Sitina's First Christmas
Ho ho ho! Santa and
Sitina had an instant bond when they met last week. Santa was kind enough to visit Papa and
GeGe's house on Christmas Eve and left
Sitina some lovely new gifts. We love Santa and we love Christmas!
So...what's next?
Below is an overview of an Ethiopian adoption process from the time my agency receives adoptive parents' completed dossier and home study.
Agency Sends Dossier for Authentication and Translation Check!
Agency will forward adoptive parents’ dossier to the U.S. State Department and the Ethiopian Embassy for authentication. Once processed, the agency will forward the dossier to our staff in Ethiopia where it is translated
Referral Process Check!
Once the dossier is in Ethiopia, adoptive parents can wait six to eight months for a referral of a child. Once referred, the agency will send the adoptive parents referral photos, medical information and the child’s background information, including any known family history. Upon acceptance of referral, the agency's foreign staff will submit adoptive parents’ dossier, with the referred child’s documentation to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA).
Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) Reviews Documentation Check!
MOWA is the branch of the Ethiopian government that reviews all documentation submitted by the adoptive parents and on behalf of the referred child recommends the adoption to be finalized to the Federal Court of Addis Ababa.
Federal Court Date November 11, 2008 Check!
Once MOWA recommends the adoption to be finalized, a court appointment is scheduled. At this appointment, the judge can either finalize the adoption or ask for further documentation and set another court date. Once the adoption is finalized, the court decree, new birth certificate and passport are issued, and the adoptive parents can travel.
Travel December 6, 2008 - December 11, 2008
Adoptive parents should be ready to travel within two to four months after accepting a referral. One parent is required to travel and the in-country stay in Ethiopia is five to seven days. During this time, adoptive parents will complete the U.S. Embassy Immigration appointment for the adopted child, which is necessary to bring the child to the United States. The agency's in-country staff will accompany each family throughout their entire stay in Ethiopia.
Post-Adoption- Until the child turns 18 years old In Process
In Ethiopia, an adoption is finalized before entrance into the United States. Upon arrival, post-adoption reports are due at three, six, and 12 months on the anniversary of the U.S. Embassy appointment date. After the first year, family authored self reports are due every year until the child reaches 18 years of age.
9 comments:
it looks like Santa got a gift--- a beautiful little doll! She is GORGEOUS! Yay for having her home for Christmas!!!!
i love it... she's so cute. i can't get over it.
Merry Christmas! Super cute!
She is beautiful!!!! I love finally getting to see pictures of you girl! God Bless...Shannon
Merry Christmas my sweet sweet beautiful daughter in law!
Melissa,
She's gorgeous! What a sweet photo!
Can you email me...I've been trying to contact you but not sure if you're checking the email that I've been using...I think it's your work email.
Have a great New Year's with your new daughter!
Sunday
Too Cute. Congratulations on your beautiful daughter. I've been home 5 weeks with my precious Sabah (single mama too). The transition was smooth and the bonding is going great. And Sabah LOVED Santa as well.
Hi Melissa,
I'm a writer for Adoptive Families magazine (learn more about www.adoptivefamilies.com), and I'm looking to profile a family who's recently adopted from Ethiopia. It would be part of a special report on Ethiopia Adoption (what's new, what changes are happening, etc.) that we are putting together for the next issue. Would you be interested in sharing your story with us? I hope to hear from you soon! I can be reached at joanna@newhopemedia.com or at (646) 366 0837. Thanks, Joanna
Okay... I'm ready for some more pictures Melissa. I just can't get over how precious she is....
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