Siblings

Right now, I am feeling thankful that we have not updated our homestudy to reflect our country switch to Ethiopia. If we had done so, we might soon be doing so again.

I suppose, in all the "not knowing what to do" of recent days, that the one thing we are perhaps doing, which needed/needs to be done, is sitting still and waiting. I have been feeling that doing the paperwork for the country switch was not yet necessary (despite also fearing that I would let a decade go by without doing anything...and watching my life pass by in blandness for lack of action). Today we received an email from our agency outlining the pattern of sibling referrals since restructuring, and providing a bit of history regarding sibling referrals pre-bankruptcy. The numbers are not encouraging.

This means we need to consider a few things - like whether we will continue to request siblings (which we really want to do), whether we want to increase our age request (which we have been considering very seriously - not just in response to a slow wait, which would be a poor motivation for making such a change), whether there are certain "special needs" with which we are comfortable (sometimes medical conditions which can be easily managed or corrected here), and so on.

The agency cannot predict or explain referral trends in regard to child referrals, but the pattern in their experience with the Ethiopia program has been very few available siblings, particularly babies and young toddlers.

If this had been a complete surprise, I would likely be more troubled right now. As it is, we have been watching nothing happen in regard to sibling referrals, and have been wondering what our adoption process will look like, so it is simply confirmation that there is a bit of an issue.

Good thing I'm already wearing my thinking cap.

Scratch That...I'm Just Along for the Ride

I'll just be quiet now. Back to hearing that the double travel likely does apply across the board...and I guess in the end we have some bigger hurdles to overcome...like seeing if sibling referrals start to pick up. Won't be much travelling going on around here until those have been happening for a while.

Will hopefully have confirmation on the travel issue tomorrow or Monday.

Cautious Optimism???

Perhaps, it seems, Canadian adoptions through Ethiopia are not affected by the changes announced in the US, where an additional trip is now required. The referral slow-down, though, is still in effect...

Are We Infectious?

Starting to think that we are bad news for adoption programs. While by all reports the Ethiopia program is still alive and well *generally speaking*, it is experiencing some big changes which will (at least for now) impact referrals, and it also appears, travel commitments.

I have to agree with folks that any changes to ensure and improve practices around family preservation, proper documentation & determination of children's eligibility to be adopted, and follow-through by adoptive parents (apparently there have actually been multiple cases of parents arriving in Ethiopia, and deciding to leave without their children - I cannot comment, as I do not know their situations, but...ahhh) cannot be a bad thing at all.

But when you know it will impact the referral wait time, and mean lots more travel costs (looking like two trips will be necessary - but I will be clear that as of this moment, we have not heard this from our agency directly...just from many, many adoption blogs and discussion boards, particularly in the US)...well, it's hard to hear.

What can I say? Because today, this is our plan. And I feel inclined to stick with the plan (guess we can keep earning travel $$ during that long referral wait). I really hope that Thailand (in just two weeks, folks) helps me LOVE air travel. Ha ha ha. One does start to wonder, though, how many times to say "sure, we'll roll with that" before one's sanity and judgment can seriously be called into question. I would like to think we are "persevering" with this adoption, rather than "perseverating" on it...time will hopefully tell.

Lists

Lists are pretty much one of my favourite things.

I even bought a book recently, Listography Journal: Your Life in Lists (by Lisa Nola and Nathaniel Russell). So very fun.

Today is a big list day. Emails are being sent as I write, and soon we will know where we sit amongst the families waiting for siblings through our agency. The agency kindly agreed to provide this information given all the upheaval around the bankruptcy and the resulting uncertainty regarding timeframes. I used various bits of incomplete information and conjecture to come up with a bit of an estimate as to how many sibling requests there might be, and where we might fall within that line...and will soon find out if there was any basis to my calculations at all!

Double Drum Roll...

I actually have adoption-related news today!

This has been a hugely exciting week for Imagine. They just received confirmation of their Ontario license renewal, and today received confirmation that their Ethiopian NGO approval has gone through.

AND...

(This is a big deal, folks)

...referrals were actually given out today! And yes, that is plural. So far, I know of two. And, it is also very cool that we have met one of the couples who received their referral, as they attended the same adoption BBQ with us this summer...oh, and we also met them at our area meeting of affected families right after the bankruptcy announcement. Just so you know how very exciting this is for folks, the restructuring proposal projected referrals starting in March 2010, so we are three months ahead of schedule. The proposal also forecasted approximately 5 referrals per month for the first 6 months, so I will be very curious to see how thoroughly they can surpass that estimate!

There is more.

Obviously, I am very pleased about this in a general sense, but even more so today because we took the plunge - I actually came home to all this news after heading out to put our retainer agreement and first installment of renewal fees in the mail. I paid double to make sure it gets there tomorrow morning instead of by 5:00pm tomorrow. Even though we have until Friday...I hate taking risks with the post office. And an extra $10 is pretty inconsequential at this point.

I think that is enough for one day, so we are at the end of my post, and at the beginning of something new.

And There We Have It

Imagine received enough renewal agreements by today to continue operations. It is fun to read the excitement amongst other Imagine clients, who have been waiting with baited breath for this confirmation.

