Wait Update (1 month)

It's been officially 1 month since I have been on the wait list (for those who haven't noticed I added a "ticker" to the left nav bar that keeps track). What typically happens is after 3-5 months of being on the wait list you move into the "window" which means at any time you could receive a call from your case worker sharing your baby's picture and information. This is called a referral or match. At that point, once you agree, they proceed with setting up a court date which can take up to 2 months. The agency represents you in court and if your case passes you typically schedule travel to pick up within the month. Of course this timeline is flexible and many things can impact extending it. For instance, there's the rainy season in Addis Ababa where the courts close from August to mid Sept. so no cases can happen during that time period. You may also be in a situation where the courts require multiple hearings based on your unique situation. The other factor that is coming into play is that my agency currently has a "freeze" placed on it because the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA - governing force over adoptions in Ethiopia) has ordered an investigation to look into improving the paperwork at one of the local orphanages. My agency is not under investigation but as a result referrals are not being given out until this is resolved. I have no doubt that this will end soon and that the process will resume as usual. This has been hard on many families especially some of those who are farther along than me. I just continue to believe it will work itself out and give prayer and celebrate 1 month down.

In honor or month 1, I am sharing info on the One Campaign - http://www.one.org/

ONE is Americans of all beliefs and every walk of life - united as ONE - to help make poverty history. We are a campaign of over 2.4 million people and growing from all 50 states and over 100 of America's most well-known and respected non-profit, advocacy and humanitarian organizations. As ONE, we are raising public awareness about the issues of global poverty, hunger, disease and efforts to fight such problems in the world's poorest countries. As ONE, we are asking our leaders to do more to fight the emergency of global AIDS and extreme poverty. ONE believes that allocating more of the U.S. budget toward providing basic needs like health, education, clean water and food would transform the futures and hopes of an entire generation in the world's poorest countries.