Ethiopia News

I have had a lot of questions about what is going on with our adoption process since the whole Ethiopia News broke...and all I can say is we are waiting and praying.  Lots of meetings are taking place this week in Ethiopia.   There is speculation that MOWA will be reconsidering their policy to allow for 20 cases to be processed each day through their office instead of 5 cases as initially proposed.  We are just praying that this will be the case…and children will be placed with their forever families.  We believe that God is the Great Provider and He will provide for His beautiful children.  Please keep lifting them up in prayer. When we get any offical news we will pass it on to you!!!  Love you!!!

Hebrews 13:5-6

This was officially posted on the US Department of States Intercountry Adoption Website.

 (Below is taken from the US Department Of States Intercountry Adoption Website)Ethiopia Adoption Alert

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

Government of Ethiopia Plans Major Slow-Down in Adoption Processing
March 9, 2011

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.

 

The Lord this morning has just put this scripture on my heart...Hebrews 13:5-6 which says
⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,    “Never will I leave you;    never will I forsake you.”  ⁶ So we say with confidence,    “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid.    What can mere mortals do to me?”
 
In a country where most live on less then $1 a day...I know that God will not leave or forsake them.  They are His precious children...He will reign!!! 

Please, keep praying for the children...right now their are many advocates, agencies, government officials over in Ethiopia trying to get this situation worked out...keep praying...God is faithful!!!

Need Your Help...Please!!!

Today I received this email from an agency.  This information broke Friday and we have just been praying that God's will be done!!  Please read the email below and if you feel led...we would appreciate your signature on the petition. 

Help Us Advocate For Ethiopian Orphans

An Important Update The Ethiopian Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) has announced a proposal to decrease the number of adoptions they will process and approve—even by as much as 90%. They are planning to accomplish this decrease by limiting the number of approved cases to only 5 per working day. This change is currently set to begin on March 10, 2011. Please know that no one fully understands this proposal yet. Our staff, led by Almaz in Ethiopia, are still sorting out what this could mean for each of the children and families that we work with. These children are their passion and they are working on the front lines in this advocacy. Also, this is not limited to AGCI. This will impact every agency and the families that each serve. This means that all agencies are working together in their advocacy making a very strong force that is working on the behalf of children and families. Currently, all agency staff are waiting for the Director of MOWA to return to Ethiopia. Once she returns they will have a chance to sit down and talk over the implications of this proposal. To attempt to counteract this proposal, the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) has put a “Call to Action” in place. This sort of international advocacy is what JCICS does, and they do it well. We are strongly encouraging you to read their post below and follow the suggested steps. You can also share this with your family, friends, Facebook friends and church to do the same. It is so important that we are all united in this effort! We are all advocates in our own circles of influence—and it is good to partner with you in this! Thank you again for all that you are doing at this time. You are all valued and important in this process of promoting and preserving the best interest of children in Ethiopia and around the world. God Bless, Hollen Frazier Executive Director

JCICS Call to Action March 8, 2011 Joint Council: Emergency Campaign for Ethiopian Children What You Can Do: 1) Sign the petition to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi – and pass it on! 2) Have you adopted from Ethiopia? Please send us up to 3 photos and 50 words or less with what you would like the Ministry to know about your child – we’ll compile the information and send a book to the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs. Send your photos and stories to advocate@jointcouncil.org by Sunday, March 12, 2011 to be included. Please note that sending photos and stories gives Joint Council unrestricted right to use the information you provide. 3) Share…Please send this Call to Action to family members, other adoptive parents, and everyone you know! Post, forward and share your adoption stories via Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. Make sure you include us in your posts so we can all hear your stories! Here’s links to our pages: Facebook, Twitter and our our blog. 4) Stay informed: Get up-to-date information regarding the situation in Ethiopia by signing up to receive information from us: click here to do so, make sure you choose “country and issues specific information” and “Ethiopia.” And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and our our blog. 5) Help ensure our advocacy can continue: Joint Council is a non-profit and receives no government funding. Please join us in ensuring more children live in safe, permanent and loving families. Donate today!

Again, we appreciate your support...please keep praying!!!