But at least we got a new picture
Monday, December 21, 2009
Monday, December 14, 2009
Another News Article
Eurasia Insight:KYRGYZSTAN: ADOPTIVE FAMILIES LOSING HOPE AS KYRGYZ CHILDREN REMAIN STUCK IN CENTRAL ASIA Laurie Rich: 12/14/09
US lawmakers intend to press the government of Kyrgyzstan to expedite the adoptions of 65 Kyrgyz children by American families. The adoptions have been stalled as Kyrgyz officials mull changes to the Central Asian state's adoption framework. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) are preparing a letter to Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev concerning the 65 stalled adoptions, according to a spokesperson in Sen. Brownback's office. Despite encouraging signs earlier this fall that the situation might be resolved, the Kyrgyz Parliament failed to take action on new adoption legislation in a mid-November session, as had been expected. The parliament pushed off further talks on the issue to February 15, citing a need for "deeper study," according to the parliamentary press service. The latest delay is causing some of the prospective American parents to lose hope that they will ever be allowed to bring the children to the United States. "Every time we think we're right there ...something changes in the government," said Ann Bates, a Pennsylvania pediatric nurse who has been waiting since June 2008 to bring home the four-year-old girl with mild cerebral palsy she was matched with. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The prospective parents thought they had achieved a breakthrough back in September when Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov promised senators Brownback and Casey that he would urge parliament to expedite the pending adoptions. But three weeks later, Chudinov resigned in a governmental shakeup by President Bakiyev. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. It was Chudinov who instituted a moratorium on international adoptions in February of 2009 amid allegations of fraud and child trafficking on the part of orphanages and adoption workers. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The government has been investigating those claims, and, with the aid of UNICEF, is developing a new adoption framework. The 65 US families had gone through the often year-long process to be matched with an adoptable Kyrgyz child and were in the final stages of adoption when the Kyrgyz officials stopped processing applications. Many of the children have disabilities, including one girl who has become blind and deaf and has incurred brain damage during the wait because of late-diagnosed hydrocephalus, a problem that likely would have been treated immediately in the United States, the girl's prospective adoptive mother, a Florida pediatrician, believes. "The human costs of these delays are so enormous," said Lisa Brotherton, who has been waiting to be handed the baby girl with whom she was matched since 2008. Brotherton, who visited Bishkek last August, believes the baby has Cerebral Palsy and is malnourished based on diagnoses she received from doctors who examined photographs of the girl. "For her to continue to be victimized by languishing in a place where she can make no life-long bonds adds insult to injury," said Brotherton, who worries that the adverse psychological effects -- like attachment disorders, depression and PTSD - will affect their children. The prospective parents are well aware of an ongoing Harvard Medical School study called the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, which has shown that children in Romanian orphanages had significantly lower IQs (65 versus 103) than children living in the community. Those living in orphanages also have a much higher rate of mental illness than those living in the community, the study also shows. Those placed in foster families made dramatic recoveries in mental health and language acquisition - but the success rates were significantly diminished for those who were older than two when they were put into the foster homes. The US State Department has tried to intervene on behalf of the families, raising the adoption issue in meetings with Kyrgyz diplomats, according to a State Department official. The US government also brought a group of Kyrgyz MPs this May to the United States to discuss the adoptions and to meet with some families. "The Department of State has urged the Kyrgyz government to complete its criminal investigation and resolve the pending cases so that eligible children can be placed in permanent homes," the official said in an e-mailed response to EurasiaNet's questions. "The Department will continue to engage the Kyrgyz government on this issue."
US lawmakers intend to press the government of Kyrgyzstan to expedite the adoptions of 65 Kyrgyz children by American families. The adoptions have been stalled as Kyrgyz officials mull changes to the Central Asian state's adoption framework. Senators Sam Brownback (R-KS), Bob Casey (D-PA) and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) are preparing a letter to Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev concerning the 65 stalled adoptions, according to a spokesperson in Sen. Brownback's office. Despite encouraging signs earlier this fall that the situation might be resolved, the Kyrgyz Parliament failed to take action on new adoption legislation in a mid-November session, as had been expected. The parliament pushed off further talks on the issue to February 15, citing a need for "deeper study," according to the parliamentary press service. The latest delay is causing some of the prospective American parents to lose hope that they will ever be allowed to bring the children to the United States. "Every time we think we're right there ...something changes in the government," said Ann Bates, a Pennsylvania pediatric nurse who has been waiting since June 2008 to bring home the four-year-old girl with mild cerebral palsy she was matched with. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The prospective parents thought they had achieved a breakthrough back in September when Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov promised senators Brownback and Casey that he would urge parliament to expedite the pending adoptions. But three weeks later, Chudinov resigned in a governmental shakeup by President Bakiyev. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. It was Chudinov who instituted a moratorium on international adoptions in February of 2009 amid allegations of fraud and child trafficking on the part of orphanages and adoption workers. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. The government has been investigating those claims, and, with the aid of UNICEF, is developing a new adoption framework. The 65 US families had gone through the often year-long process to be matched with an adoptable Kyrgyz child and were in the final stages of adoption when the Kyrgyz officials stopped processing applications. Many of the children have disabilities, including one girl who has become blind and deaf and has incurred brain damage during the wait because of late-diagnosed hydrocephalus, a problem that likely would have been treated immediately in the United States, the girl's prospective adoptive mother, a Florida pediatrician, believes. "The human costs of these delays are so enormous," said Lisa Brotherton, who has been waiting to be handed the baby girl with whom she was matched since 2008. Brotherton, who visited Bishkek last August, believes the baby has Cerebral Palsy and is malnourished based on diagnoses she received from doctors who examined photographs of the girl. "For her to continue to be victimized by languishing in a place where she can make no life-long bonds adds insult to injury," said Brotherton, who worries that the adverse psychological effects -- like attachment disorders, depression and PTSD - will affect their children. The prospective parents are well aware of an ongoing Harvard Medical School study called the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, which has shown that children in Romanian orphanages had significantly lower IQs (65 versus 103) than children living in the community. Those living in orphanages also have a much higher rate of mental illness than those living in the community, the study also shows. Those placed in foster families made dramatic recoveries in mental health and language acquisition - but the success rates were significantly diminished for those who were older than two when they were put into the foster homes. The US State Department has tried to intervene on behalf of the families, raising the adoption issue in meetings with Kyrgyz diplomats, according to a State Department official. The US government also brought a group of Kyrgyz MPs this May to the United States to discuss the adoptions and to meet with some families. "The Department of State has urged the Kyrgyz government to complete its criminal investigation and resolve the pending cases so that eligible children can be placed in permanent homes," the official said in an e-mailed response to EurasiaNet's questions. "The Department will continue to engage the Kyrgyz government on this issue."
Friday, December 11, 2009
They May Be On Vacation But We Are Not
Watch out KG!
The Chihuahuas are out in full force
Current Projects in the works as of Dec 8, 2009:
PSA Video:To educate and draw attention to the situation here and in KG (will be translated). It will feature Post adoption photos as well as a section on the waiting children. This is a professionally produced project managed by one of the PAPs
Open Letter to KG President: To give attention to the human cost of prolonging the finalization of the pipeline cases. To directly request intervention from President, the Parliament, and the Kyrgyz people, for them to realize and act in the best interests of these specific children, not at the cost of their efforts to transform their Child Protection System, but in accordance to their efforts to provide deinstitutionalization and permanency for unparented children.
Summary Report: on JCICS letterhead to give a brief yet thorough introduction to the ongoing issues involved in the Kyrgyz adoption situation so as to get someone unaware up to speed and to rally support in a cohesive manner.
Letter to SOS Hillary Clinton: To be submitted with a cover sheet signed by Congressional supporters asking for her direct involvement. Letter is nearly complete.
Congressional Outreach: To KG officials to move these cases forward authored by Senators that met with former PM and the colleagues they are able to get signatures from.
Delegation to Bishkek: PAPs and adoption advocates possibly traveling to meet with various government officials arraigned by Ambassador Sydykova and sponsored by Damira Niyazalieva (parliamentarian at DC meeting May 09).
TBARelief Efforts: To get food and warmth to all the children in the 3 orphanages especially during the harsh winter months.
Advocacy Searches: Looking for an attorney and or NGO outlets to help in each of our efforts.
UNICEF Agenda confrontation:Working towards a dialog by invitation or by demand, keeping the focus on actions in the best interests of the children.
Publicity: Media articles and press releases to keep our cases in the spotlight, currently through Laurie Rich. The next EurasiaNet article is due any day. Laurie feels hopeful about getting a bigger publication soon. Susan Sample has a veteran journalist, PR specialist willing to help if Laurie's efforts fail. Several of the interviewed PAPs keep Laurie up to date on all the incoming news.
Here We Go Again
Kyrgyzstan going for 11-day New Year holidays
11/12-2009 07:34, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”, By Arstan AALYEV
Kyrgyzstan will be going for 11-day New Year holidays from January 1 to 10, 2010, governmental press service spread an official statement Friday.
