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LIBERIAN UPDATE Excerpt from the President of Liberia's State of the Union Address delivered on January 26, 2009: ”The gross mismanagement of the adoption program (which aims primarily at placing orphans in homes in the United States), by both Liberian and U.S. personnel in the concerned NGO is the subject of a report by a Special Committee which I appointed for this purpose. Essentially, we have discovered that many of the children in these orphanages are not in fact orphans but children taken from their living parents on the promise of support and a good life in America. Moreover, we found that young children were being sexually abused at some of these orphanages, while others including officials of government, have used the program to extort money from potential adopters. We have thus suspended the adoption program until laws, policies and proper guidelines have been established and we have asked our concerned friends and partners in the United States to be patient as we try to correct the serious malpractices which exist. We expect the National Social Welfare Policy and National Adoption Act which will be submitted to you during the course of the year, will provide guidance and prevent such abuses in the future.” Angels' Haven Outreach began working in Liberia in 2001 and are pleased to report that all of our cases have been unblemished. We know that other licensed agencies in the USA have also completed all of their adoptions legally, ethically and in the best interest of children. We are deeply saddened to learn that apparently this is not the case with all organizations working in Liberia. We appreciate and support the Liberian government in their efforts to take the necessary steps to protect the children and the integrity of the adoption process. We are praying fervently for each child and waiting adoptive parent as continued patience is needed. We are also hopeful for a positive resolution. Angels’ Haven Outreach, Liberia, is accredited by the Liberian government to provide adoption services on behalf of its orphans and represents clients on behalf of Angels' Haven Outreach in the United States. Liberia is a very poor, war torn, country off the West Coast of Africa. As is typical during times of civil unrest, children are often left orphaned or abandoned while the country lacks the financial means to care for them. As a result, many, many beautiful Liberian children are in great need of loving adoptive families. This country is truly a mix of African-American culture. It was founded in 1816 and is the only country in Africa colonized by America. English is the official language; they have a similar flag, constitution, and national anthem as the United States. At the same time, they also have 16 local tribes with their own unique customs and dialects. The situation in the African countries is always fluid which makes a time frame difficult to predict. In a normal situation (assuming there are no unusual issues) the process can take anywhere from 4 to 8 months to complete, once the dossier is submitted. The requirements for the adoptive families are fairly relaxed, with flexibility in age of the adoptive parents, family size and financial resources. Children of all ages are in need of families, and while infants are sometimes available, families should be open to accepting a child closer to two years of age. The adoptions are finalized abroad, via proxy, so the children may be escorted. While this means families are not required to travel, it also means the adoptions are final without parents seeing the child prior to the adoption taking place, so the child will need to be re-adopted once they come home. Families entering into the Liberian program must agree to provide post placement reports. These reports are required annually until the child is 18 years of age. Most often the children live in a family type setting; with older children caring for younger children (this creates a healthier atmosphere for lessening the risk of bonding issues). Still, the conditions are beyond poor, with no electricity or running water. The children are culturally deprived; they have no access to a television and often have never been in an automobile. They also have a very limited diet of rice, cornmeal and soup. The children are tested for HIV and Hepatitis B. Still, families should anticipate that the children are likely to be malnourished, and have lice, scabies, worms and/or parasites.
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