Friday, January 23, 2009
The Answer to Why Life is Beautiful:
I love you darling.
(this is not a new video, but I was re-reading blog entries and came upon this one, wow. I am so very blessed).
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
3rd Time is a Charm (It HAS to be!)
FEBRUARY 26TH IS OUR DAY!!!! It has to be right?
I spoke with my worker today and received our 3rd (and final :)) court date!! February 26th - one month and one day after Beamlak's birthday. I was also updated on the status of receiving the document that prevented us from passing January 15th, but unfortunately there hasn't been much progress. My worker stated that Gladney will need at least a week to get the document once contact has been made with the person who must complete the document. Just gotta keep my head up! They'll get it, they just have to!
I also was able to speak with Nesredin (my asst and friend) in Addis yesterday and he was so great. I told him about the delay and he knew just how disappointed I was that I would have to miss Beamlak's birthday on Sunday due to this delay - so he offered to take her out for a full day of fun at a new Children's Park in Addis all day so she could at least know that I'm thinking of her and allowing Nesredin the time to make sure she knows just how much I do love her and how hard I am trying to return to Addis to bring her home. A special day just for her - as long as the director gives permission it's a go. I'll find out for sure tomorrow.
I'm just so grateful! So grateful to so many people I have met during this process. Thanks again for all the well wishes. She WILL be home soon. Not soon enough but soon!
I spoke with my worker today and received our 3rd (and final :)) court date!! February 26th - one month and one day after Beamlak's birthday. I was also updated on the status of receiving the document that prevented us from passing January 15th, but unfortunately there hasn't been much progress. My worker stated that Gladney will need at least a week to get the document once contact has been made with the person who must complete the document. Just gotta keep my head up! They'll get it, they just have to!
I also was able to speak with Nesredin (my asst and friend) in Addis yesterday and he was so great. I told him about the delay and he knew just how disappointed I was that I would have to miss Beamlak's birthday on Sunday due to this delay - so he offered to take her out for a full day of fun at a new Children's Park in Addis all day so she could at least know that I'm thinking of her and allowing Nesredin the time to make sure she knows just how much I do love her and how hard I am trying to return to Addis to bring her home. A special day just for her - as long as the director gives permission it's a go. I'll find out for sure tomorrow.
I'm just so grateful! So grateful to so many people I have met during this process. Thanks again for all the well wishes. She WILL be home soon. Not soon enough but soon!
Sunday, January 18, 2009
The Low Down
It's been a tough few days. In preparation for the first court date on November 28, I had prepared myself for not passing court. I was 90% sure I was not going to pass on the first try because so many families have not passed on their first date. So when I received news that MoWA was ready to issue it's opinion on November 28th - with one exception - they couldn't find Beamlak's dossier file and they needed to review it before their final approval. A few days later I found out that they couldn't locate the file and reality hit hard that this could be several months' delay if they required new originals for the file.
Luckily - they issued a court date for me without the file - January 14th was my new day. After they notified me that they had found her file, I was 99.9% confident that we would pass this time around. Truth be told, dangerously, I didn't even consider not passing as an option. MoWA was ready to issue the opinion the first time around, reviewing the file was just "supposed" to be standard.
On Tuesday, January 13th, my worker informed me that our court date was not January 14th but was the 15th. Okay, so one day. A little disappointed, but hey, at least it wasn't a week off! At the same time, my worker lets me know that the in country staff are extremely confident that everything is in order to pass court the 15th. My biggest concern was another mistake in the day of the hearing (it actually being on the 14th and no one showing up), but she assured me that there were other cases to be heard that day and if for some reason our court date was on the 14th, they'd be there.
Okay, so I'm not expecting to hear anything on the 14th and thus just kind of left my phone in my bag most of the work day, didn't even think to check to see if I had any missed calls. At 2:30 pm my phone rings and it's my worker - really not expecting a phone call from her? I found out that she had called earlier in the day but I hadn't checked my phone for missed calls - go figure.
I answered the phone and there was no hint of excitement in her voice at all - I'm just thinking maybe the wrong day again... okay. Nope. MoWA had notified Gladney that they would not be issuing their opinion on the case tomorrow (January 15th) because a document was missing! What? I admit, I completely fell apart. And the reality that court dates were already being issued for April made me sick.