“According to the government’s rational plan, all firms and enterprises of Kyrgyzstan with a five-day working week will have to work Saturdays of January 16, 23, 30 and February 6, ” the press service said.
However, ministries and state agencies will have skeleton groups working on the holidays.
11/12-2009 07:34, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”, By Arstan AALYEV
Kyrgyzstan will be going for 11-day New Year holidays from January 1 to 10, 2010, governmental press service spread an official statement Friday.
“According to the government’s rational plan, all firms and enterprises of Kyrgyzstan with a five-day working week will have to work Saturdays of January 16, 23, 30 and February 6, ” the press service said.
However, ministries and state agencies will have skeleton groups working on the holidays.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Looks Like Nothing Will Happen This Year
Consideration of the transfer of children from Kyrgyzstan on international adoption postponed until February 2010
13/11 08:25, Bishkek --IA «24.kg», Ayzada Kutueva
Consideration of the transfer of children from Kyrgyzstan on international adoption postponed until February 2010. This decision was made today at a meeting of the Jogorku Kenesh following consideration of the actual implementation of the LCD of the CD on the transfer of children left without parental care, for adoption (adoption) to foreign nationals.
Not much else to say except that I am extremely thankful that I am fortunate enough to have been born into and grown up in a country where I just cannot fathom what thinking and motives are behind this long and twisted adoption process.
Friday, September 18, 2009
People are Talking!!!
"Kyrgyzstan has always assigned high priority to cooperation with the United States of America and will continue doing so," the Prime Minister, Igor Chudinov, said while meeting with the U.S. Ambassador to Kyrgyzstan, Tatiana Gfoeller Thursday."
"The Kyrgyz government must adopt a resolution and to allow international adoptions 65 Kyrgyz children. This was stated today at a meeting of parliament CD (by) deputy Damir Niyazalieva."
"We are also very worried about the fate of children. It is therefore very important that our Prime Minister is able to meet with families who are waiting for children from Kyrgyzstan. Now we are working hard to ask the protocol service of the Government to organize a meeting (between) Chudinova (and) the State Department. We read the article. Written very emotional after this story is a lot of people are beginning to understand American families, their hopes and aspirations.
Sincerely, Gulnara" (member of Parliment in Kyrg)
Now let's hope they start walking and put the pen to the paper!!!!!
Keep up the prayers and phone calls.
"The Kyrgyz government must adopt a resolution and to allow international adoptions 65 Kyrgyz children. This was stated today at a meeting of parliament CD (by) deputy Damir Niyazalieva."
"We are also very worried about the fate of children. It is therefore very important that our Prime Minister is able to meet with families who are waiting for children from Kyrgyzstan. Now we are working hard to ask the protocol service of the Government to organize a meeting (between) Chudinova (and) the State Department. We read the article. Written very emotional after this story is a lot of people are beginning to understand American families, their hopes and aspirations.
Sincerely, Gulnara" (member of Parliment in Kyrg)
Now let's hope they start walking and put the pen to the paper!!!!!
Keep up the prayers and phone calls.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
I Laughed So Hard I Cried
Maybe it was the stress of the day, contacting my congressman and Senator (boy is it hard to get your issue understood and get to the right person). But I found this translation of the first line of the article posted below to be quite hilarious
"In November last year Butyl Suzanne (Suzanne Boutilier) sat at the Kyrgyz orphanage, shaking hands at the six-month-crumb, which is going to adopt."
Can't wait to hold our little crumb again!!!!!
"In November last year Butyl Suzanne (Suzanne Boutilier) sat at the Kyrgyz orphanage, shaking hands at the six-month-crumb, which is going to adopt."
Can't wait to hold our little crumb again!!!!!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
News Article Posted in Eurasianet
EURASIA INSIGHT KYRGYZSTAN: ADOPTION REFORM LEAVES KYRGYZ ORPHANS, AMERICAN FAMILIES, IN LIMBO Laurie Rich 9/10/09
Last November, Suzanne Boutilier was sitting outside a Kyrgyz orphanage, cradling the slight 6-month-old baby girl she was set to adopt. She sang to her daughter-to-be and kept returning to a Carly Simon tune with the refrain "Lovin' you is the right thing to do," and every time she came to the chorus "Even though you're 10,000 miles away," she would sob. In a few days Boutilier would be back in California, and the baby she had been waiting five months to finish adopting would remain at the orphanage. Now, more than a year after she was first matched with the little girl by an international adoption agency -- and told she'd likely be able to bring her home in eight weeks -- she is still waiting. And by all accounts, there is no telling when her wait will end. Boutilier's saga is one of approximately 65 cases in which families in the United States had in-process adoptions put on hold by the Kyrgyz government. The government halted all international adoptions early this year as it pondered ways to overhaul regulations and means to root out corruption in the adoption system. With the government still mulling the issues, 65 American families are stuck in limbo and losing hope. Meanwhile, 65 Kyrgyz children -- many with special needs -- who could have homes, instead sit in orphanages at a time when, developmentally, every day is significant. "We are trying to be very patient, because we know [the Kyrgyz government is] doing their best to make sure everything is legal. And we wouldn't want it any other way," said Ann Bates, a Pennsylvania pediatric nurse waiting to bring home the three-year-old girl with mild cerebral palsy she was matched with in June 2008.The Kyrgyz government hasn't given any indication when or if the adoptions will be allowed to go through, according to the US State Department. The Kyrgyz Embassy in Washington did not respond to EurasiaNet's requests for comment. The State Department told EurasiaNet by e-mail that an official in the Kyrgyz Prime Minister's Office said the government is still working on new adoption regulations, but did not know when they would be submitted to Parliament, or how long it would take for Parliament to approve them. If approved and then signed by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, it would take at least three months before they were implemented, and more for adoption agencies to be accredited under the new regulations. It's unknown how a new regulatory framework would affect the 65 pending American adoptions. According to the State Department, the adoptions could be grandfathered in under old laws, if Kyrgyz courts intervene. American adoptions from Kyrgyzstan had been rising steadily since 2004, hitting 78 in 2008. Nine US-based international adoption agencies had programs in the country that year. Prospective parents were attracted to Kyrgyzstan by the relative speed and smooth flow of the adoption system. Agencies listed that the full process would last eight to 12 months, while in China and some other nations, the process was lasting up to five years. A slowdown in the Kyrgyz process began in the late summer of 2008. Families who had accepted the children they were matched with, whom many had visited, realized that they weren't getting the requisite appointments to finalize the process. They then contacted the US government and international adoption organizations. In mid-November, the State Department cautioned individuals and agencies about beginning adoptions in Kyrgyzstan. The 65 families whose adoptions were nearly done continued to wait. Some, like Boutilier, an advertising copywriter, returned to Kyrgyzstan to visit their intended children. "There was that little fantasy in my mind -- what if things happened when I was there?" she said of her hopes the process would start moving again during her November trip. But nothing progressed. In January, the State Department released a statement that no new adoptions from Kyrgyzstan should be started "because of serious, ongoing problems in the country's inter-country adoption process." UNICEF, the UN's children's agency, held a retreat in January for Kyrgyz legislators to discuss inter-country adoption. With the quick uptick in adoptions from many nations in the past few years, the agency was urging the government to review and restructure its system so that "potential bad practices" did not arise. UNICEF officials also intimated that some had already occurred, according to a written summary of the discussions. The summary recommended that Kyrgyzstan suspend inter-country adoptions while it created a central authority for adoptions and considered signing a Hague Convention agreement on adoption practices. The UNICEF summary also stated that "cases where contacts between prospective adoptive parents and child to be adopted have already taken place should be allowed to be completed."On February 2, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov placed an official moratorium on international adoption. About the same time, stories of criminal behavior at orphanages began emerging in the Kyrgyz press. In February, the 24.kg news agency reported that an orphanage was accused of child abuse and of illegally transporting children from the country using false documents. Rumors arose about local adoptive families being denied children so that lucrative international adoptions could occur. Throughout these months, some of the 65 adoptive families received sporadic updates on their matched children, like pictures, measurements and health updates. At the end of March of 2009, Suzanne Bilyeu, a Florida pediatrician, received a picture of the little girl she and her husband were paired with the previous June and panicked. The child's head was gigantic. Immediately, she suspected that the girl had hydrocephalus, and had had the condition for quite a while. Hydrocephalus is a buildup of cerebral spinal fluid in the skull. The pressure of the excess fluid can cause brain damage, a host of other complications, and, if left untreated, death. With the help of her in-country adoption coordinator, she was able to get the child seen by a local neurosurgeon and eye doctor. They confirmed the diagnosis. The child needed surgery immediately to remove the fluid from around the brain, according to Bilyeu. She needed a shunt, a tube implanted from the brain to the abdomen, to drain fluid to the abdominal cavity. It took two months to get her into a hospital, and then another two weeks once there for the surgery to occur. The operation in May was successful, but the child is deaf and mute and has permanent vision loss, according to the local doctors, as recounted by Bilyeu. Based on the CT scans she was sent, and the fact that the child at 16 months cannot sit up by herself, crawl, pull to a stand or walk, she said brain damage is likely, but only time will tell. Bilyeu agonizes over the child's condition and feels the lasting effects could have been prevented."This was a child that, had she been home with us, she'd be toddling around my house right now. She'd be in the pool with us today," Bilyeu said. "She would have had a shunt as soon as there was any change in her head circumference ? and she would have been OK."Bilyeu's story increases the anxiety of many of the other families. Some prospective adoptees with issues like cleft palates and cerebral palsy would benefit from early medical intervention. And according to studies, all would be helped cognitively and emotionally by living with a family versus being in an institutional setting. In May, a Kyrgyz governmental delegation traveled to the United States and met with five waiting families and 11 who had already completed adoptions. It was a meeting organized by the US State Department and child welfare organizations.MP Gulnara Derbisheva and Damira Niazalieva, along with Ekatrina Khoroshman of the Prime Minister's office talked to the waiting families about the children they were hoping to adopt. When the MPs returned home, they held a news conference calling for the 65 cases to be resolved. They also sent a letter to the prime minister requesting that he lift the moratorium so that these cases could be processed. In June, the Department of State sent a US adoption expert to meet with Kyrgyz officials. Since then, the 65 families have heard little. According to the State Department, the criminal investigation of alleged corruption is still ongoing, and two adoption coordinators affiliated with US agencies were arrested and released on bail. The families continue to wait. "I don't regret my decision to adopt from Kyrgyzstan because that decision lead me to the child I now love. I'm daily amazed and inspired by the depth and vastness of the love I feel for her, even after having spent only 45 hours with her over the past 14 months," Boutilier said. "While there are days that I believe that my heart could not be more broken over this turn of events, I'm certain that my heart has never been more full."
