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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!

MORE DRC Referral News!

Yesterday, we received news of another referral from the DRC! This referral is for a little 3 year old girl from DRC! She is healthy & cute as a button. We are so happy for this family!

DRC Referral News!

We have exciting news from the DRC! Yesterday, we received two referrals! One referral was for a 4 year old girl, and the other referral was for a 6 year old boy! Both children are healthy and the family is very excited to bring them home!

Ghana Referral News

Yesterday, we received a referral for a set of twins (one boy, one girl) who are 15 months old! We’re so excited for this family!