January Through May 2008 from the JCICS Files

February 2008Vietnam“After three comment periods, Joint Council will be finalizing the current draft of the Standards of Practice and asking for agencies to sign no later than February 25. The SOPS will then be taken on upcoming trip to Vietnam during the first week of March. Both Tom and Keith will be visiting at the provincial level and with the DIA in Hanoi, potentially the Ministry of Social Welfare.”

Tom is the president of the JCICS. Keith heads FTIA agency as well as being on the board of the JCICS. This shows how backwards the adoption business is. Adoption agencies had been operating for more than a year in Vietnam, yet they did not have standards of practice in place prior to resuming business there. It is clear from the FOIA records obtained by Schuster Institute (see http://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/gender/adoption/docs/FOIAs/JCICS2-15-08.pdf ) that the JCICS was fully aware of the corruption, trafficking, and fraud at this point. How could they possibly have believed that this standard window dressing over such huge problems would have saved their business?

Nepal

“Of the 400 original pipeline cases, only 15 have yet to be completed and all U.S. families are home with their children. JCICS worked closely with the consulate in Kathmandu to help finalize these adoptions.”

The JCICS never has been party to any part of the adoption process, yet somehow they were working to finalize adoptions. It makes you wonder precisely what sort of influence they were using here.

Ethiopia

“The Ethiopian government was extremely receptive to the JCICS delegation. JCICS met with various government agencies and local service providers.”

Knowing the extent of the corruption and child trafficking and harvesting issues that are currently going on, we wonder what the JCICS was doing in 2008 to make the local people so receptive.

Continued Efforts to Set Up Their Own Shop in the US GovernmentThe JCICS continued to try to create a new office in the government, hoping that by doing so, they’d have an in to try to angle for more children to be available for their business.

“The CAFI initiative is moving forward. This has been in the works for the last 5 or 6 months and will create an office within the Bureau of Populations, Refugees & Migrations. It will be responsible to set policy for orphans and vulnerable children in a more comprehensive way than the OVC office within USAID has done. They typically have focused on AIDS cases; now some USAID money will have to help fund permanency efforts.”

Kellogg Grant“A formal approval is expected next week for a grant allocation of $75,000. Thanks to Susan Cox for bringing this opportunity to JCICS and Kathy Sacco for her efforts to help secure it. The grant would be for one year. Approximately $40-50,000 would be allocated for a post-adopt resource center/online ‘adoptipedia.’”

Have you looked at the Adoptipedia that was created and cost $40,000? It is only a listing of the JCICS members who provide services. We feel it really is a shame that grant money was awarded for this selfish boondoggle.

March 2008
Vietnam

“The SOP were well received as a way to elevate level of practice, service and confidence on both sides but may not be enough to assist with the negotiation of a new MOA.”

Translation: Those behind the negotiation of the new MOA [sic—they meant MOU] weren’t buying the belated window-dressing.

April 2008It is again important to note which people were influencing the Guatemala situation.

Guatemala

“Tom just returned from a trip with the 2007 caucus co-chairs, who were in place at the time the meeting was scheduled. They included Bruce Mossberg of Bethany Christian Services, Margaret Orr of Small Miracles and Chris Huber of FTIA.”

Influence

“Activity in the Last 30 Days

– Meetings on the Hill with Landrieu, Clinton & Casey’s office

– JCICS working with Casa Quivera families stuck in Guatemala

– Ethiopia SOP

– Met with National Benefit Center in KS on 4/1

– Met with Vietnam officials

– Met with Department of Migration

– Met with CCAI 2x

– Met with USCIS 3x

– Met with DOS 5x

– Meet monthly with Center for Adoption Policy

– Participating in DOS study on disruptions”

So how did that DOS study on disruptions go, anyway? RALLY is wondering because we have never seen any results from that effort. Here is some recent news about disruptions, though. http://reformtalk.blogspot.com/2011/01/400-russian-adoption-disruptions-in-us.html

May 2008
“Global Awareness Campaign

Tom and Joelle attended the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit in Fort Lauderdale, FL, to look into the feasibility of collaborating with religious organizations.

Tom participated as a guest speaker at Children’s Home Society and Family Services’ retreat in Silver Springs, MD.

In the past month, Joint Council hosted delegations from China, Nepal and Cambodia. We are also expecting delegations from Ethiopia and India to arrive in June. If they overlap with the June Board meeting, we will make arrangements for the Board to meet with them in-person.”

It was clear in 2008 that the JCICS was moving full speed ahead with their efforts to collaborate with the Christian Alliance for Orphans. In 2011, this movement is funneling an ever-growing percentage of prospective parents to JCICS member agencies.

Vietnam

“Tom, Keith, John Meske and Gary Gamer met with Julie Furuta-Toy and Michelle Bond at the Department of State for more than two hours regarding the situation in Vietnam. As a result, the information for A Child Rights Campaign has been revised and the new anticipated launch date set for Friday or Monday.”

Despite this last-ditch effort to salvage the Vietnam program, it still shut down after the 2-year MOU was not renewed in September 2008. One of the provinces where John Meske’s Faith International was licensed has had documents released showing the depth of the corruption and trafficking there. See http://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/gender/adoption/byprovince.html#HaNoi

Africa

“In the first week of July, Tom will travel to Ethiopia, Rwanda and Nepal. Joint Council has been asked to assist in the development of a child protection system in Ethiopia, and Nepal has signed off on the terms and conditions that will allow adoptions to resume.

Joint Council is working with the Carter Foundation, UNICEF and Holt to assist with the development of child protection regulations in Liberia, but we will not be traveling there.”

In 2011, Ethiopia is in turmoil. Rwanda, Nepal and Liberia are shut down. Yet supposedly the JCICS was helping with child protection regulations 3 years before. It is a pathetic truth that JCICS member organizations have been deeply involved in the countries that have had huge child protection issues since this time.

Their Own Adoption Shop within the US Government“Families for Orphans and Vulnerable Children Initiative

The coalition is still aiming to introduce the concept of a policy shop within DOS that would control everything related to permanency (including adoption) during 2008. The coalition is working with Kathleen Strottman from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, who has agreed to facilitate the process to merge the coalitions into a unified group.”

The current manifestation of this is the FFOA Act (see http://pear-now.blogspot.com/search/label/Families%20for%20Orphans%20Act )

February 2008 Full Notes

http://poundpuplegacy.org/files/jcics/February%2013,%202008%20-%20WEB.pdf

March 2008 Full Notes

http://poundpuplegacy.org/files/jcics/March%2013,%202008%20-%20WEB.pdf

April 2008 Full Notes http://poundpuplegacy.org/files/jcics/April%2023,%202008%20-%20WEB.pdf

May 2008 Full Notes

http://poundpuplegacy.org/files/jcics/May%2014,%202008%20Minutes.pdf

For all 2005-2009 meeting minutes, see http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/46329

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