More News from Haiti

From Diane Boni, All Blessings International:

"Hague and Haitian Adoptions for U.S. Citizens
On June 11th, 2012, Haiti ratified the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. At this time we do not know the date that Haiti will deposit the instrument of ratification to the Hague Permanent Bureau and we do not know whether the Hague Permanent Bureau will accept the ratification. Ninety days after the instrument is delivered, if the Hague Permanent Bureau accepts their packet, Haiti will become a Hague country. We have been advised that it is possible that Haiti may hold off for a considerable period of time in depositing their ratification. There are still many unknowns at this point and a clear timeline of how this will unfold is impossible to foretell.

At this time the future effects of these changes for U.S. Citizens adopting from Haiti are unclear. An ABI representative has been told that Haiti is in favor of continuing international adoptions and has no intention of closing the adoption program. The current administration of IBESR looks forward to creating a better regulated system, with improved protections in place for Haitian biological families and children being placed for adoption. IBESR made the decision to temporarily stop accepting new adoption dossiers until August 1, 2012, making clear their intention to clear out their backlog of cases and to allow IBESR administration the time to implement new policies that would strengthen their system.
It is also unknown how the U.S. Department of State might react to Haiti’s ratification. Historically, even if the Department of State determines that a new Hague nation is not following the convention and therefore closes adoptions from that nation to U.S. Citizens, families in process – those who had filed a form I600-A – were allowed to complete their adoptions.

The Hague Permanent Bureau in their published Guidebook to Good Practices advocates gradual implementation and outlines recommended steps for this process that developing countries should take to strengthen international adoption practice but not prohibit the opportunity that intercountry adoption affords to many children in need. Many countries have prematurely deposited their articles of ratification and/or implemented the Hague Treaty tenets in such a way that what was intended for child protection becomes a weapon against them. We certainly hold out great hope that Haiti may hold off on depositing their ratification until sufficient law changes have been passed in Haiti and until their social welfare system has developed the resources to accommodate a system of protection that is actually reasonable, practical and able to be implemented.
We believe this presents a unique opportunity for the poorest country in the western hemisphere to serve as a valuable model for the best way to implement Hague. We ask that all pray continuously for the Haitian leadership involved to have wisdom and discernment as they move forward.
At this time, Haitian adoptions remain open and a legal option for U.S. Citizens. ABI advises all families considering a Haitian adoption to proceed with caution as we continue to investigate Haiti’s accession to the Hague Convention and what it might mean for future adoptions from Haiti for U.S. Citizens. Families must be accepting of the risks of pursuing an adoption from Haiti. We further advise families to check the Department of State's adoption notices for current information on adoption from Haiti and any publications of Joint Council on International Children's Services regarding Haiti."

Please continue to pray for our family, for Dimitry and Alby, and for all the families with pending Haitian adoptions. No child should grow up without a family.



Please continue to pray for my Dimitry and Alby, and that the Lord will continue to guide us through this ever-evolving and changing process. We need a fire lit under certain individuals so that our boys can have a permanent family with us. Please, please God - help us spark those embers and fan that flam

Coming of Age

Somehow, when I wasn't looking, my baby boy came of age to go to church camp.
WHAT?!
That snuck up on me.
Thank goodness for friends who knew he'd love it and thought to ask me, the day before camp started, if he was signed up and going.
And, of course, he did LOVE it.
What's not to love?
Bunk beds.
Campfires.
A mud slide.
He came home appropriately exhausted, and after a bit of silence and a small nap, was very excited to share all of his memories from his first camp experience.
What a great opportunity to let a kid be a kid, in the safety of adult supervision (and those who already know him, no less).
Two nights away from home and my little guy grew so much!
What a blessing in his life :)

So, what's the big deal?

Alrighty then.
Let's get down to business.

Why does the Haitian ratification to the Hague Convention cause me physical distress, you may ask.
You see, it's like this -

Orphanage directors in Haiti have been urging the president NOT to ratify to the Hague at this time.


"But I thought that the Hague Convention worked to protect children and orphans from corrupt practices in adoption."

Uh huh. 

See, there are children in orphanages in Port-au-Prince that are literally starving to death. Some of these children have potential adoptive families, but the red tape is such that orphans are being buried before leaving for their new homes.

Orphanage directors have been trying to encourage the new president to solidify the government (like appointing individuals who actually remain in their positions for longer that a few months at a time), who can work to complete the stacks of backlogged files that exist, before accepting more responsibilities that cannot be handled with the current system. 

In theory, joining the Hague Convention will not only provide clearer and much, much more consistent guidelines to which adoptions will be processed, in addition to bringing in some additional revenue for the country. It also exponentially increases the paperwork, red tape, and workload of those applying and processing adoptions. Which, for us, is very bad. 

