UPDATE: DOS Alert for Ethiopia – Addis Ababa Abandonment Cases

From: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEBureau of Consular AffairsOffice of Children’s Issues May 26, 2009 Adoptions of Abandoned Children Halted by Ethiopian Court On May 4, 2009 the Ethiopian First Instance Court temporarily stopped accepting cases involving abandoned children referred by orphanages in Addis Ababa, citing a substantial increase in the number of children being brought for adoption. The number of …

Ethiopa Addis Abandonment Cases: Information and Support Resouces for PAPs

PEAR is attempting to bring you the latest in reports from Ethiopia and the US government. We suggest the following resources for PAPs and interested parties to keep abreast of developments as they occur: Yahoo groups:PEAR Newsletter Group, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PEARnewsletter Blogs:Current News on Ethiopian Abandonment Cases http://ethioadoptionnews.blogspot.com/PEAR’s blog http://pear-now.blogspot.com/ Government Websites:http://www.adoption.state.gov/news/notices.html Support for PAPs affected by the current situation with abandonment …

Ethiopia Update from US Embassy Addis Ababa

PEAR has confirmed that the following email was sent this week by the US Consular Section in Addis Ababa to all US adoption agencies for which the Embassy has contact information: Dear All: We contacted the Ethiopian Federal First Instance Court today. CourtPresident Ato Dessalegn told us that the investigation into cases ofabandoned children is still pending. But, the Court …

Important Notice on the Hunagrian Adoption Process

The following notice was recently published by the Hungarian Central Authority concerning adoptions from Hungary. The US DOS website does not currently contain information on adoption from Hungary . If you are a prospective adoptive family currently working with an agency and hoping to adopt a young child (under 8) from Hungary, please forward this notice to your agency. Information …

First Mother Letters

We were recently made aware of a project by one of our members at PEAR and we would like to share this idea with our friends: First Mother Letters is a project of Weaving Families Adoption Ministry. The First Mother Letter project as a way for adoptive parents, adoptees and first parents to share letters from the heart. Letters that …

UPDATE: Ethiopia

From the US Consular Office in Addis Ababa concerning the Ethiopian courts’ suspension of hearing cases involving abandoned children from orphanages in Addis Ababa: “According to the Ethiopian First Instance Court and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA), the Court has temporarily stopped accepting cases involving abandoned children referred from orphanages in Addis Ababa, citing concern over a recent increase …

A Mother’s Day Gift – Real Moms

I recently read this post on another adoption listserve and it touched my heart enough that I wanted to share it with our PEAR readers. So, with permission from the author, I give you all a Mother’s Day gift, Gina Pollock, President, PEAR (please note, the author of this peice has chosen to remain anonymous to protect her privacy and …

Prospective Adoptive Parent Bill of Rights

Respect and Nondiscrimination: Prospective adoptive parents have the right to considerate, respectful care from all members of the adoption system at all times and under all circumstances. An environment of mutual respect is essential to maintain quality adoption services. Ethical Program: Prospective adoptive parents have the right to an ethical and economical adoption program. Prospective adoptive parents have the right …

UPDATE: Vietnam – DOS Statement May 1, 2009

http://www.adoption.state.gov/news/vietnam.html VietnamAdoption NoticeU.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATEBureau of Consular AffairsOffice of Children’s Issues May 1, 2009 U.S. citizens are not able to register a new adoption in Vietnam at this time. The Government of Vietnam has stated its intention to introduce new adoption legislation and to institute reforms in the adoption process, and has indicated that the anticipated new legislation and …

UPDATE: Nepal Signs Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption

From the Hague News Announcements April 28, 2009: Nepal signs Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention 28-04-2009 “On Tuesday 28 April 2009, the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption was signed by H.E. Mr Pramesh Kuman Hamal, Ambassador of Nepal to the Benelux and the European Communities. Mr Deepak Dhital, DCM/Minister …