Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) has announced it will process only five (5) adoption cases per day, effective March 10, 2011. The average prior to this change was fifty (50) cases per day. This is a major change, which will likely to lead to extended wait times for prospective adopting parents currently in process with an Ethiopian adoption. The cutbacks are reportedly in response to worries of fraud in adoption procedures in Ethiopia. To read the US State Department Press Release click here. To read an interesting, lengthy blog post on whether these cutbacks are necessary and effective, click here.
This video, the third in a three part series (previous parts already posted) won the Adoptive Families Circle adoption video contest. Watch it and let us know what you think.
Adoptive Families Circle recently held an adoption video contest. The winners submitted three wonderful short videos about adopting their daughter Violet who was born in Ethiopia. The first video in the series captures the day that parents Carrie and Fernando met Violet. The next two parts will be posted next week.
NPR’s Fresh Air recently featured Scott Simon, the host of NPR’s Weekend Edition, discussing the adoptions of his two daughters and his new book, “Baby, We Were Meant for Each Other: In Praise of Adoption”. Simon and his wife, Caroline, adopted both their daughters from China. For an excerpt from the book, photos and the full interview, click here.
Apparently, the Haitian humanitarian parole program for orphans instituted after the earthquake has had some unanticipated consequences that point out the pitfalls of implementing such a program quickly and without many resources. Last week the New York Times ran an article about the chaos of US adoptions from Haiti, including lack of proper paperwork and even not having families to adopt children brought here under the humanitarian parole status. Read the full article here.
Last month Ruth Claiborne of Claiborne & Surmay, P.C. finalized the adoption of two children from Haiti, brought to the United States on humanitarian parole. A limited number of Haitian orphans whose adoptions were already in process were allowed into the United States soon after the devastating earthquake in January. This is different from typical Haitian adoptions, where the adoption is finalized in Haiti and then domesticated in the United States. Haiti is still currently closed to new adoptions, although they are continuing to process adoptions initiated prior to the earthquake.
In related news, the Help Haiti Act of 2010 as well as the Lofgren bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives on July 20, 2010. The Help Haiti Act, also known as as the Fortenberry Act, aims to give Haitian children who came here through humanitarian parole the same status as children who come through IR-4 visas. The Lofgren bill will change the age limit of the child from 16 years old to 18 years old for purposes of immigration.
Since the earthquake hit Haiti in January 2010, our firm has received multiple inquiries from people interested in adopting Haitian orphans. While it is likely that adoptions from Haiti will resume eventually, no new applications are being accepted at this time. Instead, child welfare advocates around the globe agree that the best practice is to search for relatives and local caregivers for children in Haiti, while helping the nation of Haiti to rebuild and implement an improved child welfare system.
The Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute recently convened to hold “Building a Strong Foundation for Children and Families of Haiti“, at which international experts came together to discuss and brainstorm about most effective ways to serve Haiti’s children and families.
Adoptions that were in process prior to the earthquake continue. Some families were able to bring their children home through humanitarian parole, a short-term allocation that made it possible for children already identified and in the process of being adopted, to immigrate to the United States without first being adopted in Haiti. Instead the initial adoptions of these children are taking place in the US.
