New US Department of State Intercountry Adoption Website

The US Department of State has launched a wonderful website that focuses on Intercountry Adoption.

http://www.adoption.state.gov/

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

November is National Adoption Awareness Month. It is very important to do what we can as an adoption community to support adoptive families who are waiting or who are raising their children. Find a way to help, there are so many creative things we can do to help bring children home. You can start an adoption support group in your church or community. Or help the orphans who are waiting for their forever families by supporting the agencies listed on the sidebar of this blog. You can help raise funds for families who are struggling to pay their adoption fees. If you click on Daleea's auction link on my sidebar you can donate items or bid on items to help to pay for surgeries for babies in a foster home in China. One person can make a difference!

Nepal Has Lifted Ban on Foreign Adoptions..

This is wonderful news for waiting familes. Nepal has announced that it is lifting its ban on foreign adoptions.

Article Links:

Nepal to allow foreign adoptions

Lifting of Nepal child adoption ban

Nepal to resume international adoptions

US Citizenship & Immigration Services Official Announcement Regarding I-600A

USCIS Announces Adoption Policy for Hague Transition Cases Grandfathered Form I-600A Affected
WASHINGTON –U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today that prospective adoptive parents already in the process of adopting a child from a country that has implemented the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) who filed a Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition, prior to April 1, 2008, and who have received the one time no-charge extension, may file one additional Form I-600A, and continue to proceed with their intercountry adoption through the “orphan” process. The new Form I-600A must be filed before the current approval expires, and only if the prospective adoptive parents have not yet filed the corresponding Form I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as an Immediate Relative.

U.S. law and regulations allow individuals who began the intercountry adoption process by filing Form I-600A or Form I-600, before April 1, 2008, to continue using these pre-Hague Adoption Convention forms and procedures even if they are adopting a child from a Hague Adoption Convention country. However, depending on the time that it takes prospective adoptive parents to be matched with a child and file Form I-600, the approval of the I-600A might expire before the prospective adoptive parents are able to file Form I-600. By allowing the filing of one new Form I-600A prior to the expiration of the current approved Form I-600A, USCIS is allowing prospective adoptive parents who have been grandfathered into the pre-Hague Adoption Convention process to continue to proceed under this “orphan” process, provided the child’s home country agrees.

If the Form I-600A is no longer valid, prospective adoptive parents must file a Form I-800A, Application for Determination of Suitability to Adopt a Child from a Convention Country, with a home study which meets all of the requirements for a Hague Adoption Convention home study. Once a Form I-800A is approved, the Form I-800, Petition to Classify Convention Adoptee as an Immediate Relativemay be filed on behalf of the prospective adoptive chil

Starfish Foster Home Fundraiser

November is National Adoption Month

Support the Starfish Babies Bracelet Fundraiser and Help Fund Four Surgeries
There is a Chinese proverb that says "an invisible red thread connects those who are destined to meet, regardless of time, place or circumstance." The red thread on this bracelet is far from invisible. Instead, it is designed for those who wear it to show their support of Starfish as we help those children connected, but not yet united with their forever families.
This November, we hope to raise $20,000 to sponsor four additional surgeries through the sale of the Starfish Babies Bracelets designed by Ettika. Ettika, a boutique artisan firm that accessorizes many celebrities, is supporting our mission through a special price break on these high-end bracelets. Each piece is crafted from genuine Greek leather. The starfish jewel is cast using pewter metal and individually hand-dipped in 14K gold.

Friends of Starfish may purchase this lovely bracelet for $222.08 by clicking on the pink starfish graphic on the left side of this page or clicking here Donate Now . Please make sure to select the "Starfish Bracelet Fundraiser" option to ensure that your donation is directed toward the right program. You may also email Cindy Klaja (cmklaja@yahoo.com) for more information.

Letters from China...Bringing Eliana Home

This wonderful family is currently in China to bring home their beautiful daughter. Follow along with them as they meet her for the first time. Their travel blog is 'Letters From China'.

UNICEF report on adoption in Nepal.

Link to 60 page report:

ADOPTING the rights of the child

A study on intercountry adoption and its influence on child protection in
Nepal

By UNICEF and Terre des hommes Foundation

*This is a very detailed report of the situation today regarding adoption from Nepal.

A new trend in adoption...families are beginning to adopt children from around the world who are HIV positive.

A new trend is emerging in international adoption. Families are beginning to adopt HIV positive children from around the world. One of the most prominent countries is Ethiopia. There are several articles on line about this. Below are some links if you are interested in learning more.

Americans adopting HIV-positive kids from Ethiopia Associated Press Article

Americans adopt HIV-positive kids from Ethiopia Christian Science Monitor

Zeeland family honored at White House for adopting HIV-positive child Mlive.com

Evidently only one of the 88 children who were orphaned in the earthquake has been adopted. It is believed that it is because many of them are disabled. Perhaps they will now consider parents from around the world.

Click on the link below to read the article:

China says little interest in 88 quake orphans up for adoption

US-Vietnam adoption pact ends, hundreds in limbo

The US-Vietnam adoption agreement expired yesterday 9/1/08.

Click on the article title to read the Associated Press Report:

US-Vietnam adoption pact ends, hundreds in limbo

HELP CHILDREN RECOVER FROM EARTHQUAKE IN CHINA

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US Department of State...Notice Concerning Transfer of Pending Convention Cases to Accredited/Approved ASPs

This is taken directly from the US Department of State Web Page

Notice Concerning Transfer of Pending Convention Cases to Accredited/Approved ASPs


Adoption service providers (ASPs) that have been denied accreditation or approval may have pending adoption cases that are now, or will likely become, Convention cases before they can be brought to a conclusion. Such ASPs are urged to transfer any such cases expeditiously to an accredited, temporarily accredited or approved ASP. ASPs that have been denied accreditation or approval should activate their plans for transferring pending Convention cases to accredited, temporarily accredited, or approved ASPs in a timely and transparent manner, including refunding fees to prospective adoptive parents for services not yet provided. (All ASPs that applied for accreditation or approval provided a plan pursuant to 22 CFR 96.33(e) for transferring cases in the event an agency cannot see them to completion. Applicants for temporary accreditation were to have such a plan pursuant to 22 CFR 96.104(k).) Whether a transferred case may proceed on the same track it was on prior to the transfer to an accredited, temporarily accredited or approved ASP will depend largely on the facts of the case, the requirements of the country of origin and the regulations of the state in which the new ASP is located.