Memories of Nepal

Visit Adoption ARK's website for more information on adoption from Nepal www.adoptionark.org

Nepal is a fascinating country with rich culture and beauty. The adoption program for Nepali infants and toddlers is full through 2010 but the Nepali government has agreed to accept additional adoption dossiers for older children and children with special needs. During our visit to Nepal we learned that the older orphan population is well educated and are receiving good care in the orphanage system. We met many bright children that were eager to find their forever family. If you are considering international adoption please consider Nepal.

Our First Ethiopian Adoption!!

Adoption Ark is proud to announce we have completed our first adoption from Ethiopia! The Ortiz family has been blessed with the addition of a beautiful daughter a few weeks ago. Below is a letter we received from this happy family. If you are also interested in adopting from Ethiopia, the fastest growing international adoption program in the world, please contact us. Here are two photos. One of Carmen at referral and the other in her pretty Baptism Dress at home with her new family. Congratulations to the The Ortiz Family and their new daughter Carmen!!!

Our Daughter from Ethiopia.

We recently arrived home with our daughter from Ethiopia. Looking back, everything fell into place exactly as planned. We did not realize this until looking back at the very hard experience we had with our old agency. The country of Vietnam closed to Americans adopting. Our agency offered us no solution other than to just wait. Our life had already been invested two and a half years, so saying, “just wait” was not the answer we needed to hear. We just wanted to adopt a child, not be caught up in such a mess. The search for a new agency began. Google searches, blog searches, YouTube searches etc. I really had no direction other than thinking we must move forward. Adoption Ark came up a few times. I lingered on the site reading families stories and making a few half-hearted emails for info requests. Then, a reply! Miss Linda, from Adoption Ark, the breath of hope we needed. She said, “Trust us, I understand what you have been through”. I was not very trusting. I asked a million questions getting all our bases covered. If she did not know the answer, she got back to me. I had done my homework. I had followed many families adopting from Ethiopia with other agencies. What I did know was the world of International Adoption is changing so fast, requirements are harder, good families are not qualifying for numerous reasons. I knew if an agency would work with us, we would get everything submitted as soon as possible. So many people wait on the sidelines to see if a program is successful before taking that leap. But by then, it may be too late. We lived that scenario. Those few phone calls back and forth with Linda set in motion a wonderful path to our daughter. After we got the necessary application sent in, we were introduced to Ally. She carried us the entire way. We were the first family in Adoption Ark’s Ethiopia program. We both learned a lot along the way. Follow the directions you are given, have Ally double check your work. It’s truly as simple as that. Most importantly, get your “to do list” done fast. The wait is so hard. The wait really does not start until your documents reach Ethiopia. The documentation process you have some control over – the waiting time is completely out of your control. Our timeline was about seven months from first contact with Adoption Ark to bringing our daughter home. The staff in Ethiopia was wonderful! We felt like real people. Our case was treated with respect. The staff truly understands the good work they are doing for adoptive families and children needing homes. Never did we feel lost in the process. We arrived in Ethiopia in the middle of the night and were greeted at the airport with a fresh smiling face calling our name. Our in country contact took us under his wing, made us his priority for our entire stay. He waited in a very hot meeting room for our case to be heard, while we enjoyed the cool air outside the American Embassy. He did little things like this to make us more comfortable. When we arrived at the orphanage, all the children greeted him. It looked to me like they were greeting a father. A few days later in the hotel room, we received a surprise phone call, “Hello Kim, its Ally. How are you? How is the baby? Is everything Ok?” What a nice thing to do. I was speechless. Never in a million years would I expect a call like this. We are still in the honeymoon stage with our daughter. Each day is filled with milestones, the little girl we met just 3 weeks ago is transforming before our eyes. She greets her father coming home from work with squeals of excitements. She makes sure mom is kissed a million times before she falls asleep. She hugs her siblings until they fall on the floor! We are totally in love with her. If asked to refer Adoption Ark, I would 100%; they have kept the families and children the most important part in adoption. Sincerely, Kim and Miguel Ortiz

I Want a Mom

Adoption ARK would like to thank all of our ARK Mom's for making this video possible! This Mother's day we celebrate all the Mom's that made the journey into motherhood through international adoption.

Sincerely,

The Team at Adoption ARK

Adoption Programs Update

# Kazakhstan – single women can adopt, first two weeks translator/interpreter service is free, grants from $1,500 and more for children over 4 and siblings are available! # Brazil - our paperwork for accreditation is pending. # Bulgaria – this month we have received a referral for one of our families, special grants from $5,000 are available for siblings!!! # Colombia - our paperwork for license is pending. # Ethiopia – Our first family had a success court and now are waiting for their travel date to bring their daughter home. # Ghana – toddlers are available for adoption, travel: full escort is available/one trip and an escort instead of the second trip/1 trip few days and the second is 2-3 weeks. Time between two trips is 4-6 weeks. Single women who received a special permission from the Social Welfare Department in Ghana or married couples can adopt. Adoptive parents should be at least 25 but under 50 to adopt from Ghana. # Hungary - one of our families is finalizing their adoption. # India - our paperwork for license is pending. # Nicaragua - new program, hurry! # Ukraine – toddlers are available at this time, if you apply for this program right now you can be matched with your child within 2009. # Pakistan - one of our families is finalizing their adoption after successful court.