For us, the announcement resulted in mixed feelings. This morning, we received confirmation regarding one outstanding detail in regard to our situation, and were disappointed to say the least. So, the good news arrived in the midst of a let-down, which is making it harder to join in the celebration. However, when I think about all Imagine clients, and how this all came together - that is pretty amazing, and I am so pleased for everyone that it looks like the agency will be able to really start working on things...like referrals!

Stay tuned...eventually we will make our decision (we just want to feel really clear about WHY we choose a particular course of action, rather than going with an easy default reaction, so are taking our time).

At some point, Imagine clients will be given a list (without names, for confidentiality) showing how many folks are waiting, and where your own family falls on that list. Adoptions do not happen in exact order (due to things like age, gender, and sibling requests), but a list will provide a general idea. The actual referral wait time is to be determined - the new Board developed "conservative" estimates for the next couple of years, but are hoping that referrals can happen sooner and more frequently than proposed in the restructuring plan. It looks like our wait would be on the longest side, since our date of entry will be considered the date our file went to Ghana (February 2009). Sad. That will partly depend on how many family renewals came from folks who already had a file in Ethiopia, and how many were still in the stages before having a file sent overseas. I am not counting on knowing this before we have to make our decision, but it might be nice.

Anyway, same old routine for the next couple of weeks, then - thinking, talking in circles, etc. Hopefully the circles evolve into some kind of direction.

Stalling...

We, along with other families who were not with Imagine's Ethiopia program, have been granted an extension on the renewal date to consider our decision some more...I think we know what we want to do, but there is one main detail we are still sorting out. Hoping to hear about that in a day or two. While we have until later in December, I expect that we will be making a decision within the next week or so...hopefully. It will be good to get going on an actual action plan again shortly!

The Deadline Approaches

Oh boy. Just a few more days before our signed renewal agreement needs to arrive at the agency, if we plan to continue with them in the Ethiopia program. And we still have not done it...but that doesn't mean we are not going to. It's mainly the long wait for a referral that is giving us pause, but not enough pause to seriously pursue another agency and program, so I suspect we are just waiting for the last minute, during which we will feel that we had better get that renewal agreement in the mail to keep our options open with Imagine...

The reasons we initially chose Imagine's other Africa programs had nothing to do with a lack of desire to adopt from Ethiopia - in fact, when we chose Imagine, that was the only Africa program, and we were ok with that. There were just some things that steered us toward the Zambia and Ghana programs at the time - at first thinking that during a trip to Zambia we could meet our World Vision sponsor child and visit children's homes affiliated with folks we know here was one reason. By the time we realized Zambia would not work out, Ghana seemed like a great option because the wait time seemed nice and short (particularly appealing after months in the Zambia program), whereas Ethiopia's wait list had grown substantially. In the end, though, it looks like we are coming full circle - hard to say if we should have just gone with Ethiopia in the first place, but certainly if that is our decision now, we may be able to say more confidently that it was meant to be...after our decisions ruled out other options, we may be heading in the direction we needed to be going in the first place.

One of the great things about the Ethiopia program is that there are so many other families in our area who are also adopting from there - a ready-made adoptive community in which these children will be able to grow up with others in the same situation. There is also a bit of an Ethiopian population in our city - two Ethiopian restaurants, actually, which says something. We recently attended a fundraising dinner in the city for an Ethiopian NGO and its Canadian partner. It was great to learn more about the country, its needs, and work being done there. I have started seeking out more information on Ethiopia, as we did two years ago when considering this option. I find its history and culture quite fascinating - the ancient roots and traditions, and uniqueness from neighbouring countries. There will be much more to learn (which means books to buy - always exciting) and explore if this is our final decision. Won't be long now - we will let you know!

Online Shopping!

Just learned about this site:

http://www.amharickids.com

Word is going 'round that from November 29-December 5, 15% of proceeds from the sale of almost all items will be donated to the new and improved Imagine Adoption agency...I plan to have a closer look, but I've already seen some lovely things - scarves, jewellery, books, CDs, toys, etc.

Ethiopia's Orphans

Here are a couple of links to interesting articles about Ethiopia's orphans, their care, and issues surrounding adoption.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article6032044.ece

http://www.irinnews.org/report.aspx?reportid=52622

Good News Regarding Ethiopia

http://www.bdo.ca/extranets/imagineadoption/index.cfm

A team representing Imagine and BDO (the bankruptcy trustee) has recently returned from a trip to Ethiopia to assess and re-establish relationships with key staff and orphanages. They have signed contracts with two out of four orphanages, and continue to talk with the remaining two. The key staff members in Ethiopia have agreed to continue working with the agency, and seem well-qualified and well-positioned to assist. The contracted orphanages have stated they anticipate referrals beginning sooner than projected in Imagine's restructuring proposal, which is excellent news! All in all, it was a productive and encouraging trip, which is great to hear.