My worker apologized profusely. In fact, she stated that 1-2 days before court dates the in country staff reviews the files and "grades" them on a scale of 0-100%. If a dossier is graded a 0% they believe there is no chance of the family passing court. If the dossier is 100% they are extremely confident that there is nothing that could come up in court that would cause another court date to be issued (non approval). She stated my dossier was given a 100%!! And yet it STILL didn't pass. I just couldn't come to grips with MoWA's new request... but I did manage to ask a few questions.
What document? Has this been requested before? I can't go into detail about the document but YES this document has been requested before. All I wanted to do was ask why the document wasn't in the file then if it had been requested before - even though I realize just how difficult it can be to get "just" one document.
The document that MoWA has requested is a difficult document to get and it may take a long time to get this document as it involves a lengthy process. She said that they were already working on getting the document and will keep me updated with the progress... but still I knew I wasn't going to pass the following day. She said she would still call and give me the news officially tomorrow (January 15th).
January 15th arrived and I had stayed at home - well actually in bed all day and so when she called all I was hoping for was a quick court date and news regarding attaining this additional document. LUCKILY, considering what court dates have been given as of late, I received a quick court date, the last week of February (exact date is still not known). That I'm truly thankful for. Now, my BIGGEST concern is the completion of the document they requested - its going to be difficult to get it within a month considering the situation (sorry can't share any details), but I'm hopeful that Gladney will do their best to make sure they complete the document as soon as possible. I just hope it's in time for court.
I've finally been able to adjust my expectations for this delay. However, I was hoping to call Beamlak last Friday morning with the date of my arrival, I couldn't make that call and I'm still trying to prepare myself to call her without breaking down to tell her again just how much I love her, miss her and that we are all working hard to bring her home.
Thanks for all your support blog readers :)
Luckily - they issued a court date for me without the file - January 14th was my new day. After they notified me that they had found her file, I was 99.9% confident that we would pass this time around. Truth be told, dangerously, I didn't even consider not passing as an option. MoWA was ready to issue the opinion the first time around, reviewing the file was just "supposed" to be standard.
On Tuesday, January 13th, my worker informed me that our court date was not January 14th but was the 15th. Okay, so one day. A little disappointed, but hey, at least it wasn't a week off! At the same time, my worker lets me know that the in country staff are extremely confident that everything is in order to pass court the 15th. My biggest concern was another mistake in the day of the hearing (it actually being on the 14th and no one showing up), but she assured me that there were other cases to be heard that day and if for some reason our court date was on the 14th, they'd be there.
Okay, so I'm not expecting to hear anything on the 14th and thus just kind of left my phone in my bag most of the work day, didn't even think to check to see if I had any missed calls. At 2:30 pm my phone rings and it's my worker - really not expecting a phone call from her? I found out that she had called earlier in the day but I hadn't checked my phone for missed calls - go figure.
I answered the phone and there was no hint of excitement in her voice at all - I'm just thinking maybe the wrong day again... okay. Nope. MoWA had notified Gladney that they would not be issuing their opinion on the case tomorrow (January 15th) because a document was missing! What? I admit, I completely fell apart. And the reality that court dates were already being issued for April made me sick.
My worker apologized profusely. In fact, she stated that 1-2 days before court dates the in country staff reviews the files and "grades" them on a scale of 0-100%. If a dossier is graded a 0% they believe there is no chance of the family passing court. If the dossier is 100% they are extremely confident that there is nothing that could come up in court that would cause another court date to be issued (non approval). She stated my dossier was given a 100%!! And yet it STILL didn't pass. I just couldn't come to grips with MoWA's new request... but I did manage to ask a few questions.
What document? Has this been requested before? I can't go into detail about the document but YES this document has been requested before. All I wanted to do was ask why the document wasn't in the file then if it had been requested before - even though I realize just how difficult it can be to get "just" one document.
The document that MoWA has requested is a difficult document to get and it may take a long time to get this document as it involves a lengthy process. She said that they were already working on getting the document and will keep me updated with the progress... but still I knew I wasn't going to pass the following day. She said she would still call and give me the news officially tomorrow (January 15th).
January 15th arrived and I had stayed at home - well actually in bed all day and so when she called all I was hoping for was a quick court date and news regarding attaining this additional document. LUCKILY, considering what court dates have been given as of late, I received a quick court date, the last week of February (exact date is still not known). That I'm truly thankful for. Now, my BIGGEST concern is the completion of the document they requested - its going to be difficult to get it within a month considering the situation (sorry can't share any details), but I'm hopeful that Gladney will do their best to make sure they complete the document as soon as possible. I just hope it's in time for court.
