Ethiopia Update

Below is the most recent update on the current Adoption situation in Ethiopia. You will see that it states that Adoption Cases registered with the court are to currently expect a ONE YEAR delay. Friends - we are not even registered with the courts yet! So, to go from potentially bringing our child home this summer, to over a year delay to even be in the court system.....we are beyond disappointed.

We'd ask for specific prayers:


*There are counts of 5 million orphans currently in Ethiopia. Please pray for them. If the adoption processes slowdown this much, there just isn't room for all of them in the orphanages, etc. Many will end up living on the streets, being involved in child trafficking, etc. The possibilities for these children are heart breaking to think about. Pray for the children of Ethiopia.
*Pray for the meeting that will take place on Monday, March 14th with U.S. Embassy officials and officials from Ethiopia (and remember to pray on Sunday, as they will be meeting while most of us are sleeping Sunday night due to the time difference).
*Pray for the staff changes that will take place in the Ministry of Women's, Children's and Youth Affairs that take place this coming week. Pray that the staff have a heart for having their Country's children safe, cared for and loved and that they would help make decisions for these children to be adopted.

*Pray for all the waiting families like ours.....this delay is such a disappointment, and also brings concerns - home studies are only good for a limited amount of time, as well as fingerprints, doctors reports, etc - so many of what we and other waiting families have done these past months will have to be done again, if this new decision stays in place. That means more time, more money, more emotions, etc.

Thank you for your continued support - words can't express what it means~





UPDATE from Joint Council on International Children Services:


The Department of State is Actively Involved

The Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs announced a reduction in the processing of intercountry adoption cases from 50 per day to 5 per day, effective March 10, 2011.

The Department of State is actively involved in discussions with the Government of Ethiopia, other governments and stakeholders.

A coalition of countries is preparing a proposal to assist the Ministry increase its capacity.

Embassy suggested that children with special need’s cases should not be delayed.

The US Embassy officials have a scheduled meeting with the Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs for Monday, March 14, 2011.

There are areas of concern related to intercountry adoption, however the reduction is disproportionate.

Adoption Cases

Currently there are no implementation guidelines for in-process cases.

For adoption cases registered with the Ethiopian court, the best estimate is a one-year delay.

The staff change at the Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs has been confirmed as taking effect the week of March 13, 2011. The impact this will have on adoption cases is not known.

It is estimated that between 800-1,000 adoption cases are currently on the docket of Ethiopian courts.