March Waitlist Numbers!!!

Despite all that has happened with new delays with our adoption process in Ethiopia, we still received pretty good numbers for the month of March! 

~Sibling Boys~

 

~Baby Boy~ 

 What do the numbers mean?

Well, we moved up 6 spots on the boy list (from 35 to 29), and 2 spots on the sibling list (from 24 to 22)! Yay we are in the twenties for both now!

Joint Council Emergency Campaign for Ethiopian Children

Please Go to this link and sign this petition! THANK YOU!

 http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43714.html

Petition:

The Ministry’s plan to reduce intercountry adoption by 90% is a tragic, unnecessary and a disproportionate reaction to concerns of isolated abuses in the intercountry adoption process.

We support the Ministry’s goal of ensuring ethical adoptions that serve the best interest of children and serve all vulnerable children & families.

We respectfully urge the Ministry to consider the overwhelmingly positive, ethical and legal services provided to children and families through intercountry adoption. Rather than eliminate the right of Ethiopian children to a permanent family, we encourage the Ministry to accept the partnerships offered by governments, NGOs, and foundations.

Such partnerships could increase the Ministry’s capacity to regulate service providers, further ensure ethical adoptions and expand services to more families and children.

We, respectfully urge the Ministry of Women’s, Children's and Youth Affairs to reconsider its plan and to partner with governments, NGOs and foundations to achieve their goals and avoid the coming tragedy for children and families.

 

A test of our faith...

Rom 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Please pray for us and our future children as we are really struggling with an overwhelming amount of discouragement right now. We want so badly to start our family and everyday that goes by gets more and more difficult for us. The waiting is almost more than we can bare at times. We know in our hearts that God has a plan for our future family and that our child/children are out there somewhere but it does not make the wait and struggles that come along with this process any less trying.

Please pray that this current decrease in the number of approved adoptions would be resolved and that our adoption agency as well as other agencies, can continue in their work of placing children with their forever families!

Please Pray!!!

Please pray as you read this update with the current adoption process in Ethiopia.

Statement on the Pending Reduction of Intercountry Adoption in Ethiopia
Last week the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs announced their intention to reduce intercountry adoptions by 90% beginning March 10, 2011. The Ministry’s plan for a dramatic reduction is apparently based on two primary issues; 1) the assumption that corruption in intercountry adoption is systemic and rampant and 2) the Ministry’s resources should be focused on the children for whom intercountry adoption is not an option. Without further announcements by the Government of Ethiopia, it is our understanding that the Ministry’s plan will be initiated this week.
The Ministry’s plan is a tragic, unnecessary and disproportionate reaction to concerns of isolated abuses in the adoption process and fails to reflect the overwhelmingly positive, ethical and legal services provided to children and families through intercountry adoption. Rather than eliminate the right of Ethiopian children to a permanent family, we encourage the Ministry to accept the partnerships offered by governments, NGOs, and foundations. Such partnerships could increase the Ministry’s capacity to regulate service providers and further ensure ethical adoptions.

The Ministry’s plan, which calls for the processing of only five adoption cases per work day, will result not only in systemic and lasting damage to a large sector of social services, but will have an immediate impact on the lives and futures of children. Moving from over 4,000 adoptions per year to less than 500 will result in thousands of children languishing in under-regulated and poorly resourced institutions for years. For those children who are currently institutionalized and legally available for adoption, the Ministry’s plan will increase their time languishing in institutions for up to 7-years.

Joint Council respectfully urges the Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs to reconsider their plan and to partner with governments, NGOs and foundations to achieve their goals and avoid the coming tragedy for children and families.