Adoption from Africa is in a hard place right now and requires a lot of patience and understanding to get through. This is a fairly new development and is the result of fraudulent behavior that has occurred in the last few years. This is not a good sign for adoption from all countries in Africa.
I recently talked with some friends of ours who are adopting from Uganda. They have been working toward a referral for over a year now. In the course of the conversation, I asked how the adoption was going. They replied, “They are wearing a hole in their thumbs.”
If you are like me, I didn’t quite get it. I gave that unknowing look to my husband. He winked and said, “They have twiddled their thumbs so much that they fear they are wearing a hole.”
Oh, now I get it…
In the month of December 2011, only one case was referred out of Uganda. This has been a heartbreak for this family and others who are playing the waiting game. Adoption from Africa continues to be plagued with paperwork discrepencies, fraudulent behaviors and mismanagement. This has caused a panic among the governmental officials of the respective countries. It has also caused a panic among the families that are waiting for their children to come home.
At this point, I think that my friends have the right idea. They continue to work toward their referral by keeping everything current and accessible but they display patience. That patience is diligently sought after as they know the conditions that the children in Ugandan orphanages are living in. They smile when they are asked about their adoption. They learn as much as they can about the people and the culture of Uganda. They hold onto any news that they receive.
If you are playing the waiting game, continue to focus on the end result. The individual governments within African countries are working to strengthen their adoption programs and protect the children involved. They know that the problems exist and cannot force referrals and placements until they can verify the status of all of the orphans. Things may move slowly but with the amount of people who are involved in and waiting for these adoptions to occur- they are motivated to make it happen. If you need more information about the status of adoption from individual countries in Africa, there are many web-based reputable sources.
Most countries in Africa are open for adoption at this time but are processing at a slow rate. Africa is not party to the Hague Convention.
~Angie
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