethiopian Ministry of Justice, Children’s Hope finalized the accreditation process as an international adoption and humanitarian aid agency in Ethiopia. Children’s Hope is only the seventh U.S. adoption agency to be licensed in the African country.   

“Our families are so excited about the news that their adoptions from Ethiopia can now move forward,” Sharon Turner, Children’s Hope Ethiopia Adoption Director said.

With over 30 families who now have approved applications and another 70 families waiting to apply, Turner and the Ethiopian adoption team are now at full stride. Tsegay Fesseha, who is the Children’s Hope adoption coordinator in Ethiopia says orphanages are eager to assign orphans to Children’s Hope families.

“The goal is to have some of our families traveling by early summer,” Turner said. “But it all depends on how quickly they can finalize their dossiers (adoption paperwork) and parent education. 

With nearly 4 million orphans in Ethiopia, the need is great. Ethiopia placed 731 orphans in U.S. homes in 2006 that is up from the 289 adoptions in 2004.

CLICK HERE to learn how you can join the
Ethiopia program for your international adoption.

 

March 23, 2007

Ethiopia Workshop: Our first Ethiopia Parent Education Workshop will be held in St. Louis on March 24. A panel of experienced adoptive parents will discuss transracial/transcultural adoption issues, particularly those facing families adopting from Ethiopia. The video “Struggle for Identity”, in which adopted children tell their own stories regarding transracial adoption, will be shown in addition to a presentation by an Ethiopian gentleman sharing about Ethiopian culture. This meeting is for both St. Louis branch families as well as all others interested in adopting from Ethiopia. We hope to see you there!

 

March 15, 2007

Signs are Positive for License: It has been an agonizing wait for our license and approval for our Ethiopian adoption program. We remain optimistic since everything looks fine with our documents and we have not heard anything out of Addis Ababa that would make us think that the good news will be delayed much longer.

While You Wait to adopt from Ethiopia: An excellent book that Sharon recommends reading if you haven’t already is “Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria” by Beverly Tatum, as well as “There Is No Me Without You” by Melissa Greene (which also comes very highly recommended), both of which are on the Ethiopia Reading List.

 

February 14, 2007

In the race to obtain Children’s Hope’s license in Ethiopia, we made it over one more hurdle the first week of February. Children’s Hope’s papers have been signed by the officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and now they have moved on to the final step of the process, the Ministry of Justice. With signatures from the Ministry of Justice, Children’s Hope will be licensed for adoption and humanitarian aid in Ethiopia. We are on the home stretch!