Chocolate Cherry Diet Dr. Pepper is my new obsession. I'm a bit panicked by the fact that it's a limited edition flavor. Perhaps I should stock up while my friendly neighborhood Wal-Mart has it in stock.
At any rate, I drank entirely too many today; it's late, I'm sick, and yet I'm wide awake. Bouncing off the walls, to tell you the truth.
I'll use a bit of my energy to post about the one topic I've been avoiding: the MOU, or Memorandum of Understanding. PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) visiting my blog know what issue I'm addressing, but I thought I'd bring my friends and family up to speed with a Cliff Notes version. It's a bit confusing; I'll see if I can be brief or not.
Vietnam requires a Memorandum of Understanding to be in place with any country that completes adoptions of its orphans. That once-innocuous little phrase has come to induce cringing in adoptive parents nationwide. The MOU is good for three years, and the current agreement expires in September 2008. The intent of the MOU is to ensure that ethical adoptions take place. As PAPs that is, of course, our biggest concern as well.
Over the last couple of months, the fact that the MOU may not be resigned in its current state has become a distinct possibility. Vietnam has not adhered to some of the conditions agreed to, such as publishing standard fees. Vietnam and the US are scheduled to announce their intention to resign the MOU in March 2008. So what could happen from here?
- VN and US agree to resign the MOU as it is. Adoptions continue without a hitch.
- VN and US renegotiate the MOU. The current agreement will expire in September, and the countries will work together to put a new agreement in place, hopefully quickly.
- VN and US could suspend adoptions even longer.
No one knows what will really happen.
Our agency does not feel like there will be a long suspension. They have also been told by the DIA that if the MOU is not resigned, parents whose dossiers (the final batch of paperwork) have already been sent to VN will be allowed to complete an adoption as planned. Since we will be so new to the list at that point, we may be able to stay on the list and not be affected, even if there is not a new agreement in place for as long as a year or so.
Why? We will be added to the list somewhere in the mid-200s. CHI completed 80 adoptions last year. At that rate, it will likely be a couple of years until we receive a referral. Vietnam is allowing CHI to have a total of 100 dossiers in the country. Therefore, say the MOU expires in September. CHI will already have the first 100 families on the list logged in to Vietnam, and will work through that list for the next year or so. Therefore, we would be moving up the list even if it took a year or more for a new MOU to be reached.
Everyone's on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen. For now, we are going to ENJOY finally being added to the list, evaluate our options, and make some plans for what we will do under different scenarios. I'm incredibly grateful to be working with CHI. They do such a great job of communicating the situation, answering my gazillion questions, and working on solutions.
Please pray for a quick agreement to be reached for the sake of the children and for the sanity of their parents-to-be. I have a feeling we're in for a crazy ride! :)
At any rate, I drank entirely too many today; it's late, I'm sick, and yet I'm wide awake. Bouncing off the walls, to tell you the truth.
I'll use a bit of my energy to post about the one topic I've been avoiding: the MOU, or Memorandum of Understanding. PAPs (prospective adoptive parents) visiting my blog know what issue I'm addressing, but I thought I'd bring my friends and family up to speed with a Cliff Notes version. It's a bit confusing; I'll see if I can be brief or not.
Vietnam requires a Memorandum of Understanding to be in place with any country that completes adoptions of its orphans. That once-innocuous little phrase has come to induce cringing in adoptive parents nationwide. The MOU is good for three years, and the current agreement expires in September 2008. The intent of the MOU is to ensure that ethical adoptions take place. As PAPs that is, of course, our biggest concern as well.
Over the last couple of months, the fact that the MOU may not be resigned in its current state has become a distinct possibility. Vietnam has not adhered to some of the conditions agreed to, such as publishing standard fees. Vietnam and the US are scheduled to announce their intention to resign the MOU in March 2008. So what could happen from here?
- VN and US agree to resign the MOU as it is. Adoptions continue without a hitch.
- VN and US renegotiate the MOU. The current agreement will expire in September, and the countries will work together to put a new agreement in place, hopefully quickly.
- VN and US could suspend adoptions even longer.
No one knows what will really happen.
Our agency does not feel like there will be a long suspension. They have also been told by the DIA that if the MOU is not resigned, parents whose dossiers (the final batch of paperwork) have already been sent to VN will be allowed to complete an adoption as planned. Since we will be so new to the list at that point, we may be able to stay on the list and not be affected, even if there is not a new agreement in place for as long as a year or so.
Why? We will be added to the list somewhere in the mid-200s. CHI completed 80 adoptions last year. At that rate, it will likely be a couple of years until we receive a referral. Vietnam is allowing CHI to have a total of 100 dossiers in the country. Therefore, say the MOU expires in September. CHI will already have the first 100 families on the list logged in to Vietnam, and will work through that list for the next year or so. Therefore, we would be moving up the list even if it took a year or more for a new MOU to be reached.
Everyone's on pins and needles waiting to see what will happen. For now, we are going to ENJOY finally being added to the list, evaluate our options, and make some plans for what we will do under different scenarios. I'm incredibly grateful to be working with CHI. They do such a great job of communicating the situation, answering my gazillion questions, and working on solutions.
Please pray for a quick agreement to be reached for the sake of the children and for the sanity of their parents-to-be. I have a feeling we're in for a crazy ride! :)
1 comment:
Well said; would you mind if I borrowed parts of your post for my blog. I too have been avoiding talking about it. It's really kind of hard to explain and you explained it so well.
I love Diet Dr. Pepper and Chocolate Cherry Dr. Pepper sounds really good. I hope we jave it in our area and I can find some.
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