I've finally been able to adjust my expectations for this delay. However, I was hoping to call Beamlak last Friday morning with the date of my arrival, I couldn't make that call and I'm still trying to prepare myself to call her without breaking down to tell her again just how much I love her, miss her and that we are all working hard to bring her home.
Thanks for all your support blog readers :)
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Devastated
Tomorrow it is not as well.........................................................................................................................................
Just received a call from my worker - it is expected that MoWA will object to the adoption tomorrow as they are expected to request another document for Beamlak's file.
What this means... no approval
How much longer is the wait.... several months........court dates are now taking longer than ever to receive...................
Most importantly...I won't be seeing Beamlak for several more months... How do you tell a little girl that momma STILL won't be coming to see you for several more months? After 15 months away? The tears just keep flowing and flowing and flowing................................................
Just received a call from my worker - it is expected that MoWA will object to the adoption tomorrow as they are expected to request another document for Beamlak's file.
What this means... no approval
How much longer is the wait.... several months........court dates are now taking longer than ever to receive...................
Most importantly...I won't be seeing Beamlak for several more months... How do you tell a little girl that momma STILL won't be coming to see you for several more months? After 15 months away? The tears just keep flowing and flowing and flowing................................................
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Tomorrow It Is Not
I just received a call from my worker...
Tomorrow is NOT the day I (and you all) will be finding out that we passed court. There was some misscommunication between the lawyer and Gladney representatives of the date.
The Court date is actually scheduled for Thursday, January 15, 2009. At least the date wasn't off by much, but it sure is disappointing.
That's all for now...
Tomorrow is NOT the day I (and you all) will be finding out that we passed court. There was some misscommunication between the lawyer and Gladney representatives of the date.
The Court date is actually scheduled for Thursday, January 15, 2009. At least the date wasn't off by much, but it sure is disappointing.
That's all for now...
Thursday, January 8, 2009
Update!
I LOVE THIS PICTURE! Seriously - I love this photo. I love how Anbes is reading the letter to Beamlak and what may be even better - is that it's very evident how well the older girls are taking care of my little girl. I'm beyond grateful.
“Beamluk is doing great. We went by for Christmas today. I just got her letter to her today, so I had Anbes, our humanitarian aid director, translate it for her. She was happy to get the letter and can't wait for you to come. She said she is still liking school, and that everything is good.” --Ryan
Additionally, I did call Kechene the day before Christmas hoping to talk with Beamlak but didn't have any luck. I did get to speak with Maeza and she says that Beamlak is doing great but really misses me and is wondering when that day will come when I'll arrive at Kechene to pick her up. I think Maeza and Roza are doing a wonderful job keeping her spirits up! And obviously taking a lot of time out of her day to care of Beamlak.
Gratefulness is the word of the day.
6 DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOTS TO POST BUT MUST RETURN TO WORK! I hope to do some updating tonight :)
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Ethiopia imposes aid agency curbs
I'll comment more on this later - but this new law has been hindering the creation of a program me and several others are trying to begin in Ethiopia for young mothers/girls who are victims of sexual abuse and child slavery. It doesn't provide much information on how this is hindering organizations but I hope to write more later...
Ethiopia's parliament has passed a controversial bill imposing tight restrictions on aid agencies.
Foreign agencies are prohibited from a number of areas including human rights, equality, conflict resolution and the rights of children.
Local groups that receive more than 10% of their funding from abroad are also banned from working in these areas.
Under discussion for months, the bill has already been considerably modified amid objections from aid organisations.
Parliament approved the legislation on Tuesday - Orthodox Christmas Eve - by 327 votes to 79, according to the AFP news agency, before members headed home for the holiday.
The BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Addis Ababa says at the heart of the bill and causing the most fuss is a clause aimed at preventing foreign interference in issues which the government believes should be a purely Ethiopian affair.
It's an attempt by the ruling party to banish all those it sees as a threat to its tight grip on power
Temesgen Zewdie
opposition MP
Ethiopia fears over aid clampdown
She says some of the organisations affected, like the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, could be seen as political and have long been a thorn in the government's flesh.
But, she adds, if the law is rigorously applied it could also catch much less controversial groups which are doing valuable work but would never be able to fund their activities from purely local sources.
