Tonights Conference Call

We will have our Ethiopia conference call tonight at 7 pm.  To join the call, dial 1-800-944-8766 enter code 39085.

Thanks,  Salome

List of Orphanages

 Hi FTIA Ethiopia Families,

I requested from Bethany a list of orphanages that they work with and receive referrals from (other than Shalom).  They responded right away with the list below.    I know some of you have been wondering and have asked me for this information so I hope you will find this helpful and encouraging.

Yezelalem Minch
Kingdom Vision International
Mussie
Help for the Needy Development Association
AHOPE
Sincerely,

Salome LaMarche
Director of Programs

Update regarding Embassy Appointments

Earlier today I sent you a notice regarding a Bethany conference call.  At the same time, I was also contacting some families to let them know specifically where they stand in terms of receiving an embassy appointment.  We have not been informed that any FTIA families are under investigation.  One FTIA case that is waiting for an embassy appointment did receive a request for additional information.  The information must be provided by the orphanage and the staff at Shalom are in the process of gathering that information.  We have two other cases waiting for an embassy appointment.  For those cases, no additional information has been requested at this time.  We have two families preparing to travel for their court dates soon.  We cannot predict when those families will receive embassy appointments after court approval. 

As I have thought about the Ethiopia program and the changes it has undergone, I can concede that there has been less communication from the orphanage.  When we began our program, we had a direct line of communication through Mekonnen at Shalom.  Because of our friendly relationship with him, we were able to get more information than we might otherwise receive.  Now that Meknonnen is no longer working for FTIA or Bethany there has been an understandable decrease in the amount of information flowing from Shalom.  This not a reflection of FTIA's dedication to our adoptive families.  We are just as committed to you and the children as always.  However, our sources for information are not as plentiful as they once were; therefore, there is less information that we can pass on to you.  Also, the change in the atmosphere surrounding adoptions in Ethiopia and adoptions in general have created the need to be more cautious in sharing any news or information until it can be absolutely confirmed as fact.

It has always been our policy to pass along only confirmed news or information and as time goes on and the process becomes more complicated, it can take longer to confirm information.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you have any questions.

Thanks,

Salome LaMarche
Director of Programs

Bethany Conference Calls Regarding Embassy Investigations

Bethany's next conference calls re: updates on the Embassy will take place, starting today.  Please note there will be two conference calls, with the same information being presented at both.  1) Tuesday, Jan. 18 from 3-4pm EST
2) Wednesday, Jan. 19 from 10-11am EST

The number is  - 712-338-8710 code 754#.   (This is not the same number as used for our FTIA calls)

Thanks,

Salome

Answers to a couple of questions:

For the families that are waiting for an embassy appointment, they have so far not been pulled for investigation but we also don't know when the appointment will be established.

Sisay, who works for Bethany in Ethiopia will be on leave until February 8th.  In his absence Sisay's assistant, Firew, as well as the Bethany country director, Sebilu, will be filling in for him.  Sisay will still attend any scheduled court appointments despite the fact that he is on leave.

Thanks and have a great day!

Conference Calls

Hi everyone.  I'm glad we managed to touch base last night.  Sorry for the confusion.  As we discussed, I have copied below the schedule for Bethany's conference calls in the next few months.  Some questions came up on the call last night that I will try to get some answers to and will post those as soon as I receive them.

I do plan to continue the FTIA calls so that I can help you get answers to any questions that may not have been answered on the Bethany calls or that may be more specific to our FTIA/Bethany Relationship.

I do want to touch base regarding referrals.  Please do not allow yourself to get caught up in terms of exact dates.  Though your dossier may have gone to Ethiopia on a certain date, there are translations and other processes that your paperwork has to go through in Ethiopia so there are a variety of reasons that you may not be matched in exact order of the date your dossier was sent to Ethiopia.  If your dossier was sent to Ethiopia in July, try not to focus on a specific date in July.  Try to think in terms of the entire month and be encouraged that children are being matched for families in July.  That means yours is not far behind.  It is not in Bethany's or FTIA's best interest to intentionally keep a referral from you.  It would serve no purpose.  We want children to find homes.

Since there will be no new referrals from Shalom, the FTIA files have been put into the mix of Bethany cases and will be matched in the order that they were submitted (with the above explanation above taken into account).

Bethany Conference Call Schedule:

*Our upcoming conference calls re: updated information on the US State Dept. notice, and increased field investigations will be as follows:

We will use the same Mr. Conference number - 712-338-8710 (code 754#).

Call 1 - Monday, Jan. 3, 1-2pm EST
Call 2 - Tuesday, Jan. 4, 10-11am EST
Call 3 - Wednesday, Jan. 5, 3-4pm EST

We ask that each family only attend one conference call, as there is  limit to the number of people that can call in on Mr. Conference calls.  We did have calls in December, so this is just an update were are providing, based on information we have.  If we have no information, we will communicate that as well.

