Just a qucik update.
We have booked our Flights x2-the return date had to be change from Dec6 to the 11th.
We booked our apt through Peace Travel
We Sent for our Visa's- Go to Russia Travel
Made last payments to CHI
Nervous Brake down -Check that one too a couple times......
Allen & Zachary will be going to NJ with Uncle Brent and then staying with Grandma & Pop Pop up in NJ for a week. Then they will come back to Florida with Uncle Brent and return to school. Uncle Brent has been a Angel during all of this. He takes care of the kids like they are his own. THANK YOU UNCLE BRENT- LOVE YOU MAN !
My Sisters Angel & Kris my Niece Amanda and Nephew Matthew from California will be coming to visit the week after we get back. Yyyeppppppyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
I am exhausted, I will post more later.
PS If anyone is in Moscow the same time let me know we will be staying near Novy Arbat street.
GOOD NIGHT
WE HAVE MADE IT HOME AND COMPLETED OUR FAMILY. Moscow City, Russia Baby Homes #21 November 19 2008
GOTCHA DAY
Court Date
Friday, November 7, 2008
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Foreign adoptions down in Russia as foster care grows
Foreign adoptions down in Russia as foster care grows
Fewer Russian children are being adopted abroad, although the number of total adoptions in Russia is declining, figures show. The statistics point to a complex future for the country's orphans as the government struggles to implement additional means of foster care even as it tries to encourage more Russians to adopt.
According to the U.S. State Department, which released figures for the 2008 fiscal year, the number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell by 12 percent.
In 2008, there were 17,438 adoptions for abroad, while there were 19,613 in 2007. Much of this decline is due to fewer adoptees from Russia and China. Although Russia has not yet released statistics for 2008, the numbers from previous years confirm the trend.
There were 6,689 foreign adoptions in 2006, and only 4,536 in 2007 - a decline of over 30 percent - according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Education and Science, which is responsible for developing adoption programs and legislation in the country.
The United States is the chief destination for Russia's foreign adoptees - in 2006, American parents adopted 3,468 children, making up well over half of the total number of foreign adoptions.
But these numbers do not indicate that Russians are adopting more children. Of the adoptees, the share of those who remain in Russia has increased - from 7,767 in 2006 to 9,537 in 2007. But overall adoptions decreased in 2007 by about 3 percent. Indeed, the number of adopted children peaked in 2004 at 16,434, and has been declining ever since.
This is explainable by foster care programs. While adoptions declined, there has been a rise in the number of children in new, alternative foster care initiatives. While not adoptions formally, these included various kinds of foster care in which a child lives with a guardian or a family that is paid by the government. There are at least three kinds of foster categories apart from adoption. Although the government officially considers adoptions the best option for orphans, it has opted to develop these programs to bring down the number of children without parents.
Since 2006, more stringent laws regulating foreign adoptions have gone into effect. According to Yekaterina Bridge of the World Association for Children and Parents, that has meant more paperwork.
"In 2007, adoption agencies were getting accreditation based on new rules, and that has led to fewer adoptions," she told The Moscow News.
"The first accreditations were received only in June, 2007, and this caused a delay."
Explaining the decline in the number of adoptions, Bridge cited alternative forms of foster care, but noted that these forms had their drawbacks.
"Local officials in the provinces are wary of developing foster care because of the money issue. They fear children could be taken advantage of for the government subsidies."
While she said her agency was supportive of the government efforts to develop newer forms of foster care, she cited the latest figures for children without parents as "staggering."
As of December 31, 2007, 171,044 children were listed in the official adoption data base.
Officials acknowledge the need to encourage more Russians to adopt.
"Adoption is the top priority in placing children with families," says Alexandra Ochirova, who chairs the Public Chamber's Commission on Social and Demographic Policy.
"But the statistics do not show that the problem is being solved. Since not enough children are being adopted, other forms of foster care are being offered."
Ochirova does not believe that foreign adoptions will solve the problem, however.
"There are various points of view, and the interests of the child should be put first," she told The Moscow News. "But I believe that this problem should be solved inside the country. This doesn't mean we should have a ban on international adoptions, but considering the demographic situation, it would be good to make the population better prepared to adopt Russian children."
Ochirova says that raising awareness, advertising, and easing bureaucracy would lead to more adoptions. There are many Russians willing to adopt, she says, but they are daunted by the bureaucratic process.
Fewer Russian children are being adopted abroad, although the number of total adoptions in Russia is declining, figures show. The statistics point to a complex future for the country's orphans as the government struggles to implement additional means of foster care even as it tries to encourage more Russians to adopt.
According to the U.S. State Department, which released figures for the 2008 fiscal year, the number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell by 12 percent.
In 2008, there were 17,438 adoptions for abroad, while there were 19,613 in 2007. Much of this decline is due to fewer adoptees from Russia and China. Although Russia has not yet released statistics for 2008, the numbers from previous years confirm the trend.
