Ethiopia Rumors and Propaganda

Who is right? Is MOWA really processing only 5 cases per day? Or are they shoving through 800 cases at high speed?

It depends on which agencies you want to believe. Does one believe the agencies that sent letters to clients or Bethany that had an article published about it today? We aren’t sure what’s truth and what’s rumor—although we can say that Bethany was awarded the Pound Pup Legacy’s Third Annual Demons in Adoption Award in 2009 so we’re not exactly relying on their veracity when it comes to tugging on tears-welling-up adoption world heartstrings . The State Department has as yet been unable to corroborate these rumors. Not surprisingly, prospective adoptive parents are in turmoil.

Rumors started late last week as a few agencies sent their clients letters. At least one of these letters has been made public at http://backus.blogspot.com/2011/03/more-updates-on-changes-found-from.html .

800 Cases at high speed?
The letter as posted by a PAP blog is as follows:

“Today we want to update you on the feedback we received yesterday from our foreign staff in Ethiopia, which was confirmed in a discussion with our adoption colleagues in a Joint Council caucus call later in the day.

At this time, all Foreign Staff on the ground in Ethiopia are reporting that MOWA has completed their staffing changes and are now currently working at full capacity to complete those adoption cases currently re-scheduled or assigned a court appointment through the courts of Addis Ababa. Our staff believe this to be around 800 cases they are working at full force to complete with no restrictions on the number of cases processed each day. This is great news! We are thrilled to hear these drastic changes do not seem to be going into full effect.

We are also pleased to report that for new cases moving forward; it appears the original changes proposed by MOWA will not be implemented to the degree of 5 cases a day. At this time it is unknown whether or not MOWA will issue a formal statement regarding how they will process cases in the future, but from all discussions it will not be a drastic decrease from before. Through the continued work, meetings, and advocacy of many Foreign Staff members in Ethiopia, it appears any future changes within the case processing for MOWA will avoid sweeping and disproportionate alterations to the number of cases processed each day. Rather, the hope is that MOWA, Joint Council, Adoption Service Providers, the US Department of State and other NGO organizations can come together to support the government of Ethiopia in strengthening the process for ethical adoptions to continue while also improving the general social structures to assist with family preservation in Ethiopia. This plan was acknowledged in the recent posting by the US State Department this morning at http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html. We understand the US Department of State cannot issue a formal statement without MOWA issuing a retraction. Based on the information we are receiving, MOWA is concentrating on processing the current adoptions and the new staff is not focused on numbers, but doing their jobs.”

5 cases per day?
On March 21, 2011, though, one large adoption agency is saying that indeed MOWA IS only processing 5 cases per day.

Ethiopia (MNN) ― The window for adopting from Ethiopia may be closing, even as the country was poised to take over China as the #1 country of origin for foreign adoptees in the United States.

In an effort to remake the system and clean up the fraud, Ethiopia is cutting back by as much as 90% the number of inter-country adoptions it will allow.

The government says it will process a maximum of five inter-country adoptions a day, a far cry from the 50 cases it used to process. This effort will significantly lengthen the adoption process for children waiting for their forever families.

Bethany Christian Services Ethiopia staff confirms that since March 10, per their new policy, Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women’s, Children’s and Youth Affairs has reviewed only five cases per day. The U.S. team is diligently working through staff in Ethiopia to address the current issue.

In the meantime, they’re focusing on strengthening their year-old alternative to foster care programs in Ethiopia. Their mission calls them to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus Christ by providing the family services needed to ensure success. They are focused on making decisions that are biblically consistent within this context.

However, Bethany’s Ethiopia staff is also faced with the concerns raised by child welfare experts regarding institutional care for orphans. Bethany’s team notes that children raised in institutions tend to lose all contact with their families and social/cultural background. When children age out of institutional care, they often face great difficulties integrating into society due to deprivation of learning normal life skills that children develop while growing up in a family.

Because of these limitations, Bethany Christian Services formed a consortium with four other groups aimed at de-institutionalizing the kids who are in their foster care programs.

In 2010, the government of Oromia in Ethiopia and Kingdom Vision International, a child welfare agency in Nazareth, Ethiopia, signed a partnership agreement with Bethany Christian Services to de-institutionalize the children. The Adama Evangelical Church Fellowship of Nazareth also agreed to provide foster families for the children coming out of institutional care.

Bethany Christian Services provided training of foster families and case workers and are supervising foster families through case management. When families complete the training, the government of Oromia will license them.”

Ethiopia sharply reduces pace of adoptions
[Mission Network News 3/21/11]

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