Adoption Blog

AWAA Response to Moscow Attacks

According to world news the Moscow subway system was attacked on Monday morning, March 29 by two individuals in a suicide bombing incident.  Several were killed and many more injured.  Some 7-8 million individuals are estimated to take the subway trains each day for their morning and evening commutes. 

While AW does work with facilitators and their staff who live in Moscow we want to assure our families that no one affiliated with our agency was injured in these attacks and no families are currently traveling in Russia.  What happened in Moscow is very grievous and our prayers are with the victims and their families and all the individuals who witnessed such a horrendous event.   

As an added note, when AW families travel in Russia and through Moscow we do not plan itineraries that involve families traveling via the subway.  All our families are escorted by a taxi driver who works with our facilitators in the country.   We do our best in secure the safest modes of transportation for all of our families that travel in Russia, Ukraine and Kazakhstan.  

Request from the CCAA

The China Center of Adoption Affairs has asked us to see if any of our families would be willing to donate bottle nipples made specifically for children with cleft lip or palate conditions. Families who are able to help can mail these items directly to our office in McLean, VA where they will be sent to China with our traveling families.

We would love to be able to help meet this need through our families. Please contact Kristen.Hussa@awaa.org if you have any questions.

Rwanda Travel Update

America World rejoices with the 9 families currently in Africa completing their adoptions from Rwanda. These 9 families spent the past week with their children in Kigali, Rwanda and are now in Nairobi, Kenya completing visa paperwork. Please keep these families in your prayers as they continue to bond with their children and finalize paperwork. We are excited to share a group photo of these sweet families and their adorable children!

 

Prayers Requested for a Member of our Ethiopia Team

Please keep Robel Alawi, our in-country Ethiopia Travel Coordinator in your prayers. Robel was injured in a motorcycle accident over the weekend. He is currently in the hospital with a badly injured knee. Families who would like to send a note of encouragement to Robel can send them via email or mail to our office for us to pass along. Robel is a valued asset to our AWAA team in Ethiopia and has blessed our traveling families with his hard work and heart for orphans and street children. Please keep Robel in your prayers during this time.

Travel Update

We are excited to share the news that 25 families in our China program and 4 families in our Ethiopia program met their children for the first time today! We also currently have 5 families from our Rwanda program in Africa this week. We are thankful for the Lord’s faithfulness to each of these families and rejoice as they have their children in their arms at last!

Our China travel group consists of 13 families from our China Waiting Children program and 12 families in the healthy referral program. The families will be in their child’s province this week then headed to Guangzhou on Friday to obtain their child’s US visa at the US Consulate. Families in the group are adopting from the Hunan, Guangdong, Gansu, Guangxi, Henan, Jiangxi,  and Yunnan provinces. We rejoice with these families as they begin to get to know their precious children after a long wait.

The four families in Ethiopia met their children today and spent the day with them at our transition home in Addis Ababa. During their time in Addis Ababa the families will be meeting with our transition home doctor, visiting two of the orphanages we work with, and obtaining their child’s US visa.

Our Rwanda program has continued to grow and we are blessed to have sent our largest group of families to Rwanda yet! Families in this program spend their first week in Rwanda meeting their child and completing local adoption paperwork then travel to Ethiopia to obtain their child’s US visa.

Please keep our traveling families in your prayers as they continue to bond with their children and complete their adoption paperwork.

Immunization Recommendations by the CDC

Families should note the following information from the US Department of State regarding Hepatitis A vaccinations, Hepatitis B screening, and Hepatitis B vaccinations:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC – www.cdc.gov ) now recommends Hepatitis A immunization for household members (including  babysitters or anyone who anticipates close personal contact) who will be returning to the US with a child who has been adopted from a country where hepatitis A is prevalent.  Screening for Hepatitis B is also recommended for children who were born in geographic regions where Hepatitis B is common. 

Under current law, children adopted from Hague countries, are required to present documentation of having received certain required vaccinations and screenings, including Hepatitis B.  Families can find more information about these regulations from the CDC at the following sites:

Hepatitis A
Updated Recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) for Use of Hepatitis A Vaccine in Close Contacts of Newly Arriv¬ing International Adoptees

Hepatitis B Screening
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/HBV/PDFs/ChronicHepBTestingFlwUp.pdf
(recommendations for Routine Testing and Follow-up for Chronic Hepatitis B Virus (HBV)
Infection)

More information about Hepatitis A and B:
http://www.cdc.gov/hepatitis/
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd-vac/

International Adoption Overview and Statistics:
http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2010/chapter-7/international-adoptions.aspx

China Travel Update

The U.S. Department of State has issued an update concerning travel to China. The full text of the alert is available at: Travel Alert. We will continue to monitor the situation and inform traveling families of details as they unfold.