A Tale of Two Sisters

Another Adoption ARK Success Story During a rare time of silence and peace last week, I thought back to the beginning of our adoption process. One year, two months ago, we got really "serious" about adoption-- before we had only joked about it-- but from that time in early January, our life became a blur, and, indeed, still is... Boy... how did it feel then? After the excited / scary / excited nights leading up to our decision, the first task was to find an adoption agency -- SOOO many choices. We looked at dozens. Big organizations, small operations, clean simple agencies, religious agencies - the list went on. Rolling dice was tempting! Finally, after lots of studying, we sent our first contact emails and phone messages - let the fun begin! Perhaps it was because they were the first to return our phone call, perhaps it was the region they worked in, perhaps it is because my wife likes arks, perhaps it was fate. Either way, three weeks later, we took our chances, and registered with Adoption Ark. Then began the arduous process of doing the paperwork. Yes, it is as bad as people say, no doubt - but all you are thinking during that phase is getting your dossier together so you can see your future daughters! Then the first visit - scared parents, scared kids, strange country, cool experiences. Actually, Russia was not strange for us, but we still enjoyed the highly supportive and resourceful environment AA provided to us - I think even the skiddish would feel comfortable (ok, perhaps not the domestic plane flights....). Once in country, however, days were busy, our kids were happier to see us each time we returned to visit them, and then.... it was done - we were on our way back home. Back to the paper chase. After chasing more paper (frenzied this time - don't let those kids slip away from us!!!), we were done, and after a few very long weeks, we had a court date, and quick flight reservations to make. The second trip, with its waiting period, was much more relaxed, as were our girls. Gone were those sweaty palms that greeted, being replaced by smiles and giggles. We were shown their stomping grounds and friends - being guided by our own future daughters, a surreal experience!. Then court, relief after the court decision, and 10 days to visit our exchange student friends in northwest Russia. Now, looking back, we remember those idyllic days visiting as the last period in our lives (so far...) when time moved slowly. We relaxed, we basked, we enjoyed... 'cause we knew we would need it. Then, GOTCHA DAY - suddenly kids in our hotel room, trips to the park, packing more "stuff" for picnics than we ever had. A quick stay in Moscow, then HOME! What ARE these short people doing in our house, and why are they calling me Papa??? Through the whole process, Adoption Ark was there. We cannot be more thankful to the names we now know so well - Jill, Ally, Elina, - and to the in-country coordinators- they were all great. Their "compassionate but no nonsense" approach was exactly what I needed to keep focused during the dossier creation, and once in country, it felt like they could coordinate adoptions and logistics in their sleep. I have no reservations recommending Adoption Ark to friends. So, our new life with our daughters has begun. Much of the time they are a joy, sometimes, ... well, you know. Its all part of the game of life, or at least of our lives. Chuck and Gwendolyn, proud adoptive parents of Vika (11) and Diana (7), from Stavropol, Russia.

Adoption Programs Update

• Kazakhstan – grants from $1,500 and more for children over 4 and siblings are available!
• Bulgaria – special grants from $5,000 are available for siblings!!!
• Ethiopia – Our first family had a success court and now are waiting for their travel date to bring their daughter home.
• Ukraine – toddlers are available at this time, if you apply for this program right now you can be matched with your child within 2009.
• Ghana – toddlers are available for adoption, travel: full escort is available/one trip and an escort instead of the second trip/1 trip few days and the second is 2-3 weeks. Time between two trips is 4-6 weeks. Single women who received a special permission from the Social Welfare Department in Ghana or married couples can adopt. Adoptive parents should be at least 25 but under 50 to adopt from Ghana.

Adoption Stimulus Package

Breaking News: Adoption ARK, an international adoption agency, has unveiled an Adoption Stimulus Package. The package includes:

• A new branding campaign for prospective adopting parents: MOM & DAD
• An annuity that yields hugs and kisses every day
• A financial assistance grant for parents considering adopting children over age 4, adopting a sibling groups over the age of 4, or the adoption of children with special needs (mild-moderate).
• A financial assistance grant for parents who have a completed homestudy and have begun the international adoption dossier.100% of the Adoption Stimulus Package supports ARK's Mission, Aiding and Rescuing Kids.

This plan works in conjunction with:

• The IRS Adoption Tax Credit
• Grants and loans offered to prospective parents through other organizations
• The parents determination to bring an adopted child into the family

Due to the nature of International Adoption, benefits of the Adoption Stimulus Package are only available in select countries. Due to limited availability of funds, only one grant can be issued per family. The financial assistance grants will expire on May 21,2009 or when the funding is depleted (which ever comes first).

For more information please contact

A New Forever Family

Each month we would like to highlight a story of love and hope from a recent Forever Family. We received this from the Murray family...

Our Two Great Kids – Murray Family

It’s hard to believe it’s already been 2 months since we brought our kids home! In some ways it seems like we’ve been working to bring our family together forever and other times it seems like it’s been hardly any time at all.

