how this will change our timeline...?

I am following a lot of Ethiopian adoption blogs. It's nice to follow along with the families as they get their referral, travel to meet their children, travel again to bring them home, and start taking the steps toward becoming a family.

Right now we are working on our homestudy. There is lots of paperwork to fill out, meetings with social workers, classes to take, and a home visit that all need to be done before we can become a part of WACAP's Ethiopia program. After we become a part of the program we will go on the waiting list. Eventually we will be matched with children and will wait to trave to meet them.

 I have been feeling guilty about not working on paperwork, but I have felt the need to step back for some reason.

Then last Friday, Debi, at Jenkins Journey to Ethiopian Adoption, posted a link to this article from Voice of America's online news website titled Ethiopia to Cut Foreign Adoptions by Up to 90 Percent. Go ahead and read the article. I'll wait...

Good, I am glad you are back. We spent the weekend talking about what this might mean for us. I started looking at other adoption agencies to see what countries we meet the adoption requirements for. As I was looking, and reading, I realized that my heart isn't "in" any other country. Our children are in Ethiopia. I am sure of that.

On Monday I sent an email to the Ethiopia program coordinator at our international agency asking if she had heard about the article. She had, and told me they were working on an email to send out to families like ours -- working on their homestudy, but interested in Ethiopia. We also scheduled a time on Friday to talk on the phone about our situation. I am looking forward to that call!

Today an adoption alert was posted on the US Department of State, Office of Children's Issues Intercountry Adoption page. Here's what it says:

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Adoption Alert

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues
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Government of Ethiopia Plans Major Slow-Down in Adoption Processing

Citing the need to work on quality and focus on more important strategic issues, the Government of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA)  will reduce to a maximum of five the number of adoption cases it processes per day, effective March 10, 2011.  Under Ethiopian adoption procedures, MOWCYA approves every match between prospective adoptive parents and an Ethiopian child before that case can be forwarded for a court hearing.  The U.S. Embassy is working with Ethiopian government officials and adoption agencies to learn more about this change in procedures.  We will continue to share information as it becomes available.

Given MOWCYA's current caseload, the U.S. Embassy anticipates that this change could result in an overall decline in case processing of some 90 percent.  If this change is implemented as proposed, we expect, that parents who have begun the process of adopting from Ethiopia but have not yet been matched with a child could experience significant delays.  It is not clear if this change in procedures would have any significant impact on cases in which MOWCYA has already approved matches. 

Prospective adoptive parents should remain in close contact with their adoption service provider to obtain updates on individual cases.

The Embassy's Adoptions Unit can be reached at consadoptionaddis@state.gov.

Please continue to monitor http://adoption.state.gov/ for updated information as it becomes available.

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Today we received an email from WACAP. They feel that the waits will be longer, but that this step is good for Ethiopia because the government is working toward more ethical adoptions. I am looking forward to our phone conversation on Friday.

We don't know what all of this means for us. We know the wait will be longer (how much longer is unknown). We are asking you to pray... for the government of Ethiopia as they make decisions about the future of adoption in their country... for families wondering what this means for them... for the children of Ethiopia, especially the true orphans who have no parents to care for them... and for patience, peace, and guidance for us as we bring children home with the privilege of learning about their culture as we work to keep it a part of their lives.

March 9, 2011