There were 6,689 foreign adoptions in 2006, and only 4,536 in 2007 - a decline of over 30 percent - according to statistics provided by the Ministry of Education and Science, which is responsible for developing adoption programs and legislation in the country.
The United States is the chief destination for Russia's foreign adoptees - in 2006, American parents adopted 3,468 children, making up well over half of the total number of foreign adoptions.
But these numbers do not indicate that Russians are adopting more children. Of the adoptees, the share of those who remain in Russia has increased - from 7,767 in 2006 to 9,537 in 2007. But overall adoptions decreased in 2007 by about 3 percent. Indeed, the number of adopted children peaked in 2004 at 16,434, and has been declining ever since.
This is explainable by foster care programs. While adoptions declined, there has been a rise in the number of children in new, alternative foster care initiatives. While not adoptions formally, these included various kinds of foster care in which a child lives with a guardian or a family that is paid by the government. There are at least three kinds of foster categories apart from adoption. Although the government officially considers adoptions the best option for orphans, it has opted to develop these programs to bring down the number of children without parents.
Since 2006, more stringent laws regulating foreign adoptions have gone into effect. According to Yekaterina Bridge of the World Association for Children and Parents, that has meant more paperwork.
"In 2007, adoption agencies were getting accreditation based on new rules, and that has led to fewer adoptions," she told The Moscow News.
"The first accreditations were received only in June, 2007, and this caused a delay."
Explaining the decline in the number of adoptions, Bridge cited alternative forms of foster care, but noted that these forms had their drawbacks.
"Local officials in the provinces are wary of developing foster care because of the money issue. They fear children could be taken advantage of for the government subsidies."
While she said her agency was supportive of the government efforts to develop newer forms of foster care, she cited the latest figures for children without parents as "staggering."
As of December 31, 2007, 171,044 children were listed in the official adoption data base.
Officials acknowledge the need to encourage more Russians to adopt.
"Adoption is the top priority in placing children with families," says Alexandra Ochirova, who chairs the Public Chamber's Commission on Social and Demographic Policy.
"But the statistics do not show that the problem is being solved. Since not enough children are being adopted, other forms of foster care are being offered."
Ochirova does not believe that foreign adoptions will solve the problem, however.
"There are various points of view, and the interests of the child should be put first," she told The Moscow News. "But I believe that this problem should be solved inside the country. This doesn't mean we should have a ban on international adoptions, but considering the demographic situation, it would be good to make the population better prepared to adopt Russian children."
Ochirova says that raising awareness, advertising, and easing bureaucracy would lead to more adoptions. There are many Russians willing to adopt, she says, but they are daunted by the bureaucratic process.
Blog Archive
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2008
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November
(21)
- SATURDAY IN MOSCOW
- FRIDAY IS MOSCOW
- THANKSGIVING IN MOSCOW
- HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE !
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY ZACHARY
- Tuesday Afternoon in Moscow
- It's Monday Morning in Moscow.
- Saturday in Moscow Russia
- A short post
- IT'S OFFICAL......AVA IS OUR DAUGHTER
- COURT TODAY .
- We made it ........... Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
- IT'S TIME TO GO GET OUR DAUGHTER
- 3 DAYS LEFT......................
- Packing For Our Court Trip
- Allen & Zachary's Birthday Party
- We leave Nov 19 - December 11th
- WE GOT OUR COURT DATE !
- ALLEN (9TH) & ZACHARY'S (7TH) BIRTHDAY
- RUSSIAN HOLIDAY NOVEMBER 4TH-Day of the National U...
- We Celebrated Ava's 1st Birthday
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November
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LOVE
Love... bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. - 1 Corinthians 13:7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always preserves."-- 1 Corinthians 13:4-7
5 comments:
Hey April, we will be arriving in Moscow with the boys on the 9th and leaving to come home on the 12th. So hopefully we can meet up with each other. Don't know where we will be staying yet.
April, Dan, Ava and the Boys,
Congratulations!!!!!!!! We are so glad you will have Ava home before Christmas.
What GREAT news!!!!! We are going to be in Moscow Nov 13th - 15th and then again Dec 3rd - Dec6th. If your plans change and you someone are in Moscow those days, please let me know - we would love to meet up for lunch or dinner. We are staying at the Marriott Grand Tverskaya both times. Shoot me an email at sjss72@yahoo.com or post me a note on our blogsite www.thesmiths441.blogspot.com
CONGRATS!!!!!!!!
Stephanie
Congratulations on your court date! I have been following your blog. We live in ft. myers Florida and have been registered in Pskov since July. it is sooo hard to wait for a referral but it makes me happy to know that you will be bringing your daughter home soon! Congratulations!
Stephanie
So glad to hear that you're heading back to pick up your daughter. You will be in my prayers as you get ready to leave on this amazing journey! Much love!
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