Continued from here ...

And another UN article, this one from the UN PR machine, for sure, talks about improvements in lives of "untouchable" women".

Ms. Sada belongs to the musahar caste – the name literally means ‘rat eaters’ – who are among the most disadvantaged groups in Nepal. They are considered ‘untouchables’, which in the heavily... more

A bit in the news has me thinking about Nepal today, so I thought I'd hop around my desk and put together all the notes I've been collecting on that country for a while for families with connections, or hopeful connections, to Nepal. Today's new from Nepal is not good. The UN is "deeply concerned" about increasing violence in the southern plains, Nepal's breadbasket. So far, seven people have died... more

New China regs in a nutshell from IAAP:

1. The adopters must be a male and female couple with a stable marriage. If this is the first marriage for the couple they must have been married two years before submitting a dossier. If the husband or wife has been divorced they must now have been married for at least 5 years. They can have no more than two divorces.

2. Both Husband and wife must be at least 30 years old and under the age of 50. For parents adopting special needs children they must both be at lease 30 years old and both must also be under 55.

3. Both parents must be physically and mentally healthy and... more

Continued from here, where I've been writing about the nuts and bolts of adopting from India ...

After the the dossier docs are submitted, a No Objection Certificate must be awared by CARA.

If all goes well, this should be how the process goes:

1. After they receive the relevant documents the Indian placement agency will register the name of the potential foreign parents in a register meant for them.

2. They will compare the Home Study Report with the Child Study Reports they maintain and secure suitable... more

There have been a few questions on the forums lately about adoption from India, and those have inspired me to post some general information about the process.

First, independent adoption is not allowed in the Indian system and any personal interaction between an individual overseas and an Indian agency involved in adoption is forbidden. An agency must be used, and the agency must be one designated an "Enlisted Foreign Adoption Agency" (EFAA) by the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA).

At the moment, there are 290 foreign agencies world-wide authorized... more

A quick one here, as I've just come across something I've not noticed before in stories about the change to China's adoption rules.

The Voice of America is reporting that new requirements that will limit adoptions to married couples of a certain age under a certain weight making above a certain amount of money and not depressed about anything may not be engraved in stone.

In fact, the closing paragraph suggests there may be room for negotiation.

The China Adoption Center says before the final version of the rules are set, it will consider any feedback from international adoption... more

Continued from here ... where we've been looking at the idea that assuming fewer adoptable children means better conditions doesn't make a lot of sense ... Does a reduction in the numbers of adoptable children reflect an improvement? Not necessarily, and perhaps even directly to the contrary. Does a reduction in the number of children adopted by Americans mean that more kids are living wonderful, happy and safe lives... more

The upcoming changes in adoption rules for China have me thinking even more than usual about the world's children, how those who have no one are dealt with, and what perceptions exist these days. Without doubt, 2006 was a year when massive amounts of media coverage about international adoption was churned out ad nauseam, but interestingly enough, the actual numbers of children adopted by Americans went down.

Who would have predicted that?

Some... more

As the list of possible birth countries American hopeful adoptive parents can look to tragically shrinks, many are hoping to cast a love net in new directions. Mongolia has been coming up more often lately, with people asking about the possibility of adding children from that country to their family.

Mongolia is a predominately Buddhist country the size of Texas, landlocked between Russia and China, the steppes and the Gobi Desert. The population is... more

Continued from here where I was hesitating to spout off about the new China adoption rules ...

There are a significant number of people writing now about the new rules being a valid way for China to address the issue of supply and demand. Comments like the following are very common:

It seems to me be more of an issue with not enough "healthy" babies to meet the demand. There is an increase in domestic adoption... more