*Our travel meeting conference call schedule:

January
Friday, Jan. 7, 12pm EST
Wednesday, Jan. 19, 9am EST

February
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 4pm EST
Monday, Feb. 21, 12pm EST

March
Thursday, March 10, 9am EST
Wednesday, March 23, 4pm EST

April
Friday, April 8, 12pm EST
Tuesday, April 19, 10am EST

May
Monday, May 2, 4pm EST
Wednesday, May 25, 12pm EST

June
Tuesday, June 7, 2pm EST
Thursday, June 23, 8:30am EST


Thanks,

Salome LaMarche

Ethiopia Update

It has certainly been an emotional few weeks for the FTIA Ethiopia Program.  I appreciate every one's patience as I endeavored to answer your questions and address your concerns regarding the changes in FTIA's program and the most recent announcement that Shalom is under investigation.  I have copied below the text of an announcement that Bethany sent to their adoptive families earlier this week. 

Please know that to this point FTIA has not had any cases investigated prior to the visa being issued for a child.  We hope and expect that trend to continue.  As you are likely hearing from other adoptive parents, the US embassy is taking longer to issue visa interview appointments so we do not yet know how long it will take for interview appointments to be scheduled once all of the paperwork has been submitted to the embassy.

We will have our regularly scheduled conference call on Monday, January 10th at 7:00 pm central time.  To join the call dial 1-800-944-8766 and enter code 67982.

Bethany's Post:  During the family conference call yesterday regarding Ethiopia adoptions, we discussed Bethany’s current relationships with partner orphanages.  I would like to make sure that everyone is informed that Bethany is phasing out of its relationship with Shalom. Bethany has reached this decision because of constant difficulties obtaining reliable documentation from Shalom for some time.  Bethany’s own field investigations have recently confirmed inconsistencies or/and unreliable data provided by Shalom. Almost all cases under investigation by the Embassy in Addis Ababa are from Shalom.

What does this mean?

1.        Bethany will continue to process the adoptions of all children currently referred from Shalom and make every effort to ensure their smooth completion.

2.        Bethany will completely terminate the working relationship with Shalom once all the children in the adoption process are placed with families.

3.        Bethany will continue to share post adoption reports with Shalom as always

4.        This decision will not affect the volume of referrals Bethany gets. Bethany's Country Director is currently finalizing other working relationships with two child-welfare agencies in Ethiopia who will make referrals to Bethany.

There is no reason for families to panic regarding this decision by Bethany. We expect placements to move forward with cases already referred/accepted. Thank you for your partnership in serving children and families through the Ethiopia program.

The Ethiopia Team  

Positive Adoption Movie January 8th on FOX

Posted on behalf of Moms4FamilyTV Partnership Development

I work with a grassroots organization called Moms4FamilyTV, and our goal is to promote high-quality family friendly entertainment that the entire family can watch together. Our initiative is sponsored by Walmart and P&G, who have made it their goal to "bring back family movie night" by producing family entertainment for NBC and FOX.

The next film, Change of Plans will air January 8th 8/7c on FOX.  This heart-warming, funny film surrounds a married couple with no kids, who--through unfortunate events –ends up adopting 4 kids from Africa, Asia, and South America. The film reveals how fulfilling life can be when you look beyond your own plans and invest in the lives of others. The film is also very pro-adoption!
Will you please help us make a difference?

We are asking organizations like yours to help spread the word about Family Movie Night and Change of Plans……

·        Tune in:  January 8^th at 8/7c on FOX. 

·        Share:   Post the trailer on your website & Facebook page

·        Change of Plans - Trailer

·        Spread the Word:  Send an email or newsletter to your members

Change of Plans airs on Saturday, January 8th 8/7c on Fox. Please let me know if you plan on helping to spread the word. 

---

Thanks

Bethany Vondran

Moms4FamilyTV Partnership Development

513-403-8945

Moms4FamilyTV.com is affiliated with the producers of the content discussed on this website.

Shalom Orphanage

Unfortunately, I did not receive news of the investigations surrounding Shalom until after it was discussed on the conference call this morning.  Please be assured that I will work with Bethany to get further details and pass them along to you.  We have completed nearly 20 adoptions with Shalom without incident and have not been informed about any specific FTIA cases being investigated.  As soon as i know more I will pass it on.

We currently have five families in process with referrals from Shalom.  Three of those families have passed court and are waiting to hear news regarding their embassy appointment.   Two families are making travel plans for their first trip court dates.  One will be in February and one in March. 

I will likely be posting more information for you later this week.

Salome LaMarche
Director of Programs