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ALSO IN THIS ISSUE:
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Adoption MD
Depressed and Combating Infertility: Anti-Depressant
Alternatives |
DEVELOPMENT AID:
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Development Aid
In the Small Things and
the Big: Impacting Lives,
Yours Through Theirs |
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3 Days of Focus
A Call to Action:
Youth to Turn iPods Off;
Their Focus on God, On |
BLOG OF THE MONTH:
PARENT-TO-PARENT:
KIDS CORNER:
PROGRAM
UPDATES:
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China
Eleven Children Enter into the Hearts of Eleven Families |
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Colombia
Waiting for and Uniting - Families |
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Kazakhstan
Program Director Returns From Kazakhstan |
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Russia
Waiting Families to Experience a Big Spurt of Travel,
Post-Accreditation and Post-Holidays! |
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Vietnam
A New Year for Vietnam Brings Three Families News of Their
Referral |
Request a
copy of our Adoption
Guide to see which program
is right for
your family.
Help the lives of
orphans
by sponsoring a child today!
Get your church
involved
with orphan ministry.
Our Accreditations
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ETHIOPIA PROGRAM UPDATES
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Thirteen children will come home
from Ethiopia this February, their parents having completed
their international adoptions overseas. Eleven children are home
so far this month! Currently the longest wait time from
paperwork submission to Ethiopia to referral has been five
months. |
February is Black
History Month.
PBS has
some wonderful programming on this month related to African
and African American History. Also, this might be a good
time to become familiar with popular Ethiopians in history
as well. |
When Chris and Leigh came into the St.
Louis airport on February 11, they were welcomed by their new
daughter Isabella's two grandmas, one in from Illinois and the
second in from Colorado, and one very excited brother Julian. Happy
homecoming and happy Valentine's Day, to this united family!
Also exciting:
Three cousins were reunited after being adopted into the US.
Three children were relinquished at the same time last year; two
siblings and one cousin. The two siblings were adopted last year
by a Children’s Hope family and their cousin just came home this
month with his new family (also a Children’s Hope family) in the
same state as his cousins. Only God could have worked this out.
It’s wonderful that all three will able to share their lives
together.
Future Wait Times:
Wait times are not increasing at this time for our Ethiopia
program, but with the influx of applications and transfer
families from other programs and agencies, and the stricter
requirements that are being placed on international adoption, at
some point the wait times will increase. At this point, the wait
is currently estimated at 3-9 months.
Recognition of Children’s Hope -
Ethiopia’s Reputation:
Children’s Hope - Ethiopia was contacted by an Ethiopian
orphanage with the hopes of working with us to refer and place
children with our families. This orphanage first contacted the
Ministry of Woman’s Affairs (MOWA), seeking which agencies MOWA
may recommend. Out of approximately 60 agencies working within
Ethiopia, the MOWA recommended this orphanage contact Children’s
Hope. MOWA considers Children’s Hope to be considerate to the
orphanages with which we work and an agency which strives for
perfection in our documentation and presentation. We are very
proud that in such a short period of time, the MOWA recognizes
us in this way.
US Embassy Discusses Procedures
for Birth Relative Meetings:
The US Embassy held a meeting on February 5 with all agencies
working in Ethiopia concerning adoptive families meeting their
children’s surviving birth relatives. If you have not received
communication details on this meeting, please contact your
adoption consultant for this important information.
Blogging During Your Ethiopian
Adoption:
When you receive your Ethiopia referral, the referred child is
not legally your child until your family has been given final
approval in the Ethiopian Federal Court. Until your referral
becomes your legal child, please follow the following rules:
Do not post your referral’s photos,
name(s), or any other indentifying information on websites,
blogs, or any other public venue.
Do not email any photographs of your
referred children.
Children’s Hope works very hard
to establish ourselves as an ethical agency, which follows
all guidelines instituted by the countries we work in.
Children’s Hope families have signed a confidentially
agreement with us. When a family accepts a referral, they
understand that sharing identifying information about the
referral is not allowed up to the time of a successful court
date, in which the child legally becomes a part of their
family.
While traveling in Ethiopia to
bring your child home:
Please do not take pictures of any children at the House of
Hope, unless they are your own children. The photography of
others’ referred children is strictly prohibited. In that
respect, e-mailing or posting photos of other families’ referred
children is also prohibited.
If you would like to take photos at
another orphanage, of our staff, or citizens or tourists while
site seeing and exploring Ethiopia, please ask the orphanage
personnel or individuals for permission. Often they will say
"yes", sometimes they will say "no", but seeking permission is
always a courtesy. Please be courteous and respectful to the
people and the culture of Ethiopia.
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Some orphanages may give
permission to take photos, but also request an affidavit to
be signed, asking you to agree to not post the children's
photographs nor use them in any printed material.
Ethiopians have a wonderful,
rich culture and heritage. Children’s Hope encourages you to
explore all that this country and the people have to offer.
It is a privilege to be able to adopt one or more of this
countries beautiful children.
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“In early January, Amari Roza and I
were in Ethiopia in 90+ degree heat, sitting in an
unairconditioned room at the US Embassy,” says mom Jill Catlett.
“In this picture, Mari is getting her first taste of snow and
LOVING it!”
Jill adopted Amari from Ethiopia on
January 2, 2008, and family and friends welcomed her home to
Virginia...and later to snow, January 7. |
If you would like to share your
thoughts, experiences or stories about your adoption,
email: Jennifer Newcomb at
Jennifer.Newcomb@ChildrensHope.net
We would love to post your family
pictures! |
2007 Children's Hope International.
All rights reserved.