The bill bans international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from five sorts of activity:
• The advancement of human and democratic rights
• The promotion of equality between peoples, sexes or religions
• Campaigning for children's rights or the rights of the disabled
• Conflict resolution and reconciliation
• Work on criminal justice issues.
The bill's provisions imposing the same restrictions on Ethiopian NGOs which receive more than 10% of their funding from foreign sources will affect many agencies, according to our correspondent.
She says this is because a number of foreign donors prefer to channel their aid through the voluntary sector rather than giving it to the government.
A defence of the bill published by the ruling party described this attitude as a neo-liberalist concept which sees African governments as obstacles to development.
The government denies the bill is intended to restrict aid work.
"Civil organisations will be able to function without hindrances. They won't face restrictions as long as they respect the country's laws," government whip Hailemariam Desalegn said.
'Very difficult'
But opposition MP Temesgen Zewdie was quoted by AFP as telling MPs before the vote: "As far as we're concerned, it's an attempt by the ruling party to banish all those it sees as a threat to its tight grip on power."
Madhere Paulos director of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association told the BBC that 99% of its funding to provide legal aid to women currently comes from abroad.
She said her members would continue to give up their time for free.
"But when we think about the premises, when we think about the court fees that we pay for our clients, the transportation, the medical fees for those who are victims of rape and sexual violence, it's very difficult to think of only using voluntary contributions."
The US government in particular has protested loudly to the Horn of Africa nation about the proposals, but to very little effect, says our correspondent.
Ethiopia is among the world's top aid recipients.
Visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7814145.stm for the original article.
Ethiopia's parliament has passed a controversial bill imposing tight restrictions on aid agencies.
Foreign agencies are prohibited from a number of areas including human rights, equality, conflict resolution and the rights of children.
Local groups that receive more than 10% of their funding from abroad are also banned from working in these areas.
Under discussion for months, the bill has already been considerably modified amid objections from aid organisations.
Parliament approved the legislation on Tuesday - Orthodox Christmas Eve - by 327 votes to 79, according to the AFP news agency, before members headed home for the holiday.
The BBC's Elizabeth Blunt in Addis Ababa says at the heart of the bill and causing the most fuss is a clause aimed at preventing foreign interference in issues which the government believes should be a purely Ethiopian affair.
It's an attempt by the ruling party to banish all those it sees as a threat to its tight grip on power
Temesgen Zewdie
opposition MP
Ethiopia fears over aid clampdown
She says some of the organisations affected, like the Ethiopian Human Rights Council, could be seen as political and have long been a thorn in the government's flesh.
But, she adds, if the law is rigorously applied it could also catch much less controversial groups which are doing valuable work but would never be able to fund their activities from purely local sources.
The bill bans international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from five sorts of activity:
• The advancement of human and democratic rights
• The promotion of equality between peoples, sexes or religions
• Campaigning for children's rights or the rights of the disabled
• Conflict resolution and reconciliation
• Work on criminal justice issues.
The bill's provisions imposing the same restrictions on Ethiopian NGOs which receive more than 10% of their funding from foreign sources will affect many agencies, according to our correspondent.
She says this is because a number of foreign donors prefer to channel their aid through the voluntary sector rather than giving it to the government.
A defence of the bill published by the ruling party described this attitude as a neo-liberalist concept which sees African governments as obstacles to development.
The government denies the bill is intended to restrict aid work.
"Civil organisations will be able to function without hindrances. They won't face restrictions as long as they respect the country's laws," government whip Hailemariam Desalegn said.
'Very difficult'
But opposition MP Temesgen Zewdie was quoted by AFP as telling MPs before the vote: "As far as we're concerned, it's an attempt by the ruling party to banish all those it sees as a threat to its tight grip on power."
Madhere Paulos director of the Ethiopian Women Lawyers' Association told the BBC that 99% of its funding to provide legal aid to women currently comes from abroad.
She said her members would continue to give up their time for free.
"But when we think about the premises, when we think about the court fees that we pay for our clients, the transportation, the medical fees for those who are victims of rape and sexual violence, it's very difficult to think of only using voluntary contributions."
The US government in particular has protested loudly to the Horn of Africa nation about the proposals, but to very little effect, says our correspondent.
Ethiopia is among the world's top aid recipients.
Visit: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7814145.stm for the original article.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
