Patience

Patience is not just a virtue. It's a requirement.

We are still waiting for the U.S. Embassy and Thi's province to work things out so that we can move forward with her adoption. We'll wait as long as it takes. She turns 1 year old next month. I can't believe it has been almost 8 months since we first saw the one and only photo we have of her. We can't do anything but have faith she is being taken care of and that everything will work out ok.

As most of you know, Vietnam is not going to renew the agreement with the U.S. to allow international adoptions in their country. This agreement expires Sept. 1, 2008. The news has devastated waiting families, and it will no doubt negatively impact waiting children.

The Joint Council on International Children's Services has launched a campaign for the continuation of adoptions in Vietnam. The focus of the campaign is to end corruption but not end a child’s right to a family.

Their website states:

"The U.S. Department of State has expressed concerns related to corruptive practices associated with intercountry adoption between the U.S. and Vietnam. In response to their concerns, the Department of State will allow the functional closure of adoptions on September 1, 2008 and thereby end one of the most basic of human rights: the right to a safe, permanent and loving family.

Not only will those orphans eligible for adoption continue to suffer the detriments of orphanage life, so will thousands of other orphans and vulnerable children. This is because the service providers engaged in finding U.S. families for Vietnamese orphans also provide a myriad of services to the most vulnerable of children.

As a result, the end of intercountry adoption with Vietnam also brings the end of social services such as family preservation and counseling. It also marks the end of humanitarian services such as educational sponsorships, clean water programs and many health related initiatives.

End Corruption, Not a Child’s Right to a Family
While Joint Council shares in many of the Department of State’s concerns, we believe the solution is not the termination of adoption and elimination of a child’s right to a family. Joint Council, its Member Organizations, NGO’s including Ethica—a leading voice for ethical adoption, the Vietnamese government and Members of the United States Congress firmly believe that the solution is a rational child-centered approach designed to strengthen services, regulate providers and prosecute violators.

A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam
In response to the looming crisis facing the children of Vietnam, Joint Council today--May 21, 2008—initiates A Child’s Right Campaign for Vietnam. A Child's Right Campaign for Vietnam proposes a series of rational recommendations that address the issues of abuse, protect the integrity of Vietnamese families and ensure the right of every child to a permanent, safe and loving family. The overriding goal of this campaign is very simple: to end corruption, but not a child’s right to a family."

For more information go to:
http://www.jcics.org/Vietnam.htm