We researched adoption and adoption agencies for a long time before we decided to move forward. Once we found Adoption Ark, we knew we had found the right agency for us. They were very patient answering all of our questions, getting us through the ever changing paperwork, the frustrations of waiting and finally preparing us to meet our kids.

In late October 2008, we accepted the referral for siblings, a boy age 7 and a girl age 6. We were so excited to finally be on our way. We traveled the week before Thanksgiving to meet them. When we arrived at the orphanage we were taken to the director’s office to wait. That’s really when the nerves set in…what if the kids didn’t like us, how were we supposed to act with so many people watching us…I guess all very normal emotions. But, when the door opened and the kids came in, the nerves vanished. The kids immediately came over to us and hugged us. They were a little shy at first but in no time at all they were chatting away!

Although our in-country coordinator told us we could possibility be back before the New Year to get our kids, we really didn’t expect to receive a court date until sometime in early 2009. Then the most amazing thing happened. On December 3, 2008, Ally called and said we had a court date – Christmas Day! What a gift. There was a very pretty, heavy snow falling the day we went to court and finally picked up the kids. Our son was so excited to be going home, he was actually taking his clothes off as he ran into the office…he was ready to go!

We spent 4 days in Moscow and were able to take in some amazing sites. But, getting the kid’s visas and finally boarding the plane the following day was definitely the highlight. We very much enjoyed Russia, but we were ready to get home.

Adoption Ark, Ally, and all of the in-country help – the coordinators, translators and drivers – were unbelievable. Ally walked us through every step of the adoption and took care of all the travel logistics. The coordinators and translators were very kind and it was obvious they cared about the kids and our family.

Thank you Adoption Ark for all that you did to help bring our family together.

Adoption ARK Needs Your Help

Dear ARK Friends,

Adoption ARK needs your help. The orphanage we sponsor in Ethiopia has an urgent request for diapers and formula. Each month, these items are a major expense for the ARK of Hope Orphanage because they are very costly to buy in Ethiopia. In addition, formula in Ethiopia is not the same nutritional standard that is required to be sold in the United States. Typically, the standard for care in an orphanage is very low but, at the ARK of Hope Orphanage, Adoption ARK desperately wants to provide these children with the best available. For that, we need your help.

Adoption ARK has a special section in the ARK Bookstore on Amazon. This section, entitled Humanitarian Needs, contains the infant formula and diapers that are needed for the orphanage. We need diapers in sizes 1-3 and good quality infant formula that is lactose free. There is the option to purchase a case of formula or a single can. Please help Adoption ARK purchase these items for the kids at ARK of Hope. To order:

1. Visit the store at http://astore.amazon.com/specialneedsa-20?_encoding=UTF8&node=16

2. Add your donation to your Amazon cart and proceed to checkout

3. In the top section, entitled ship to, click change address

4. Add Adoption ARK’s address to your Amazon address book.Adoption ARK830 Buffalo Grove RoadBuffalo Grove, IL 60089

5. Choose “ship to this address”. This will take you back to your order and Adoption ARK’s address should show up in the top section.

6. After entering your payment method, click the “place your order” button in the bottom right corner.

It’s that simple. Your donation will be sent to Adoption ARK’s office and then sent to the ARK of Hope Orphanage with the parents that are traveling to Ethiopia to complete their adoption. If you would prefer not to use Amazon but would like to contribute, simply purchase your items at the local grocery store and mail them to the address above. In addition, monetary donations can be made online at http://www.adoptionark.org/public/pag195.aspx Any help, through donation of products or online giving, is greatly appreciated.

For questions about this fundraiser please contact Kim Fury at (877) 213-1444 or info@specialadoption.com. Sincerely,Adoption ARK Team

Russia Bans U.S. Homestudy Agencies for Noncompliance

Naturally, parents that are in the international adoption process are focused on one thing, bringing their child home. However, it is important to remember that the international adoption process does not end with the homecoming of your adopted child. It ends many years later upon the completion of your post placement obligations.

Post placement reports, also known as post adoption reports, update the country of your child’s birth on the well being of your adopted child. These reports are critical and essential to the stability of an international adoption program. The reports insure the country of adoption that your child is being well cared, loved, and provided for. Countries that allow international adoptions have a responsibility to follow the adopted child and ensure that they are being cared for. Foreign governments take this responsibility very seriously.

Recently, Russia announced a long list of agencies that have not complied with the post placement obligation of Russia. These “blacklisted” agencies are banned from conducting homestudies for parent wishing to adopt from Russia. Adoption ARK is not on this list but we are familiar with the problems that agencies are having in getting post placement reports completed. The new restrictions for homestudy agencies has caused delay and heart ache for many families in the international adoption process. Parents that do not complete the post placement reports are ultimately putting the futures of countless children at risk. Please respect the rules of your child’s birth country and complete the post placement reports. If not, the adoption programs could close and children many children will miss the miracle of being united with families. For a complete list of banned agencies please visit http://www.usynovite.ru/f/documents/federal/regulations/170209/prilogenie.doc