In the long run, will being part of the Hague Convention benefit orphans and orphanages in Haiti? That's the idea. In the long run. 

It will ultimately put an end to independent adoptions, making agencies more accountable for maintaining accurate and legal documentation of children processed. It will force smaller, privately run orphanages to align with agencies or have no hope of their children being placed with forever families. Families will hopefully be able to feel more confidence in knowing that their paperwork and funds are being handled ethically and appropriately, rather than wondering why money went out, but no progress is being seen for months and months on end.

Will families / dossiers be grandfathered into the new system? 

God knows I hope so.

Our family, for example, delivered our dossier to attorneys in Haiti (U.S. State Department endorsed attorneys, mind you) on October 21, 2011. Months and months of emails and inquiries on our part, did nothing but remind those handling our files that dust was indeed gathering on their desks. Recently, the IBESR (Haitian Adoption Authority) stopped accepting "new" dossiers in order to focus on the ones already stacked up in their office. This is great for families who had been submitted to IBESR; not so great for us, who did all we could, but are at the mercy of those representing us. 

Now, we wait.

Some more.

Supposedly, the IBESR will once again accept dossiers on July 30th. 

But someone has to be interested in doing the submitting.

As our orphanage is very remote in the mountains and run by a group of nuns, we are adopting independently. We have no other choice than to rely on our attorneys to act on our behalf.

We have two sons in Haiti. 

For 16 months, these boys have been our sons. 

Are there obstacles? Oh yeah.

Does that change anything? Hell no.

Are we going to keep fighting? You bet your boots!

Am I physically ill over the delays, the costs, the worry? What a silly question.

So, that's the scoop, in a nutshell.

It's a lot to worry about . . . to pray over.

There are a lot of mountains in our way and a lot of uphill trudging along the journey.

Someday, it will all be worth it (repeat, over and over again.)

News from Haiti

"TUESDAY, JUNE 12, 2012

Haiti Ratifies the Hague Convention
The following information was shared directly by the Hague Permanent Bureau:

Mr Guillaume (Lawyer - Project Manager, IBESR) and UNICEF have confirmed that the Haitian Parliament approved the Decree for the ratification of the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption yesterday, Monday 11 June 2012. However, for the ratification to take effect at an international level and to consider Haiti as a State Party to the Convention, Haiti must deposit its instrument of ratification before the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (the depository). The date of entry into force of the Convention will be the first day of the month following the expiration of three months after the deposit the instrument of ratification.

The Ministry of Social Affairs and Labour has been designated as the Central Authority.

UNICEF informed the Permanent Bureau that the President of the National Assembly promised the inclusion of the approval of the Draft law on Adoptions into the legislative agenda in the following two weeks. The new challenge will be to ensure that the new Draft law is in accordance with the 1993 Hague Convention.

At this time, we do not know exactly what this will mean for Haitian adoptions.  It is evident that the Haitian government has no wish to close international adoptions."

I May Vomit Now

Home, safe and sound

Hi y'all.

I'm not trying to be neglectful in updating everyone on our recent trip, I'm just suffering a bit with the re-entry process.

For anyone who has never been to Haiti, or any "3rd world country," for that matter, it's not the best sleep you'll ever get on a vacation. Between the heat and humidity, the roosters' constant "song," and the dehydration, it's tough to rest. I was surprised that I was unable to sleep even the two nights I was blessed with A/C in Jacmel. Then there is Port-au-Prince . . . wow, there's a sleepless experience for ya. 107 degree heat indices define stifling.

Needless to say, I'm a bit behind on my sleep and feeling rather drained this week as I jump back into "normal" life and work.

I honestly never mind the predictable anorexia that is short-lived following these trips, as Lord knows I have a few pounds to lose, but the dehydration takes a bit longer to recover from. It's not like I became ill or anything, but the hiking and sweating and rationed water take their toll.

We were very blessed this time to spend a lot of time with Dimmy.
I've frequently been asked if he "gets it" that he's being adopted, and after this past week, my answer is yes.
We met with our attorney for the first time . . . an experience (that's all I'm going to say) . . . and he got us in front of a judge where Dimitry's biological father relinquished him legally and we were granted legal guardianship.
Sounds exciting doesn't it?!
It means more here than there, especially since we still have so much paperwork to submit to the IBESR, etc. But, it IS progress, and that is what I've been praying for.

We are hopeful that the ball is rolling, so to speak, but urgency is defined differently by our standards, so only time will tell.

Thank you for your support, your prayers and your curiosity on our behalf.
As I decompress and rest up a bit, I'll try to post some photos and more interesting tid bits from our journey for you to share.