Last November, Suzanne Boutilier was sitting outside a Kyrgyz orphanage, cradling the slight 6-month-old baby girl she was set to adopt. She sang to her daughter-to-be and kept returning to a Carly Simon tune with the refrain "Lovin' you is the right thing to do," and every time she came to the chorus "Even though you're 10,000 miles away," she would sob. In a few days Boutilier would be back in California, and the baby she had been waiting five months to finish adopting would remain at the orphanage. Now, more than a year after she was first matched with the little girl by an international adoption agency -- and told she'd likely be able to bring her home in eight weeks -- she is still waiting. And by all accounts, there is no telling when her wait will end. Boutilier's saga is one of approximately 65 cases in which families in the United States had in-process adoptions put on hold by the Kyrgyz government. The government halted all international adoptions early this year as it pondered ways to overhaul regulations and means to root out corruption in the adoption system. With the government still mulling the issues, 65 American families are stuck in limbo and losing hope. Meanwhile, 65 Kyrgyz children -- many with special needs -- who could have homes, instead sit in orphanages at a time when, developmentally, every day is significant. "We are trying to be very patient, because we know [the Kyrgyz government is] doing their best to make sure everything is legal. And we wouldn't want it any other way," said Ann Bates, a Pennsylvania pediatric nurse waiting to bring home the three-year-old girl with mild cerebral palsy she was matched with in June 2008.The Kyrgyz government hasn't given any indication when or if the adoptions will be allowed to go through, according to the US State Department. The Kyrgyz Embassy in Washington did not respond to EurasiaNet's requests for comment. The State Department told EurasiaNet by e-mail that an official in the Kyrgyz Prime Minister's Office said the government is still working on new adoption regulations, but did not know when they would be submitted to Parliament, or how long it would take for Parliament to approve them. If approved and then signed by President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, it would take at least three months before they were implemented, and more for adoption agencies to be accredited under the new regulations. It's unknown how a new regulatory framework would affect the 65 pending American adoptions. According to the State Department, the adoptions could be grandfathered in under old laws, if Kyrgyz courts intervene. American adoptions from Kyrgyzstan had been rising steadily since 2004, hitting 78 in 2008. Nine US-based international adoption agencies had programs in the country that year. Prospective parents were attracted to Kyrgyzstan by the relative speed and smooth flow of the adoption system. Agencies listed that the full process would last eight to 12 months, while in China and some other nations, the process was lasting up to five years. A slowdown in the Kyrgyz process began in the late summer of 2008. Families who had accepted the children they were matched with, whom many had visited, realized that they weren't getting the requisite appointments to finalize the process. They then contacted the US government and international adoption organizations. In mid-November, the State Department cautioned individuals and agencies about beginning adoptions in Kyrgyzstan. The 65 families whose adoptions were nearly done continued to wait. Some, like Boutilier, an advertising copywriter, returned to Kyrgyzstan to visit their intended children. "There was that little fantasy in my mind -- what if things happened when I was there?" she said of her hopes the process would start moving again during her November trip. But nothing progressed. In January, the State Department released a statement that no new adoptions from Kyrgyzstan should be started "because of serious, ongoing problems in the country's inter-country adoption process." UNICEF, the UN's children's agency, held a retreat in January for Kyrgyz legislators to discuss inter-country adoption. With the quick uptick in adoptions from many nations in the past few years, the agency was urging the government to review and restructure its system so that "potential bad practices" did not arise. UNICEF officials also intimated that some had already occurred, according to a written summary of the discussions. The summary recommended that Kyrgyzstan suspend inter-country adoptions while it created a central authority for adoptions and considered signing a Hague Convention agreement on adoption practices. The UNICEF summary also stated that "cases where contacts between prospective adoptive parents and child to be adopted have already taken place should be allowed to be completed."On February 2, Kyrgyz Prime Minister Igor Chudinov placed an official moratorium on international adoption. About the same time, stories of criminal behavior at orphanages began emerging in the Kyrgyz press. In February, the 24.kg news agency reported that an orphanage was accused of child abuse and of illegally transporting children from the country using false documents. Rumors arose about local adoptive families being denied children so that lucrative international adoptions could occur. Throughout these months, some of the 65 adoptive families received sporadic updates on their matched children, like pictures, measurements and health updates. At the end of March of 2009, Suzanne Bilyeu, a Florida pediatrician, received a picture of the little girl she and her husband were paired with the previous June and panicked. The child's head was gigantic. Immediately, she suspected that the girl had hydrocephalus, and had had the condition for quite a while. Hydrocephalus is a buildup of cerebral spinal fluid in the skull. The pressure of the excess fluid can cause brain damage, a host of other complications, and, if left untreated, death. With the help of her in-country adoption coordinator, she was able to get the child seen by a local neurosurgeon and eye doctor. They confirmed the diagnosis. The child needed surgery immediately to remove the fluid from around the brain, according to Bilyeu. She needed a shunt, a tube implanted from the brain to the abdomen, to drain fluid to the abdominal cavity. It took two months to get her into a hospital, and then another two weeks once there for the surgery to occur. The operation in May was successful, but the child is deaf and mute and has permanent vision loss, according to the local doctors, as recounted by Bilyeu. Based on the CT scans she was sent, and the fact that the child at 16 months cannot sit up by herself, crawl, pull to a stand or walk, she said brain damage is likely, but only time will tell. Bilyeu agonizes over the child's condition and feels the lasting effects could have been prevented."This was a child that, had she been home with us, she'd be toddling around my house right now. She'd be in the pool with us today," Bilyeu said. "She would have had a shunt as soon as there was any change in her head circumference ? and she would have been OK."Bilyeu's story increases the anxiety of many of the other families. Some prospective adoptees with issues like cleft palates and cerebral palsy would benefit from early medical intervention. And according to studies, all would be helped cognitively and emotionally by living with a family versus being in an institutional setting. In May, a Kyrgyz governmental delegation traveled to the United States and met with five waiting families and 11 who had already completed adoptions. It was a meeting organized by the US State Department and child welfare organizations.MP Gulnara Derbisheva and Damira Niazalieva, along with Ekatrina Khoroshman of the Prime Minister's office talked to the waiting families about the children they were hoping to adopt. When the MPs returned home, they held a news conference calling for the 65 cases to be resolved. They also sent a letter to the prime minister requesting that he lift the moratorium so that these cases could be processed. In June, the Department of State sent a US adoption expert to meet with Kyrgyz officials. Since then, the 65 families have heard little. According to the State Department, the criminal investigation of alleged corruption is still ongoing, and two adoption coordinators affiliated with US agencies were arrested and released on bail. The families continue to wait. "I don't regret my decision to adopt from Kyrgyzstan because that decision lead me to the child I now love. I'm daily amazed and inspired by the depth and vastness of the love I feel for her, even after having spent only 45 hours with her over the past 14 months," Boutilier said. "While there are days that I believe that my heart could not be more broken over this turn of events, I'm certain that my heart has never been more full."
Friday, September 4, 2009
The Latest Update From The US Dept. of State
The Kyrgyz government hasn’t given any clear sign that it will act to resolve the 65 cases soon. The official from the Prime Minister’s Office said the government is still working on the three new adoption regulations and amendments to the Family Code. The official couldn’t say when the draft regulations will be ready to submit to the Kyrgyz Parliament, or how long it might take Parliament to approve them. According to the official, once the regulations are approved by Parliament and signed by the President, it would take at least three months to implement new procedures plus additional time to accredit adoption agencies. It’s unclear how the draft legislation will affect the 65 cases.
Need I say more?
Need I say more?
Friday, June 26, 2009
A Bit More
Well no decisions, votes or approvals yet but there certainly has been a lot of positive press about international adoption and the 65 waiting families and children in Kyrgyzstan. The delegates who recently visited the US continue to advocate for us. They have had several press conferences and meetings with officials. Furthermore, a lawyer from the US Academy of Adoption Attorneys, Irene Steffas who has successfully advocated in many countries for international adoption is in Kyrgyzstan at this time and will be meeting and presenting to various officials throughout the week.
Also, in the news this week was Parliament's vote to allow the US to renew its lease at Manas Air Base, just outside of Bishkek. A positive relationship between Kyrgyzstan and the US can only help.
No new pictures, no updates on Dimitri. This is our longest dry spell yet and boy it is really hard. I am wondering every day how he is doing and praying he is happy and healthy!!!!
Also, in the news this week was Parliament's vote to allow the US to renew its lease at Manas Air Base, just outside of Bishkek. A positive relationship between Kyrgyzstan and the US can only help.
No new pictures, no updates on Dimitri. This is our longest dry spell yet and boy it is really hard. I am wondering every day how he is doing and praying he is happy and healthy!!!!
Monday, June 15, 2009
The Latest
While we sleep tonight the delegates will be going to bat for the waiting families and children. Below is a press release about it. The text is a bit choppy due to the translation. But basically it says they will talk about their visit, the families and children that they met as well as what they learned about international adoption while visiting the US.
> > On June 16, 2009 11 hours in the press center To [zhogorku] Of [kenesha] Of [kyrgyzskoy] republic takes place the press conference of deputies [Gulnary] Of [derbishevoy] and [Damiry] Of [niyazalievoy] to the theme "about the [usynovlennykh] children of Kyrgyzstan by the citizens of the USA and the signing of Hague convention by Kyrgyzstan".
> >
> > Deputies To [zhogorku] Of [kenesha] at the invitation of the State Department of the USA from May 24 to June 6, 2009 visited such cities as Washington, New York, Atlanta.
> >
> > Legislators will describe about their visits of American families, which adopted children from Kyrgyzstan and about the mechanisms of Hague convention in the USA.
> >
Prayers for strength and clarity for the delegates!
> > On June 16, 2009 11 hours in the press center To [zhogorku] Of [kenesha] Of [kyrgyzskoy] republic takes place the press conference of deputies [Gulnary] Of [derbishevoy] and [Damiry] Of [niyazalievoy] to the theme "about the [usynovlennykh] children of Kyrgyzstan by the citizens of the USA and the signing of Hague convention by Kyrgyzstan".
> >
> > Deputies To [zhogorku] Of [kenesha] at the invitation of the State Department of the USA from May 24 to June 6, 2009 visited such cities as Washington, New York, Atlanta.
> >
> > Legislators will describe about their visits of American families, which adopted children from Kyrgyzstan and about the mechanisms of Hague convention in the USA.
> >
Prayers for strength and clarity for the delegates!
An Update
There will be a discussion in Parliament soon about adoption. If this does not resolve the adoption "question" then nothing will be done before the election. We know that the visitors from Bishkek took back highly positive reports -- and in at least one case, it was a turnabout from the perspective held before the trip. Talking with families can open new worlds. Countries where adoption is not commonplace can learn about the deep joys adoption brings.
International adoption is on Parliment's schedule for June. It is item #65 they are not necessarily taken in order. Let's just keep up the prayers that it makes it to the top and soon!
International adoption is on Parliment's schedule for June. It is item #65 they are not necessarily taken in order. Let's just keep up the prayers that it makes it to the top and soon!
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
"A Community Coming Together"
The following is an update from Joint Council for International Children's Services regarding last weeks meetings.
Joint Council has long worked with families who have found themselves "stuck" in the process of intercountry adoption. The system has broken-down and left children and families waiting for unknown amounts of time - sometimes year in and year out - for the process to be repaired so that they may be untied. Currently, these families are attempting to adopt from Romania, Guatemala, Vietnam, Nepal and Kyrgyzstan - just to name a few.
Over the last few months and over the last two weeks in particular, I've had the honor of working, very closely, with the families adopting from Kyrgyzstan. Sixty-five children are waiting in Kyrgyzstan for investigations to be completed, for paperwork to be signed and for officials to approve the adoptions. The sixty-five families hoping to adopt have remained committed to the children despite delays now lasting over a year, despite the deteriorating health of the children and despite the continuing uncertainties. Recently, there has been very little hope for these children and families. Every step forward has been met with two steps back. Everyday has come and gone with no new hope, no new progress, no resolution.
A few weeks ago, and after much advocacy on Joint Council's part, we received confirmation that a delegation of Kyrgyz officials would be traveling to the United States on an International Visitors Program. Joint Council quickly began to advocate for a meeting with the delegation and representatives of the 65 families and children. Over the last two weeks I watched as the 65 families worked together to ensure that the key representatives could attend the meeting. I watched as they pooled frequent flyer miles, hotel reward points and resources. I watched as a community of families bonded further and worked together for the rights of every single one of the Kyrgyz waiting children and the other vulnerable children in Kyrgyzstan. It was truly inspiring. I can only imagine what might happen if every caring citizen of the world pulled together in the same fashion to ensure every child's right to a safe, permanent and loving family. How many more children would - instead of living in institutions, in inadequate foster care, in abusive homes, or on the street - be living with families that ensured they are able to live, grow and thrive?
Needless to say, the meetings with the Kyrgyz delegation were a resounding success and although the children are not yet united with the families who hope to adopt them I feel that we are one step closer to permanency, safety and love for every child.
Rebecca Harris
Government Relations and Communications Manager
Joint Council has long worked with families who have found themselves "stuck" in the process of intercountry adoption. The system has broken-down and left children and families waiting for unknown amounts of time - sometimes year in and year out - for the process to be repaired so that they may be untied. Currently, these families are attempting to adopt from Romania, Guatemala, Vietnam, Nepal and Kyrgyzstan - just to name a few.
Over the last few months and over the last two weeks in particular, I've had the honor of working, very closely, with the families adopting from Kyrgyzstan. Sixty-five children are waiting in Kyrgyzstan for investigations to be completed, for paperwork to be signed and for officials to approve the adoptions. The sixty-five families hoping to adopt have remained committed to the children despite delays now lasting over a year, despite the deteriorating health of the children and despite the continuing uncertainties. Recently, there has been very little hope for these children and families. Every step forward has been met with two steps back. Everyday has come and gone with no new hope, no new progress, no resolution.
A few weeks ago, and after much advocacy on Joint Council's part, we received confirmation that a delegation of Kyrgyz officials would be traveling to the United States on an International Visitors Program. Joint Council quickly began to advocate for a meeting with the delegation and representatives of the 65 families and children. Over the last two weeks I watched as the 65 families worked together to ensure that the key representatives could attend the meeting. I watched as they pooled frequent flyer miles, hotel reward points and resources. I watched as a community of families bonded further and worked together for the rights of every single one of the Kyrgyz waiting children and the other vulnerable children in Kyrgyzstan. It was truly inspiring. I can only imagine what might happen if every caring citizen of the world pulled together in the same fashion to ensure every child's right to a safe, permanent and loving family. How many more children would - instead of living in institutions, in inadequate foster care, in abusive homes, or on the street - be living with families that ensured they are able to live, grow and thrive?
Needless to say, the meetings with the Kyrgyz delegation were a resounding success and although the children are not yet united with the families who hope to adopt them I feel that we are one step closer to permanency, safety and love for every child.
Rebecca Harris
Government Relations and Communications Manager
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY DIMITRI
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We love you and miss you dearly!!!! We are praying that you are with us soon.Friday, April 24, 2009
More of the Same
First, I need to give credit to my good friend and fellow PAP (prospective adoptive parent) And Mama Pajamma Party buddy Suzanne for the framework and organization of this post. Suzanne you may recognize a few familiar words and sentences. Thanks! It is hard to organize all this and make it comprehensible when I am feeling so tired of it all.
We did not get many answers from our conference on Wed. the 15th. Mainly because there aren't any yet. The US State Department and the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan continue to work toward getting the 65 children and their waiting families united. They are currently working at educating the Kyrgyz officials and citizens about who we are and why it is we want to adopt these children. Adoption is not a common practice within Kyrgyzstan and therefor is not understood. What is understood is child slavery. The US Embassy is working through the Kyrgyz media, via interviews and televised debates and seem to be making some progress in getting across the reality that these children are going to warm loving families.
Meanwhile, investigations of 9 adoption cases continues. We have been assured that the corruption being alleged does not have to do with any children being wrongfully removed from their families. Instead the allegations involve incomplete documentation and a claim that some Kyrgyz citizens have been denied the opportunity to adopt. Those responsible are at the orphanage, MOE or judicial levels - not at the adoption agency level.
It appears that Parliament is recommending that Kyrgyzstan sign the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. In which case international adoption will most likely remain closed on Kyrgyzstan for quite a while. We have seen in other countries including our own that it takes a VERY long time and lots of resources to actually implement the Hague. However, the US Embassy continues to lobby for our cases to be grandfathered in under the laws that existed at the time we accepted our referrals. JCICS has initiated a second letter writing campaign to help sway Kyrgyz officials in that direction. The first campaign consisted of letters written by families who have completed adoptions of Kyrgyz children. This second campaign will consist of letters written by the 65 waiting families, on behalf of the children who are waiting for us. This was a letter in which we had to write our "story" in 150 words or less. Needless to say it took me half the day.
So, to sum it up the US Embassy and JCICS are working on it and slowly progress is being made toward a better view of international adoption. This hopefully will lead to some sort of decision to let the 65 children go to the families waiting for them. In the meantime Dimitri is getting older quickly. He will be 2 years old in two weeks and to think he was 9 months when we got his information. What a long and bumpy road!
We did not get many answers from our conference on Wed. the 15th. Mainly because there aren't any yet. The US State Department and the US Embassy in Kyrgyzstan continue to work toward getting the 65 children and their waiting families united. They are currently working at educating the Kyrgyz officials and citizens about who we are and why it is we want to adopt these children. Adoption is not a common practice within Kyrgyzstan and therefor is not understood. What is understood is child slavery. The US Embassy is working through the Kyrgyz media, via interviews and televised debates and seem to be making some progress in getting across the reality that these children are going to warm loving families.
Meanwhile, investigations of 9 adoption cases continues. We have been assured that the corruption being alleged does not have to do with any children being wrongfully removed from their families. Instead the allegations involve incomplete documentation and a claim that some Kyrgyz citizens have been denied the opportunity to adopt. Those responsible are at the orphanage, MOE or judicial levels - not at the adoption agency level.
It appears that Parliament is recommending that Kyrgyzstan sign the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. In which case international adoption will most likely remain closed on Kyrgyzstan for quite a while. We have seen in other countries including our own that it takes a VERY long time and lots of resources to actually implement the Hague. However, the US Embassy continues to lobby for our cases to be grandfathered in under the laws that existed at the time we accepted our referrals. JCICS has initiated a second letter writing campaign to help sway Kyrgyz officials in that direction. The first campaign consisted of letters written by families who have completed adoptions of Kyrgyz children. This second campaign will consist of letters written by the 65 waiting families, on behalf of the children who are waiting for us. This was a letter in which we had to write our "story" in 150 words or less. Needless to say it took me half the day.
So, to sum it up the US Embassy and JCICS are working on it and slowly progress is being made toward a better view of international adoption. This hopefully will lead to some sort of decision to let the 65 children go to the families waiting for them. In the meantime Dimitri is getting older quickly. He will be 2 years old in two weeks and to think he was 9 months when we got his information. What a long and bumpy road!
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Join Council's Update and More
It is Joint Council's understanding that Nikolai Bailo presented the findings of the parliamentarian commission investigating intercountry adoption and accession to the Hague Convention to three parliamentary committees today April 8, 2009. It's our understanding that the remarks were quite balanced and included strong statements against corruption and child trafficking. He urged the prosecution of government officials and orphanage directors involved in child trafficking.Further, Joint Council understands that Vice-Premier Uktomkhan Abdullaeva informed committee members that according to reports and photos provided to her (referencing the Kyrgyz Adoptee Stories collected by Joint Council and distributed throughout the Kyrgyz Government) that children adopted by U.S. citizens were in the care of safe, permanent and loving families. Further she urged the tracking of post-adoption reports. Joint Council urges all adoptive families and adoption service providers to ensure all post-adoption reports are filed.
It is Joint Council's understanding that the committee will recommend to the parliament the ratification of the Hague Convention. The issues of intercountry adoption, the Hague Convention and the 65 pending cases should be discussed in the coming week. The fate of the 65 children whose cases are currently pending is still unknown.
Finally, after Joint Council's continued advocacy with the U.S. Dept of State, Office of Children's Issues it is our understanding that there will be a conference call for key stakeholders - including the 65 adoptive families, adoption service providers and Joint Council - on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The Office of Children's Issues will be hosting the call and contacting individuals directly in the coming days.Joint Council will continue to advocate for the children of Kyrgyzstan and the potential adoptive families who wish to adopt them. We will continue to monitor the situation and update stakeholders, both through email updates and updates to our website, as needed.
Also of note, due to economic hardships Joint Council's offices are currently drastically understaffed and we respectfully request that potential adoptive families understand that we may be unable to answer individual questions and comments. However, as noted above, as soon as further information is available we will update all stakeholders via email and our website.
Thank you!
Joint Council
News Article that is actually somewhat positive.
At least 225 children of Kyrgyzstan adopted by foreigners within past 2 years
08/04-2009 15:06, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”, By Nargiza YULDASHEVA
At least 225 children of Kyrgyzstan were adopted by foreigners within the past two years, the First Vice Prime Minister Uktomhan Abdullaeva said at the joint session of the three parliamentary committees on Wednesday.Most of these children (164) were adopted by the United States citizens, then goes Sweden (21), Israel (20), the Southern African Republic (5), Italy (1) and Germany (1).Most often foreigners adopt special needs children, while Kyrgyz citizens for certain reasons never apply for adoption of children like that.“We have information about children adopted to U.S. or Canadian families. They are safe and sound,” Abdullaeva said when asked about cases of deaths or mistreat of Kyrgyz children.Right now we are planning to elaborate a data base of all adopted children and in the future to establish a child adoption institution.
URL: http://eng.24.kg/politic/2009/04/08/7634.html
So all in all this seems to be positive. However There is the little issue below. Note the bold type.
According to recent press reporting, the Kyrgyz government has opened nine criminal cases, three involving U.S. adoptions that have been completed and the children are now living in the United States. In general in Kyrgyz criminal matters, the prosecutor or police collect evidence and, if appropriate, refer the matter to the courts, who then decide to proceed with prosecution or dismiss the allegations. The Embassy is aware that local adoption facilitators have been questioned, but It is unclear at this time if the courts have made any decisions about prosecution or are waiting for further investigations to be completed.
The U.S. Embassy has not received an official notification or request from the Kyrgyz government regarding these investigations. Unofficial contacts have indicated to the Embassy that in their judgment it is unlikely that any adoptions will receive a final approval until these criminal investigations have been completed and a decision has been made regarding possible prosecution. The Embassy will attempt to get official confirmation.
It is Joint Council's understanding that the committee will recommend to the parliament the ratification of the Hague Convention. The issues of intercountry adoption, the Hague Convention and the 65 pending cases should be discussed in the coming week. The fate of the 65 children whose cases are currently pending is still unknown.
Finally, after Joint Council's continued advocacy with the U.S. Dept of State, Office of Children's Issues it is our understanding that there will be a conference call for key stakeholders - including the 65 adoptive families, adoption service providers and Joint Council - on Wednesday, April 15, 2009. The Office of Children's Issues will be hosting the call and contacting individuals directly in the coming days.Joint Council will continue to advocate for the children of Kyrgyzstan and the potential adoptive families who wish to adopt them. We will continue to monitor the situation and update stakeholders, both through email updates and updates to our website, as needed.
Also of note, due to economic hardships Joint Council's offices are currently drastically understaffed and we respectfully request that potential adoptive families understand that we may be unable to answer individual questions and comments. However, as noted above, as soon as further information is available we will update all stakeholders via email and our website.
Thank you!
Joint Council
News Article that is actually somewhat positive.
At least 225 children of Kyrgyzstan adopted by foreigners within past 2 years
08/04-2009 15:06, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”, By Nargiza YULDASHEVA
At least 225 children of Kyrgyzstan were adopted by foreigners within the past two years, the First Vice Prime Minister Uktomhan Abdullaeva said at the joint session of the three parliamentary committees on Wednesday.Most of these children (164) were adopted by the United States citizens, then goes Sweden (21), Israel (20), the Southern African Republic (5), Italy (1) and Germany (1).Most often foreigners adopt special needs children, while Kyrgyz citizens for certain reasons never apply for adoption of children like that.“We have information about children adopted to U.S. or Canadian families. They are safe and sound,” Abdullaeva said when asked about cases of deaths or mistreat of Kyrgyz children.Right now we are planning to elaborate a data base of all adopted children and in the future to establish a child adoption institution.
URL: http://eng.24.kg/politic/2009/04/08/7634.html
So all in all this seems to be positive. However There is the little issue below. Note the bold type.
According to recent press reporting, the Kyrgyz government has opened nine criminal cases, three involving U.S. adoptions that have been completed and the children are now living in the United States. In general in Kyrgyz criminal matters, the prosecutor or police collect evidence and, if appropriate, refer the matter to the courts, who then decide to proceed with prosecution or dismiss the allegations. The Embassy is aware that local adoption facilitators have been questioned, but It is unclear at this time if the courts have made any decisions about prosecution or are waiting for further investigations to be completed.
The U.S. Embassy has not received an official notification or request from the Kyrgyz government regarding these investigations. Unofficial contacts have indicated to the Embassy that in their judgment it is unlikely that any adoptions will receive a final approval until these criminal investigations have been completed and a decision has been made regarding possible prosecution. The Embassy will attempt to get official confirmation.
I am beginning to believe that adoption may continue in Kyrgyzstan but there are still so many road blocks to get around. The investigation of cases, adopting the Hague agreement and then there is an issue of the presidential election in Kyrgyzstan in June. That possibly could mean back to step one with all new players. My point is not that I don't want the current president to be replaced. It is more that I hope and pray we can get this taken care of before it all happens!
Stay tuned maybe we will learn more in the conference call on Wednesday. Maybe the glass will come up half full
Saturday, April 4, 2009
The Glass Half Full
I was going through some old E-mail posts from last week and found another interpretation of the response I included in my last post. It comes from one of the adoption coordinators (not ours).
I think it significant that the Consular indicates "certainly not this week". I would hear this as they think this could happen soon but again no one knows at this time.
From my half empty glass I would never have viewed it this way, as you can tell.
Hope he is right!!!!!!
I think it significant that the Consular indicates "certainly not this week". I would hear this as they think this could happen soon but again no one knows at this time.
From my half empty glass I would never have viewed it this way, as you can tell.
Hope he is right!!!!!!
Update
Well some may remember that the new Adoption Commision in Kyrgyzstan was suppose to have finished it's investigation into International Adoption and made reccomendations to Parliment on March 20th. Well that date came and passed. Not a word (no surprise there). Well, I wrote a letter to those advocating for the 65 families waiting and below is the response.
As you may know the Parliament convened a special adoption commission to investigate the cases. Parliament was recessed on/about March 20th and is scheduled to reconvene today, April 1st. Now the Parliament should discuss findings of this commission among 3 committees: Safety and Security, Migration and Children’s issues. After that the findings and recommendations will be discussed by the whole chamber and the Parliament will elaborate recommendations to the Government. According to our contacts, the adoption commission has changed its originally negative attitude, its sounds much more benevolent now. Its prediction is that eventually everything will be fine – however it is hard to predict when, certainly not this week.
Government in its own turn is waiting for completion of Parliament’s work on adoptions. According to information we are getting now, it is only after the Parliament discloses its opinion that the Government will report to it. At the same time the Government is revising adoption regulations and working out provisional measures for 65 pipeline families.
It appears to be a positive response. However, it is the "hard to predict when" part that concerns me. We have seen how time and time again "attitudes" change in a whim. Time is not our friend in this case for many reasons. Furthermore the last sentence is confusing with regard to how the "pipeline families" will be handled. That's us, a pipeline family. Don't let the name confuse you. It makes it seem as if we are on some fast track or something. Yeah just shoot that baby right on over through the pipeline...... Yeah right.
Anyway, when clarity was requested by my good friend Suzanne this was the response.
The Parliament is defining the Kyrgyzstan's position to international adoptions in general. It will come up with the recommendations to the Government to approve certain legislation and set up proper mechanisms for the future.What government is doing is an effort to speed up adoption process for pipeline families by drafting some interim measures. Both Ambassador Gfoeller and Assistant Secretary Jacobs have insisted upon when meeting with the Kyrgyz government is that any new requirements cannot be applied to those already waiting such as yourself. However until this process is complete, the Kyrgyz government is not processing ANY adoptions.
Even scarier!!!!! Complete??????? How do you know when an undefined process is complete???
We're asking. Stay tuned. I just what to shake the heck out of someone, or more, but I won't go there.
As you may know the Parliament convened a special adoption commission to investigate the cases. Parliament was recessed on/about March 20th and is scheduled to reconvene today, April 1st. Now the Parliament should discuss findings of this commission among 3 committees: Safety and Security, Migration and Children’s issues. After that the findings and recommendations will be discussed by the whole chamber and the Parliament will elaborate recommendations to the Government. According to our contacts, the adoption commission has changed its originally negative attitude, its sounds much more benevolent now. Its prediction is that eventually everything will be fine – however it is hard to predict when, certainly not this week.
Government in its own turn is waiting for completion of Parliament’s work on adoptions. According to information we are getting now, it is only after the Parliament discloses its opinion that the Government will report to it. At the same time the Government is revising adoption regulations and working out provisional measures for 65 pipeline families.
It appears to be a positive response. However, it is the "hard to predict when" part that concerns me. We have seen how time and time again "attitudes" change in a whim. Time is not our friend in this case for many reasons. Furthermore the last sentence is confusing with regard to how the "pipeline families" will be handled. That's us, a pipeline family. Don't let the name confuse you. It makes it seem as if we are on some fast track or something. Yeah just shoot that baby right on over through the pipeline...... Yeah right.
Anyway, when clarity was requested by my good friend Suzanne this was the response.
The Parliament is defining the Kyrgyzstan's position to international adoptions in general. It will come up with the recommendations to the Government to approve certain legislation and set up proper mechanisms for the future.What government is doing is an effort to speed up adoption process for pipeline families by drafting some interim measures. Both Ambassador Gfoeller and Assistant Secretary Jacobs have insisted upon when meeting with the Kyrgyz government is that any new requirements cannot be applied to those already waiting such as yourself. However until this process is complete, the Kyrgyz government is not processing ANY adoptions.
Even scarier!!!!! Complete??????? How do you know when an undefined process is complete???
We're asking. Stay tuned. I just what to shake the heck out of someone, or more, but I won't go there.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
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Political Unrest
Political unrest continues in Kyrgyzstan. Opposition to the current President continues to grow. The following is a summary according to an adoption coordinator who lives there.
Approximately 2 weeks ago the leader of the opposition was killed in a car accident, fowl play is suspected. There are two political parties we call them the north clan and south clan. The north clan is in power now ( holds most of the political offices, including presidency) . Today the opposition party ( the south clan) had a meeting about their leader getting killed. They asked all Kyrgyz citizens to attend. Sort of have a revolution against the north clan. The current government warned all Kyrgyz citizens they could not leave their homes today or they would be arrested.
In spite of governmednt warnings it apears that demonstrations did take place. Below are some pictures and a news article.
Approximately 2 weeks ago the leader of the opposition was killed in a car accident, fowl play is suspected. There are two political parties we call them the north clan and south clan. The north clan is in power now ( holds most of the political offices, including presidency) . Today the opposition party ( the south clan) had a meeting about their leader getting killed. They asked all Kyrgyz citizens to attend. Sort of have a revolution against the north clan. The current government warned all Kyrgyz citizens they could not leave their homes today or they would be arrested.
In spite of governmednt warnings it apears that demonstrations did take place. Below are some pictures and a news article.
On March 27 the protest demonstrations, organized by united opposition movement, took place in the number of regions of Kyrgyzstan with the demand of early resignation of the President Kurmanbek Bakiev.
The event has been arranged by United People’s Movement (UPM) that represents the alliance of all influential opposition structures under the mission of demanding the early resignation of Kurmanbek Bakiev.
At 3pm, Bishkek time (11 am Moscow time), the demonstration in the capital of Kyrgyzstan was concluded by adoption of the resolution, consisting of five points:
- the President Kurmanbek Bakiev should voluntarily resign early and he should not run in the presidential elections, scheduled to July 23;
- the political persecution of the ruling regime opponents should be stopped;
- to form the body of the election committees at all levels (for upcoming presidential elections) and include the opposition movement representative at least 50x50 portion;
- to nominate opposition movement representatives in the board of directors of NTRC and ElTR state-owned television and radio companies;
- to dismiss the heads of all security ministries and to appoint new people, approved by the united opposition.
Does not look good for International Adoption. With all this going on I am sure adoption is not high up on their list of things to discuss and resolve. We are suppose to be hearing something next week. We shall see.......................
Monday, February 23, 2009
Where We are Landing
after the storm in my head and heart dies down. So for the first time in my life I am aware enough to realize there are many strong signs pointing me down a specific path. The path that I am hoping will leads toward helping to restore free will within Kyrgyzstan. The branch of that path that I am on has to do with the children. I figure if Kyrgyzstan is unable to let it's children go to another country, then I can help to develop the systems that are needed within the country to improve the conditions where they are. System that allow the children to be better prepared and supported. Systems that help to insure that none fall through the crack and are left with no one and nothing at 16 when they age out of the orphanages and systems that could possibly keep the children at home with their families instead of in the orphanages at all. This is a lofty goal but I realize a very solid start toward achieving it is already present in the work and philanthropic opportunities made available through the efforts of John Wright and http://www.simpledreams.biz/ . He and the people he works with are building these systems. What feels right for our family, at this point in time, is that we will be continuing to try to complete the adoption of Dimitri and also adopting a family or maybe two in Kyrgyzstan. After a bit of creative readjusting of the budget, I was able to free up enough each month to allow us to be providing the financial support that they need to keep their children at home with them, while they are provided with guidance and assistance to aquire what is needed to become self sufficient. If you would like to check out the variety of opportunies large ansd small in Kyrgyzstan, please click on the link to simple dreams above.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Shift Happens
I came across the following words in a blog the other day
By the same token, it can be very easy to wonder where He is when we see children suffering and unloved, handicapped men without heat or proper nutrition and people dying of AIDS? How can we see tragedies of seeming enormous proportion such as the fires in Australia and not question where was God? We can not see Him, because we don't want to see inside our own hearts to find Him, we don't want to feel obligated to act so we work very hard to ignore that He dwells in us, that we ARE His tools here on earth. By asking where He is, by blaming Him for not being present or actually ignoring His presence, it lets US off the hook, doesn't it? Nothing then is required of us.
I like the message that we tend to forget that God is in us if we are open and it is through us that he is able to be present during "bad" times and that he is only able to be seen and felt (present) if we are willing to listen and act. This really hits home for me right now. It all seems to come down to free will. We were create with free will. We alone are responsible for our choices and for only our choices. We can try to teach and influence but in the end the only choices we are fully in control of are our own. We are all acting out of free will even those in Kyrgyzstan and I am sure it is probably much easier to be open and look inside your heart when you are living in an environment where a sense of safety exists. When you do not feel safe the voice of fear is probably has a very strong influence on your choices. Then are you truly able to act out of free will or does fear take that privilege away from you. It takes a very strong person to first recognize, then ignore and or override the voice of fear. I am praying for an increasing sense of safety to develop within Kyrgyzstan and within me in terms of this adoption process so that I can act from my heart as well. I am thinking that the sense of safety for me is going to come from letting go, not of the process but of the desire to be in control of it and the outcome. I am choosing to focus my energy on helping to make changes in the systems within the country which I hope will be part of bringing about that sense of safety for the people. I have some ideas brewing......
By the same token, it can be very easy to wonder where He is when we see children suffering and unloved, handicapped men without heat or proper nutrition and people dying of AIDS? How can we see tragedies of seeming enormous proportion such as the fires in Australia and not question where was God? We can not see Him, because we don't want to see inside our own hearts to find Him, we don't want to feel obligated to act so we work very hard to ignore that He dwells in us, that we ARE His tools here on earth. By asking where He is, by blaming Him for not being present or actually ignoring His presence, it lets US off the hook, doesn't it? Nothing then is required of us.
I like the message that we tend to forget that God is in us if we are open and it is through us that he is able to be present during "bad" times and that he is only able to be seen and felt (present) if we are willing to listen and act. This really hits home for me right now. It all seems to come down to free will. We were create with free will. We alone are responsible for our choices and for only our choices. We can try to teach and influence but in the end the only choices we are fully in control of are our own. We are all acting out of free will even those in Kyrgyzstan and I am sure it is probably much easier to be open and look inside your heart when you are living in an environment where a sense of safety exists. When you do not feel safe the voice of fear is probably has a very strong influence on your choices. Then are you truly able to act out of free will or does fear take that privilege away from you. It takes a very strong person to first recognize, then ignore and or override the voice of fear. I am praying for an increasing sense of safety to develop within Kyrgyzstan and within me in terms of this adoption process so that I can act from my heart as well. I am thinking that the sense of safety for me is going to come from letting go, not of the process but of the desire to be in control of it and the outcome. I am choosing to focus my energy on helping to make changes in the systems within the country which I hope will be part of bringing about that sense of safety for the people. I have some ideas brewing......
New Development
The following statement was in a press release yesterday.
Child adoption by foreign citizens or persons without Kyrgyz citizenship is now possible only if Kyrgyzstan has a valid agreement with the government of that country. The Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Igor Chudinov signed the relevant decree on Tuesday, February 17,2009, governmental press service reported. The measure is taken to put system of child adoption in Kyrgyzstan in good order and improve legal basis of the country.
We are not sure what it all means. Some speculate that they may be adopting the Hague agreement, which may in the long run be a good thing as it is designed and intended to protect all parties involved in the adoption process. However, it requires a great deal of resources to put the required infrastucture into place. If the country signs the agreement and then does not have the resources to develop the required structure then adoption is shut down.
I am waiting on clarity from the Department of State.
Child adoption by foreign citizens or persons without Kyrgyz citizenship is now possible only if Kyrgyzstan has a valid agreement with the government of that country. The Prime Minister of Kyrgyzstan Igor Chudinov signed the relevant decree on Tuesday, February 17,2009, governmental press service reported. The measure is taken to put system of child adoption in Kyrgyzstan in good order and improve legal basis of the country.
We are not sure what it all means. Some speculate that they may be adopting the Hague agreement, which may in the long run be a good thing as it is designed and intended to protect all parties involved in the adoption process. However, it requires a great deal of resources to put the required infrastucture into place. If the country signs the agreement and then does not have the resources to develop the required structure then adoption is shut down.
I am waiting on clarity from the Department of State.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A Catch Up Post
Although lots has gone on I have not been able to find it in myself to post anything. But today I have it. So here goes:
On February 6th we recieved this invitation form the Dept of State
"We are writing to invite you to participate in a conference call for adoptive parents to talk with representatives from the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The call will be Wednesday, February 11, at 10 a.m. EST. "
So for 6 days we waited in prickly anticipation of what we would learn from this. Tension rose within me at least. Although I know better I was hoping for some answers and positive news. There were over 100 people on the call. We learned that there are 67 US families that have been matched with children that are waiting to bring them home and over 100 dossiers that have been submitted and are waiting. The representatives of the State Department let us know that they do not know why the halt in processing adoptions is happening in Kyrgyzstan and thus they do not have a plan for how to resolve the problem and that the problem will not be resolved quickly. Not even close to what I wanted to hear. The positive is that they are aware of the problem and are working on it and in fact had a meeting set up with the Deputy MOE in Kyrgyzstan for the next day.
That same day we learned tha a new MOE had been appointed. We remained a bit hopeful until the below information came in on Friday afternoon.
On February 13th we got the following summary of what the US Embassy learned from their meeting with the Deputy MOE:
The Kyrgyz Government has formed an adoption commission that includes officials from the Vice Prime Minister’s office, the Ministries of Education, Social Protection and Labor, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Justice, as well as the General Prosecutor’s office. This commission is responsible for drafting new adoption policy and legislation, with special emphasis on clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the different agencies involved. The commission will recommend whether the Kyrgyz Republic should join the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The commission plans to report to Parliament by March 20; the Parliament will then choose what action it will take on these proposals. The Kyrgyz government does not intend to process any adoption cases, new or pending, until the adoption commission issues its report and Parliament has taken action on its recommendations.
Although the new legislation likely will not affect existing cases of children already matched with adoptive parents, it will allow the Ministry of Education authority to resume processing these adoption dossiers. New adoption cases would be subject to any new requirements established by Parliament.
The U.S. Embassy continues to monitor the situation and will provide clarification as soon as it is received.
A new committee, a new date, acting on new legislation. We have been down this road before a couple of times over the past year. This is not good news!!! And I do not understand why if pending cases will not be subject to changes in legislation, are the continuing to make these cases wait??? Sounds like just another excuse to me. So down it plummets and I realize I need to make a shift of some kind so that I don't go down with it. What that shift will be is the subject of my contemplation. I will never close the door on Dimitri but I do need to shift to be able to remain present to appreciate all the beauty I have in my life right now.
On February 6th we recieved this invitation form the Dept of State
"We are writing to invite you to participate in a conference call for adoptive parents to talk with representatives from the Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. The call will be Wednesday, February 11, at 10 a.m. EST. "
So for 6 days we waited in prickly anticipation of what we would learn from this. Tension rose within me at least. Although I know better I was hoping for some answers and positive news. There were over 100 people on the call. We learned that there are 67 US families that have been matched with children that are waiting to bring them home and over 100 dossiers that have been submitted and are waiting. The representatives of the State Department let us know that they do not know why the halt in processing adoptions is happening in Kyrgyzstan and thus they do not have a plan for how to resolve the problem and that the problem will not be resolved quickly. Not even close to what I wanted to hear. The positive is that they are aware of the problem and are working on it and in fact had a meeting set up with the Deputy MOE in Kyrgyzstan for the next day.
That same day we learned tha a new MOE had been appointed. We remained a bit hopeful until the below information came in on Friday afternoon.
On February 13th we got the following summary of what the US Embassy learned from their meeting with the Deputy MOE:
The Kyrgyz Government has formed an adoption commission that includes officials from the Vice Prime Minister’s office, the Ministries of Education, Social Protection and Labor, Foreign Affairs, Internal Affairs, and Justice, as well as the General Prosecutor’s office. This commission is responsible for drafting new adoption policy and legislation, with special emphasis on clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the different agencies involved. The commission will recommend whether the Kyrgyz Republic should join the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The commission plans to report to Parliament by March 20; the Parliament will then choose what action it will take on these proposals. The Kyrgyz government does not intend to process any adoption cases, new or pending, until the adoption commission issues its report and Parliament has taken action on its recommendations.
Although the new legislation likely will not affect existing cases of children already matched with adoptive parents, it will allow the Ministry of Education authority to resume processing these adoption dossiers. New adoption cases would be subject to any new requirements established by Parliament.
The U.S. Embassy continues to monitor the situation and will provide clarification as soon as it is received.
A new committee, a new date, acting on new legislation. We have been down this road before a couple of times over the past year. This is not good news!!! And I do not understand why if pending cases will not be subject to changes in legislation, are the continuing to make these cases wait??? Sounds like just another excuse to me. So down it plummets and I realize I need to make a shift of some kind so that I don't go down with it. What that shift will be is the subject of my contemplation. I will never close the door on Dimitri but I do need to shift to be able to remain present to appreciate all the beauty I have in my life right now.
Beautiful people and beautiful surroundings!!
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Kyrgyzstan starts moves to close U.S. airbase
Below is the link to the news story. Not sure what this will mean in terms of international adoption from Kyrgyzstan by US families but I hope the feeling in the pit of my stomach is wrong.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090204/ts_nm/us_kyrgyzstan_usa_base_10
Why must the future of children in need around the world be tied to politics? Wouldn't it be great if their welfare could be a given.
Prayers, prayers, prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090204/ts_nm/us_kyrgyzstan_usa_base_10
Why must the future of children in need around the world be tied to politics? Wouldn't it be great if their welfare could be a given.
Prayers, prayers, prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, January 23, 2009
Finally Some Potentially Good News
After 24 hours of reading thru some painfully sobering and scary messages from fellow waiting Kyrgyz adoption families this message came this morning.
Kyrgyz Education and Science Minister steps down
23/01-2009 12:14, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”
The President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev dismissed the Kyrgyz Minister of Education and Science Ishengul Boljurova from her post Friday, January 23, 2009.
This is great news!!! It is not confimed fact that the MOE was anti international adoption but her generation of delay after delay in processing adoptions for the past year almost proves it. Prayers are needed for a new MOE that is pro international adoption.
Kyrgyz Education and Science Minister steps down
23/01-2009 12:14, Bishkek – News Agency “24.kg”
The President of Kyrgyzstan Kurmanbek Bakiev dismissed the Kyrgyz Minister of Education and Science Ishengul Boljurova from her post Friday, January 23, 2009.
This is great news!!! It is not confimed fact that the MOE was anti international adoption but her generation of delay after delay in processing adoptions for the past year almost proves it. Prayers are needed for a new MOE that is pro international adoption.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Time Away
We are spending the weeking in the mountains of Breckenridge, Colorado. We do it every year about this time. Last year on our trip (in February) we had the amazingly, wonderful surprise of receiving Dimitri's picture and medical information. We so very much expected him to be with us this year!!! We are missing him and thinking of him every day!!!! We are scoping out the the good slopes and 6 person chairs so when he is with us next year we can teach him to ski (if he has an interest). Julia started at 2 and 1/2 and he will be almost 3 next year this time. Wow!!!
Well he is not with us but we did receive a new picture today. He is growing up fast! He looks older even than when I saw him in November. He is looking so much more like a toddler! Maybe it's the hair. I have never seen it so long. And I do believe he is sitting on the potty.
Due to changes in the Kyrgyz Republic's laws all future adoptions will be handled by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Children's Right. Since we have already received a referral our case will stay under the MOE. After the MOE has reviewed our case we need to go to court; to make this transition we need a letter of approval from the MOE.
In the past only one signature was required on the approval letters from the MOE. Since the changes in the laws the MOE person in charge of international adoptions, Janelle, would like a second signature on the letters. It has been decided that the Deputy MOE will also sign the letters. The Deputy MOE will not sign the letters without explicit direction from the Minister of Education, herself.
Therefore we are waiting on the Minister of Education to tell the Deputy MOE to sign the approval letters.
Saule and other adoption coordinators have tried multiple times to have an audience with the MOE, herself. She refused and the coordinators are directed to meet with the Deputy or Janelle.
Before the holidays, the Kyrgyz Ambassador to the US was able to meet with the Prime Minster and President of Kyrgyzstan. The results of this meeting were positive. Both the Prime Minister, who is in charge of the MOE, and the President are in favor of international adoptions.
Therefore we need the Prime Minister to direct the MOE to direct the Deputy MOE to sign the approval letters. Agency coordinators are trying to get a meeting with the Prime Minister to inform her of the MOE's failure to act. Thus far the coordinators have failed to gain a meeting with the Prime Minister.
What crazy system!!!!
Well he is not with us but we did receive a new picture today. He is growing up fast! He looks older even than when I saw him in November. He is looking so much more like a toddler! Maybe it's the hair. I have never seen it so long. And I do believe he is sitting on the potty.
Needless to say nothing happened last week. There were no papers signed as was promised by the President of Kyrgyzstan before christmas. Below is a good summary of the present very confusing situation. It was sent to me by a fellow PAP (thanks Kerri).
Due to changes in the Kyrgyz Republic's laws all future adoptions will be handled by the Kyrgyz Ministry of Children's Right. Since we have already received a referral our case will stay under the MOE. After the MOE has reviewed our case we need to go to court; to make this transition we need a letter of approval from the MOE.
In the past only one signature was required on the approval letters from the MOE. Since the changes in the laws the MOE person in charge of international adoptions, Janelle, would like a second signature on the letters. It has been decided that the Deputy MOE will also sign the letters. The Deputy MOE will not sign the letters without explicit direction from the Minister of Education, herself.
Therefore we are waiting on the Minister of Education to tell the Deputy MOE to sign the approval letters.
Saule and other adoption coordinators have tried multiple times to have an audience with the MOE, herself. She refused and the coordinators are directed to meet with the Deputy or Janelle.
Before the holidays, the Kyrgyz Ambassador to the US was able to meet with the Prime Minster and President of Kyrgyzstan. The results of this meeting were positive. Both the Prime Minister, who is in charge of the MOE, and the President are in favor of international adoptions.
Therefore we need the Prime Minister to direct the MOE to direct the Deputy MOE to sign the approval letters. Agency coordinators are trying to get a meeting with the Prime Minister to inform her of the MOE's failure to act. Thus far the coordinators have failed to gain a meeting with the Prime Minister.
What crazy system!!!!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
A Bit About The Kyrgyzstan Holidays
Just for a little taste of life in Kyrgyzstan you can click on the link below. It is a short video about the holidays recently celebrated in Kyrgyzstan, but mainly about how those holidays are celebrated in the city of Bishkek. Kyrgyzstan truly is a melting pot along the silk road of the Russian, Turkish, Asian, Mongolian people and their culture. http://www.eurasianet.org/departments/insightb/articles/eav010709a.shtml
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Holidays Are Over
Well Wednesday was Christmas in Bishkek. The last of the holidays. Looks like we have about another week to wait and see if movement really will happen as was promised to the Ambassador by the President of Bishkek at their meeting in the end of December. After all the slow downs and waiting and "changes in process", it looks like we are back to being at the mercy of the Minister of Education. It is his/her(?) signature we will be waiting on. So send your prayers, warmth , light, positive thoughts and energy to his/her office within this building.
And here are my two fellow Mama Pajama Party travel buddies standing in front of it.
Below I am including a quote sent to me by my good friend Anna. It really struck a cord for me and I thought it may for some of you also. My children challenge me to expand and grow every day, in ways I never dreamed I needed to grow. Our month of December I can only describe as intense. I feel I was inundated with so much to process. All opportunities for learning, growth and strengthening my faith. I have to say that I have come out of it feeling more love, appreciation and closeness to my family than ever before. For that I am thankful!
Perhaps God gives us children not so much to perpetuate the human race; God gives us children to give us companions who will make every possible effort to help us remember to be fully present and to live in the present. Children are the ultimate reminders that life is nothing more than a process, and that as we participate in it, it changes. Children are willing to take on people who have started to become static, to busy themselves with unimportant things, and to lose contact with the world around them.
We are given children to help us to remember to live our lives, not just rush through them.
Anne Wilson Schaef
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