wait times

Dear Brian & Anna,

As the wait time trend has continued to increase, we see the need to amend the timeframe in order to better represent expectations for families receiving referrals. The wait times are increasing from 14-18 months to 18-24 months for a male or female infant or toddler. We do not have as many families requesting children four years and older and thus the wait for those families will likely be shorter than the current wait times.

Paperwork, specifically clearances, is still the main contributor for the slowdown in the Ethiopia program. If we have a child in the transition home who is completely paper-ready, but does not have a clearance, we need to wait on that final document before referring the child to a family. Unfortunately, the clearance process is still one that is intensive and can be drawn out over many, many months. If clearances for children continue to be processed at the current rate, wait times could increase again in the future. The final clearance could take one month or a year or more. This is a process that is out of our hands and is contingent on the governmental bodies in Ethiopia.

We know this is not an easy email to receive. Please know America World is doing as much as possible to process and petition for paperwork to be completed in the most efficient manner possible. Our hope is to match families with children as soon as we are able, while being sure the process is being completed in an ethical manner.

America World is still very supportive of the Ethiopia program. Our Senior Director of Programs, Anna Graham, was in Ethiopia last week. She was very encouraged by the officials’ continual support and positive regard for international adoption. The officials want to make the adoption process in Ethiopia a good one and have a commitment to adoption, which has encouraged America World. We will continue to work diligently throughout this process and are thankful for the referrals we have received in 2012.

Blessings,

Africa Program Staff
America World Adoption