Adoption

Adoption at this point is no longer an option for us. Our paperwork has expired and Guatemala is still closed. Some day we may be able to revisit this path but for now...we will wait.
It's all in God's time.
For now we will enjoy all the blessings he has given us.
Visit us at www.thedaytodayofGianna.blogspot.com

Updates on Guat.

This pretty much sums it up. If you want to take the time to read this paper it will help you to get a better grasp on what isn't happening.

http://www.jcics.org/Guatemala.pdf

FINALLY some good news!

Our agency finally got their accreditation!! Possibly another step forward? We shall see...
http://www.hearttoheartadoption.com

Hague Accreditation from the Council on Accreditation ~ Jan.5,2009 to Aug.31,2012
Our Hague Accreditation authorizes Heart to Heart Adoption to prepare homestudies for international adoptions in both the States of Florida and New York.

This is no good...

From the DOS website Sept 2008:
Guatemala is party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Hague Adoption Convention). The U.S. Government believes Guatemala has had insufficient time to implement reform legislation that would create a Convention-compliant adoption process, and as a result, Guatemala cannot meet its Convention obligations. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is not processing I-800A petitions because the Department of State is unable to verify, as required by Section 301(a) of the Intercountry Adoption Act (IAA), that the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention have been met in cases from Guatemala.

NEWS!!

The Central Authority announced on the TV news in Guatemala that they will reopen in January. This from our contact in Guatemala City on Dec. 4:
"Yesterday Mrs. Larios, one of the Directors of the Central Authority in Guatemala announced on a news TV channel that they are predicting to have everything ready for running international adoptions in January. She said they have about 120 babies to placed for adoption. She also said the CA will be informing to all the Central Authorities of the Hague Complaint countries the list of babies ready to be placed."

Joint Council update

October 14, 2008
CHILD WELFARE UPDATE: Grandfathering of Pre-Hague I-600A Families

Dear Friends & Families,

After advocating on behalf of adoptive families for the past 6 months, Joint Council is very pleased to confirm that USCIS has announced a positive ruling concerning the I-600A process. It is our understanding that, effective immediately, for families who filed an I-600A petition prior to April 1, 2008, and whose USCIS approval of that petition (i.e. the I-171H) has not expired, they will be permitted to proceed with their adoption under the I-600A process. This means that families meeting that criteria will not be required to transition to the Hague I-800A process. In order to maintain their status as 'grandfathered' cases, families with non-expired I-600A approvals must request a one-time free extension. Then, prior to the expiration of the one-time free extention, families must file a new I-600A petition and pay the appropriate fee. As we noted in our Position Statement, this ruling will save adoptive families thousands of dollars, eliminate countless sleepless nights and ensure that their adoptions can proceed to completition.

On behalf of over 10,000 adoptive families, Joint Council extends its appreciation to the following individuals and organizations for their tireless efforts.
- Diane Kunz, Executive Director of the Center for Adoption Policy
- Dianne Pearce, Waiting Parent and Co-Organizer of the Fairness for Families Petition
- Debbie Reynolds, Joint Council China Cacus Co-Chairperson
- Kathleen Strottman, Executive Director of the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institue
- Michael Valverde, Cheif of USCIS Children's Issues
- David Yurkovich, Waiting Parent and Co-Organizer of the Fairness for Families Petition
- Members of the United States Congress

We offer our collective congratulations to everyone who participated in the Joint Council Call-To-Action and The Adoption for All: Fairness for Families petition. And we also send our congratulations to all who participated in the countless meetings, conference calls and emails over the past 6 months. Joint Council is built on a principle of collaboration and this very sucessful effort clearly demonstrates this principle in action. Our collective voice is definitely stronger than any singular organization or individual.

The full text of the announcement by USCIS can be found on their website. Joint Council will provide more specifics as they become available and asks you to visit our website for the latest news and updates.

Best Wishes & Congratulations,
Tom

*Basically, for us this means we will be able to use our current paperwork. We will not have to resubmit in order to acquire the I-800.
Nothing has changed other than this update. No new cases are being accepted until after the first of the year.

Brakes Put on International Adoptions

This is an email update received from ICF:

The National Council for Adoptions (CNA) suspended the delivery of children to foreign families during the remainder of 2008. The previous decision was made because there are many Guatemalans who are applying to host at home to an infant.
Another reason for the suspension, said the Council is the need to conclude the cases of transition by changing legislation, which means cleaning the system of bad practices and strengthen adoptions locally.

Quote:"In compliance with the spirit of the Adoptions Act it will be sought that children declared adoptable be delivered to Guatemalan families rather than another country. "Rudy Zepeda

It is evident that Guatemala is not in a hurry to arrange international adoption, contrary to their stated intentions at the beginning of last year. Most worrisome is that they can refuse to allow hundreds of children needing families to be adopted, by the simple expedient of only declaring a small number of abandoned or relinquished children to be legal orphans. If they never declare more legal orphans than the number of families in Guatemala who would like to adopt, then there will never be children available for international adoption. Which is not to say that suddenly Guatemala is in economic high times and women are able to support their children and that sexism, racism and elitism have disappeared, and that labor protection laws have been enforced. Absolutely not.
Guatemala is on the edge of economic ruin. It will take many years for the country to cultivate a solid economic base. Competing against the country's attempts to lure businesses to locate there and create jobs, is the expanding gang and drug culture. What we think of as being mostly located in Colombia has traveled widely, like a contagion, complete with professional kidnappers who are very skilled at choosing targets for ransom.
The sad situation of woe is getting worse, not better. The President is looking for ways to uplift the people, but the global economic crisis is beyond his control. With poverty comes desperation and with desperation, corruption. Try to imagine a life where you have no power and you never have the right to say no. That is the life of a Mayan woman in Guatemala.