Two months ago, Nepal's Ministry of Women, Children, and Social Welfare lifted an inter-country adoption ban. This action marked the first time in two years that Nepalese children were permitted to be adopted by people from other countries. However, bureaucratic red tape is still preventing adoptions.

"According to a ministry official, the joint-secretary responsible for looking after adoptions, Prakash Adhikari, left for the United States... and is yet to return. Similarly, joint-secretary Ratna Kaji Bajracharya, who was deputed to shoulder Adhikari's responsibilities in his absence, is currently in Pokhara [Nepal, near the Chinese border.]"

In October the government released a list of 58 agencies that had been authorized to facilitate inter-country adoptions in Nepal, but none of these organizations have placed a single child in a permanent home yet. Source: Republica (Nepal)

Labels: international, foreign_adoption

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

At a recent conference on international adoption that was held in Moravia, a panel of European experts stressed the importance of encouraging the adoption of Czech children by foreigners.

"A mere 277 Czech kids have been adopted by foreign families since 2000, when the Czech Republic ratified a Hague convention on adoption and child protection. These children, predominantly of Roma origin, often find their new homes in Denmark, Germany or Italy."

Lenka Pavlova, director of the government Office for International Legal Protection of Children, cited prejudice on the part of many Czech parents as a main reason that international adoption of Czech children needs to be made easier. Racism and prejudice against underprivileged children prevent many Czech families from adopting, Pavlova said. Source: Prague Post

Labels: international, foreign_adoption

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Since 1991, Americans have adopted about 68,000 children from China. In the aftermath of the recent devastating earthquake there, many adoptees and their parents feel moved to help victims in the country that brought their families together.

"Half the Sky Foundation, established by adoptive mom Jenny Bowen of Berkeley, Calif., has created an emergency fund to funnel shelter, food, clothing, and other necessities to children in the earthquake zone... Together will larger donations, the foundation's earthquake fund totals about $600,000, with about half already spent."

Other organizations have initiated similar fundraising campaigns, and many individuals have raised money on their own. One mom and her adopted daughter raised $2,400 by making and selling gourmet fortune cookies. Source: Northwest Herald - McHenry County, Illinois

Labels: China, foreign_adoption, money

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

The number of foreign children adopted by Americans has dropped by 15 percent in the past two years, mostly because of new restrictions from China and Russia. New policy changes from China, for example, require adopting parents to be married, have a certain income level, not be overweight or suffer from certain diseases, and be under age 50.

According to State Department statistics, the number of foreign adoptions peaked in 2004 at 22,888 but dropped to 20,679 in 2006.

Besides tougher restrictions on foreign adoptions by China and Russia, another factor is the United Nations' preference for caring for orphans in their own countries over sending them abroad.

Labels: international, foreign_adoption

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

For the third straight year, the number of foreign children being adopted by U.S. families has dropped dramatically. In the past two years alone, foreign adoptions have dropped 15 percent. Tighter adoption requirements in China and Russia are at the top of the list of causes for this new trend.

"[Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Bartholet] said China and Russia reflected a trend in which countries opened themselves up to international adoption, then scaled back."

In addition to China and Russia, Guatemala's adoption process is beginning to slow and could all but stop as the government tries to impose new regulations on its adoption industry. Some experts view the decline as a good thing that could open up adoption opportunities in other countries like Kenya and Peru.

Labels: international, foreign_adoption, rules

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

New adoption rules recently passed in India will make adopting Indian children easier for foreign couples. Previously, foreigners needed clearance from Indian adoption coordination agencies. The process often took over a year. Now, that step will be bypassed.

"Under the new rules, the government will be responsible for identifying the agency in India that can offer a child for adoption. Now, foreigners have to first apply to their [own] governments, which have to find and get in touch with adoption agencies in India on their own."

Though rules will be easier for foreigners, they will become stricter for Indians. Currently, Indians can contact adoption agencies directly, but critics say this increases the chances that children will be trafficked. Under the new rules, Indians will have to first register with a state adoption agency.

Troubled teens can benefit from a Brat Camp like Turn-About Ranch.

Labels: foreign_adoption, adoption_process, India

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments

Most people think language is only an issue if a child is adopted from a foreign country. But even domestic children can have a speech delay or a thick accent that makes them hard to understand.

"Children with speech delays can find it very frustrating to try and communicate with others, and especially when they are in a new environment and around people who are not used to their speech, it can be challenging."

Speech delays can be caused by neglect, exposure to drugs or alcohol in utero, or traumatic events. A thick accent (if, for example, the child is from the south) can also make language and communication difficult. Read more at AdoptionBlogs.com.

Labels: communication, trans-racial, foreign_adoption

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments