"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