Hello Again,

In our conference call on Monday evening, a few items came up that needed a little follow up.  I will update our literature to be sure this information is clearly stated but I have also provided the information for you below.

Regarding the process of receiving for a referral and waiting to travel:

Although I am aware that you are all anxious to know when the next referral may come I really cannot give you an estimate.  Some of you have asked how many referrals we receive per month.  I really can’t put a number to each month because there really is no “system” for assigning referrals.  The referral process begins when a child is relinquished and the paperwork finalized that matches the age/gender/health preference of a particular family. Some months we may receive several referrals and then we may have 2-3 months without any referrals.  I wish I could predict but it would merely be a guess and to guess would be a disservice to you.  I can tell you that the family that has waiting the longest for a boy submitted their dossier in early May of 2010 and the family that has been waiting the longest for a girl has been waiting since mid May of 2010.  I hope this is helpful.

In most cases, after being matched with a family and the family accepts the referral, the children are moved to the transition home in Addis Ababa.  Some orphanages move the children prior to the referral.  Shalom typically moves them after referral.

Updates on the children should be received monthly after the referral for children 0-2 years and every other month for older children.  Of course, things can happen to cause delays in getting the updates (holidays, vacations, etc).

Regarding Your First Trip to Ethiopia:

On this trip all that is needed from you is your presence.  The paperwork needed for the court process is already in Ethiopia.  All you need to do to prepare for this trip is pack and make your travel arrangements.  Right now the trip is planned for 3-4 days.  No tours or shopping trips are planned during your first trip.  The Team in Ethiopia is still scheduling those items on the 2^nd trip.  However, if you would like to plan some side trips while on your first trip, the Guest House staff can certainly help you arrange a trip.

While on your first trip, you will be able to see the child once a day for about 1 ½ hours.  This time will be in the morning or afternoon but you will not likely know which until you arrive.  It will depend on the schedule of the orphanage and the staff working that particular day.

Thanks so much for sharing your specific questions with me.  It is helpful for me to know exactly what your questions are so I can incorporate the answers into our literature.

Our next conference call is planned for Monday, October 25, 2010 at 7 pm central time.  Everyone can call in at 7 pm.  We will not be scheduling specific times for specific stages of the process.   The call seemed to flow better with families in all stages of the process on the call at the same time.  This call is open to FTIA Adoptive Families only.  A few days before the call, I will send you an email reminder that will include the phone number and conference code. 

As you prepare to bring a child into your home, we would like to share with you a resource that we think will be helpful.  

Dr. Dana Johnson is presenting a webinar,

Food For Thought: The impact of poor nutrition in early development.
Tips and insights for adoptive parents to help children catch up and thrive.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010;
7:00 - 8:00 PM Central Time

Optional Q&A with Dr. Johnson
8:00 - 8:30 PM Central Time

Fee: $15.00

To Register:  http://www.adoptionlearningpartners.org/nutrition_webinar.cfm

Thanks and have a great day!

Salome LaMarche
Director of Programs
Families Thru International Adoption
slamarche@ftia.org