Adoption News

The African Cradle Inc. will be hosting thier annual Ethiopian Heritage Camp from July 24-July 27 in Scotts Valley, California. The Heritage Camp Camp will be organized similar to past years with family games, Ethiopian Culture workshops, cooking lessons, keynote speakers who will be focusing on Ethiopian history, movies, swimming and a banquet with Ethiopian food and dance.

The President of Guatemala, President Oscar Berger, has announced that as of January 1, 2008 intercountry adoptions will be suspended. On this date the Hague Convention will go into force in Guatemala and all adoption cases will be required to meet Hague standards. This will include all cases in process and those filed prior to this date.
Guatemala will not be processing any adoptions cases for non-Hague countries, which includes the United States as the Hague does not go into force in the U.S. until April 1, 2008.

In addition, all adoption cases that are pending will be suspended. A suspension, according to the Joint Counsel on International Children’s Services, would leave over 5000 children in limbo going to niether a family or a reliable system of care in Guatemala.

On the morning of December 12, 2007 Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Maura Harty deposited the United States’ instrument of ratification of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption at a ceremony in The Hague. This means that the United States is now a full member of the Hague Adoption Convention, which will enter into force for the United States on April 1, 2008.

Adoption Advocates International announces the release of Faces of Layla: A Journey Through Ethiopian Adoption – A full color ‘coffee table’ photo essay with a forward by award-winning author Melissa Fay Greene, photography by Emma Dodge Hanson and text by children’s book author Jennifer Armstrong. This compelling photographic narrative shows the story of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and other diseases of poverty, waiting for a family at Layla House, a Children’s Home in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The U.S. Department of State has announced this message concerning the Hague Convention on International Adoption:

The U.S. Department of State, Office of Children’s Issues, is pleased to announce that the President signed the Hague Adoption Convention on November 16. The legal requirements for ratification of the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention) have been completed, and we plan to deposit the instrument of ratification on December 12, 2007!

The China Center of Adoption Affairs has implemented an internet based communication and online operational system. This system, which is in the trial phase, is intened to make China’s inter-country adoption work more efficient and convenient. The online program functions are a special needs children’s online entrustment, email and mail communication, and feedback for processing information. As these functions are tested and demonstrate to be effective the Center will add to the online system.

The Center for Family Connections has the mission of helping children feel safe, seen, and valued. They work to help children adjust to the challenges of being or having been moved from one family to another whether this be in the foster care system, residential treatment, orphanages, or hospitals. The agency has clinical staff that work with complex and blended families to provide them with the skills to build strong and healthy family units.

If you are looking for a way to wear your support for adoption we have an answer for you! Reeces Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry has a fun online store where you can purchase T-shirts, teddy bears, coffee mugs, magnets, tote bags, bibs, sweatshirts, and tanks that advertise special needs adoption.
These items are a great way to promote special needs adoptions while supporting Reeces Rainbow as they work to fund adoption grants for families that will open their home to a child with Down syndrome.

The number of Americans that are adopting internationally is continuing to increase. The Department of State provides extensive information for prospective adoptive parents to education them on the adoption processes in various countries and to provide them with the legal requirements of the United States regarding adoption. The Office of Childrens Issues in the Bureau of Consular Affairs even provides informational brochures that describe the adoption process in many countries.

The Russian Ministry of Education and Science announced that it has successfully accredited additional adoption agencies. These agencies may now begin to resume adoptions between Russia and other countries.