Today, we had our monthly conference call with the America World Ethiopian program director, Duni. Some families seemed to be discouraged after the call, however we felt like the call was positive and showed promise that the Ethiopian government is very much pro-adoption. Just to keep you updated on the program, here are some of the highlights from the call:
- Currently, families spend 6-7 days in Ethiopia and accommodations are made at the Hilton. Our agency is now looking into the possibility of securing accommodations for traveling families at guesthouses or bed and breakfast establishments. The purpose of this change is to provide families with more personal, intimate space within which to bond with the child. Hopefully the accommodation will have a gathering room that will contain toys for the children as well as an office area that will provide Internet access. Personally, I am excited about the change because I have spoken with other adoptive families who used other agencies and this was the accommodations that they enjoyed and highly recommend because it provides more of a “home” environment in which to bond with your child.
- One big change that was announced is that the Ethiopian government is requesting that adoptive families not spend a significant amount of time in the public environment with their children. The Ethiopian culture is very rich and they are very proud people, and many people do not appreciate the fact that their children are being taken to other countries. While it is true that many Ethiopians do not adopt children themselves and that the children are being adopted so that they can have more opportunities and most of all, be a part of a family outside of the orphanage, I respect that many Ethiopians do not want to see the children go. It was discussed that perhaps families will not remove the children from the transitional home until right before the Embassy appointment. I completely respect the wishes of the Ethiopian people and even more so appreciate the fact that the Ethiopian government is being sensitive to the feelings of the citizens while at the same time allowing adoptions to continue so that children can find forever families.
America World families are torn as to some people being happy with the change and others not so happy. Please pray for all of us so that we can seek God’s guidance and that we can seek to be more like Him. Also, please never stop praying for our agency, Ethiopia, and most of all…the children.
Let’s sit back and watch God work!
