On the International Adoption Front

Not much happening with my adoption today but here's what's happening around the world.

NEPAL
As most of you know, I started my adoption process with Nepal. As I was about to send my paperwork to Katmandu, the country suspended all international adoptions. Nepal is a two-visit country and over 460 families, at the time of the suspension, were in between visits. They had already met their child(ren).

One family that was part of the 460+ learned that their child had passed away at the orphanage. I can't imagine their heartbreak.

LIBERIA
There's a new American consulate in Liberia and she's slowed down the processing of visas for children being adopted out to Thursdays only. So now there's a backlog of visas. The US embassy in Liberia has decided it is now policy that they meet with the birth parents, before they will issue a visa. They will NOT issue a visa if they don't meet with the birth parents. But what about the children who's parents have disappeared? Died? Have moved to the bush?

When the parents brought their child(ren) to the orphanage, the local officials recognized that the parents relinquished their parental rights. For many of the international families that have gone through the adoption process, those adoptions are final in Liberia, and those children have a Liberian passport, ready to travel. But if the birth parents can not be found, the U.S. Embassy will not issue a visa and the child will be stuck in Liberia. Needless to say, adoption facilitators in Liberia are working non-stop trying to find the birthparents of the children. It's a mess since there's no central database.


KAZAKHSTAN
Many countries, Uzbekistan included, require post-placement reports. They are usually submitted by the social worker to the ministry of child welfare from the country from which you adopted - 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, 6 years... 16 years after the adoption. It lets them know the status of the child(ren) and also conveys that international adoption is a good thing. Problems usually arise when adoption agencies go out of business and stop processing reports.

Right now the chief prosecutor in Karaganda is conducting an audit of all adoptions completed in the Region. No chilren are currently being placed and the prosecutor is threatening to continue the moritorium until ALL ADOPTED CHILDREN are accounted for with pictures and post-placements. Evidently Almaty closed down last year for a while for the same reason.

UZBEKISTAN
One woman has already returned home with her daughter last month. I'm guessing she was the first person to adopt from there this year. Some other families who sent their dossier to Uzbekistan 1-2 months ago have gotten their referrals. They should be traveling sometime this fall/winter.