Back to the Drawing Board

I received a call from Imagine this morning, to address any questions we might have and to outline our options, which are to withdraw from Imagine or join the Ethiopia program. Seeing as we initially thought we would be going with the Ethiopia program, when we chose Imagine two years ago, it seems we may have come full circle. At this point we have not decided what we will do. Our options outside of Imagine include, for example, public adoption in Ontario or looking into international adoption through another agency (which means starting from scratch financially). We have just about a month to decide whether to renew with Imagine. Yikes - busy few weeks ahead, it looks like as we engage in major future planning.

Yes, all 'round!

Good news! We spent the morning in Kitchener, to attend the creditors' meeting where the final vote was held on the agency restructuring. There were 248 votes in favour of restructuring, and 20 against, so looks like things will be up and running in no time. There is a court date next Tuesday (September 29) for official approval, and the hoped-for start date for the agency is October 1. I spoke to a Guelph reporter for 570 News - microphone and everything, so will check later to see if I'm on the air. And a great couple we are getting to know, also with Ghana, did an on-camera interview with CH TV (Niagara, Halton, Hamilton, etc.). So tune in!

www.570news.com

www.chtv.com

Yes

We sent in our 'yes' vote to the restructuring proposal today. I appreciate the folks with business and accounting backgrounds who have been posting their assessments of the proposal and cash flow projections, which mean little to me when I look at them. There are definitely differing perspectives, and some concerns about long-term viability, but I have faith in those who have worked to build a sound proposal, and we want to see this agency resurrected! Looking forward to discussion at the creditor's meeting on September 21.

Still don't know if our future as Imagine clients will be with Ethiopia or Ghana, but don't give up on Ghana yet, folks - it can still happen, and barring definitive Ghana program closure or other insurmountable obstacles, that is still what we want to do.

Restructuring Proposal

Well folks, we have a proposal - now, if a majority of Imagine clients vote in favour of it, then the agency will be restructured with the goal of facilitating adoptions for all Imagine clients. You can read it for yourself if you like:

www.bdo.ca/imagineadoption

There is a creditor's meeting in regard to the proposal on September 21, and in the meantime, we send in our vote. No news yet regarding Ghana. If, sadly, Ghana cannot continue, one of our options would be to switch to Ethiopia, with our "place" in the program being determined by the date our file was sent off originally. But we're still holding out some hope for Ghana in the absence of a final verdict...

Come Together

Yesterday we attended the creditors meeting facilitated by the trustee handling our agency's bankruptcy. It was a really positive experience - something so devastating has the potential to be a very exciting time of united action, hope, and restoration. There was completely unanimous agreement in the room to work together to restructure the agency so that all clients can continue their adoptions. There is a great deal of energy and a strong sense of collaboration in this group. The trustee was excellent, and enthusiastic, and there was a display of cooperation and negotiation amongst those willing to represent all creditors as an "inspector" (a committee of 5 people who will now work with the trustee to oversee primarily financial decisions moving forward). I had a real sense that everyone wants to make this work, is willing to collaborate to do it, and that there are some very skilled people with lots of wisdom playing key roles in all of this. It was worth making a spectacle of myself in my reclining lawn chair, pressure relief cushion, and back roll to be there! Oh, and I did answer a few questions from a reporter afterward - also exciting. I just can't remember his name and haven't found any quotes by me in the new articles I've been reading :) Ghana families met for lunch afterward to chat about our unique situation and action plan to see if there is a way our Ghana adoptions can continue...but that's a long story, so we'll leave it at that for now and see what unfolds!

Press Conference

Imagine clients speaking live to the media - pretty much sums everything up:

http://toronto.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090724/imagine_adoption_090724/20090724?hub=Toronto

Imagine Family Website & Blog

Keep up with news, plans, and other information related to efforts to find solutions for families of Imagine Adoption! Thank you SO much to everyone who is putting time and energy into this effort. We believe exciting things will come of all this.

familieswithhope.org

unitedfamiliesofimagine.blogspot.com

Encouraging Efforts & Support

Here is some public information that I wanted to paste here for quick reference, showing some of the efforts and support for Imagine Adoption clients so far (there are more examples, including official government statements, but these are quite lovely):

1. This an excerpt from a notice by Imagine's bankruptcy trustee, which is particularly pertinent to folks in our situation - there may still be hope that families without referrals will also have support to complete their adoptions along with those who have already been matched (and please remember to include these families in any letters, phone calls, etc.):

BDO Dunwoody is continuing discussions with the licensing government office, stakeholders, individuals and other organizations regarding continuity of services that were provided by the previous organization. If successful, and fully compliant with regulatory requirements, the unmatched files would continue to be managed. This objective is not typical for a bankruptcy of this nature; however, the sensitivity of this priority is recognized. We will continue to communicate the status of this option for the unmatched families between now and the creditor meeting on July 30th.

See http://www.bdo.ca/extranets/imagineadoption/index.cfm for more information

2. Here is a link to a blog post by a London MP for the Liberal Party, sharing his experience at our London area meeting last Sunday:

glenpearson.wordpress.com/2009/07/19/adopting-a-new-attitude/

3. Also, many, many thanks to Yamana Gold (www.yamanagold.com), who have so generously donated to keep Imagine's transition house in Ethiopia running - BDO states that Yamana's contribution will keep the home open until the children there are able to return home with their families. Beautiful.