Archive for August 16, 2012

From the Desk of Lizzie: August 15, 2012

Happy Wednesday!

The best part about my role at Great Wall China Adoption/Children of All Nations is learning the beginning of each family’s adoption story and helping them start their journey! I really wish I could follow all of them as they continue their adoption. I would love to hear how they feel as they get their referral and prepare for travel. Wait…I can!

GWCA/CAN has started a Family Tree! This is a place where our past and present families can blog all about their adoption journey. Your friends, family, potential adopting families, community members…can all follow your adoption story on Family Tree!

What is really great about Family Tree? When you start your blog, our agency donates $25 to one of our charities in your family’s name! This is such a positive way to stay connected with other families, learn about the adoption process, and become even closer to the GWCA/CAN family!

I hope to read about your family’s adoption journey soon! If you’re a Children of All Nations family, you can sign up for your FREE Family Tree here. If you’re a Great Wall China Adoption Family, you can request yours here!

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach
CAN/GWCA Adoption Consultant

Africa Referral News: August 14, 2012!

Great news from Africa! In the last two weeks, we received 2 referrals for baby girls from Ethiopia! One is 2 months old, the other is 3 months old. We’ve also received 2 referrals from the DRC for two 3 year old boys!

So excited for these families!

From the Desk of Lizzie: August 13, 2012

Happy Monday Families!

I really love talking to all of my families about starting their adoption journey, but I only get to chat with them through phone or email (and occasionally when they pop in our office for a visit–best days)! I decided to start a blog, so I can always keep you informed about the exciting things happening at GWCA/CAN. I hope you all enjoy it!

So, what am I really excited about this week? CAN just launched our brand new Honduras program! I have already answered a ton of families asking for more details on children available (healthy kiddos beginning at 6 months of age, sibling groups, and special needs children). I have also answered families asking about program fees and eligibility. It is a great feeling to begin connecting families and children in Honduras. I can’t wait for our first family to sign up, but I really can’t wait for our first child to come home! One amazing thing about this program: the estimated wait time is only 1-2 years! We hope to unite families very soon.

If you ever want to learn more about Honduras (or any other country), you can also chat with me online…live! Our GWCA/CAN websites have a live chat feature, and it is really easy to connect with me and get your questions answered right away. I’m actually chatting with someone about China right now! 🙂

Some of you may not have my contact information. Feel free to reach out to me anytime:

512-323-9595 x3091 or Elizabeth@childrenofallnations.com

Sincerely,

Lizzie Kovach
CAN/GWCA Adoption Consultant

New Program Announcement: Honduras is Now Open!

The third adoption program opened this year, Children of All Nations is excited to begin working with families to adopt from Honduras!

Adoption in Honduras is handled by the Honduran Institute for Children and Family (IHNFA). Honduras is not currently a Hague Convention country, but adoptions must go through IHNFA. Due to political and economic instability, there is an estimated 150,000 Honduran children considered to be orphans, and we’re very eager to begin placing these children with their forever families! Here are a few key things to know about the Honduras program:

• Healthy boys and girls ages 6 months to 9 years old are available; older and special needs children, and sibling groups are also available.

• Married couples are eligible to adopt if they’ve been married at least 3 years; single women are eligible to adopt a child of either gender. 

• Time to complete an adoption is 20 to 36 months, depending on adoption desires and time spent on paperwork. 

• Two trips are required! 

Important Russia Announcement: Parliament Approves Adoption Agreement

On July 18, 2012, the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, approved the bilateral adop­tion agreement signed by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on July 13, 2011. This followed the Russian Duma’s approval of the Agreement on July 10, 2012. Both of these actions mark a significant milestone toward the entry into force of the Agreement, which will provide additional safe­guards to better protect the welfare and interests of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions. To find out more about the agreement, please visit the U.S. Department of State’s FAQs and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) FAQs on the agreement and its implementation.

The Agreement will now be sent to President Putin. Following President Putin’s signature, the parties will need to establish procedures to implement the Agreement, which we are committed to doing as expeditiously as possible.

Following the establishment of these procedures, the Agreement will enter into force upon the exchange of notes between the U.S. and Russian governments. The Department of State and USCIS will provide guidance on their websites related to the Agreement. Please monitor adoption.state.gov and uscis.gov for more information.

GWCA & CAN Family Reunion is BACK!

Our Family Reunion is back by popular demand! Be sure and join us September 29, 2012 at Moody Gardens in Galveston, Texas (just outside Houston).

When: September 29, 2012 from 10:00 am-2:00 pm

Where: Floral Hall A2, Moody Gardens on Galveston Island, Texas

Registration fees: $15 per adult, $11 per child (ages 4 to 11 years). Registration fee includes lunch and beverages. Registration fee does not include Moody Gardens passes.

To register to attend the 2012 GWCA & CAN Family Reunion, please click here.

Adults can mix and mingle with other Great Wall China Adoption and Children of All Nations families! All families attending will have the opportunity to meet Mr. Su Yao Xing, Director of Zhongshan Children’s Welfare Institute in Guangdong Province. Prospective adoptive families are welcome to attend!

The kids will be able to enjoy fun crafts & cultural activities!

The first five families to register to attend the Reunion are eligible to receive a discounted hotel room rate if you plan to stay at Moody Gardens. Please contact April Wareham, at 512.323.9595 x 3032 or send her an email, for more information on booking!

About Moody Gardens

Moody Gardens is the perfect island escape for work or fun! Moody Gardens is an education destination that utilizes nature in the advancement of rehabilitation, conservation, recreation, and research.

Things to do at Moody Gardens:

• Experience the Rainforest Pyramid
• Explore the Penguin Pyramid
• Visit exhibits at the Discovery Museum
• Enjoy a paddlewheel boat ride on the Colonel Paddlewheel Boat (pictured above)
• Relax in the lazy river at Palm Beach
• Schlitterbahn Waterpark close by!

To buy tickets or learn more about the attractions at Moody Gardens, please visit their site here.

Ethiopia Referral News: June

We have Ethiopia referral news to share! Last week, we received a referral for a 2 month old healthy baby girl, and today, we received a referral for a 2 month old health baby boy! We’re so excited for these families!

New Program Opening!

We’re excited to announce today that we opened a new adoption program! Prospective adoptive parents interested in adopting from Europe will now have the option to adopt from Moldova! For more information on Moldova, please visit our Moldova Adoption Page!