Annual Report 2015
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FROM THE AMERICA WORLD CEO 2015 was another year of God’s goodness and faithfulness to America World. We completed more adoptions in 2015 than we had the previous year, which is no small task given that the overall state of intercountry adoption has become more difficult. We served more women in terms of birthmother counseling, more families with home study services, and more finalized adoptions than the previous year. Our agency’s China Program saw a substantial number of addi- tional placements and, along with our India Program, continue to be great options for families seeking to adopt chil- dren with special needs. We also had a very successful fundraising campaign in 2015, in which we fully met a $75,000 matching grant from a generous donor. We have been amazed to see God work and continue to bless our agency abundantly. In 2015, we sent many mission trips, all over the world, supporting our orphanage partners as well as working with orphan care ministries in many different countries. We are looking forward to a great year in 2016 and are grateful to the families who have trusted us to serve them through their adoption processes. Sincerely, Brian Luwis 2015 PROGRAM UPDATES CHINA PROGRAM 123 adoptions finalized Multiple one-to-one partnerships in the following provinces: Guangdong, Guizhou, Shaanxi & Gansu New Orphanage Partner in Guangzhou began in November CCCWA changed adoption regulations 1/1/15 Held our first older child Hosting Group in June Partnered with Love Without Boundaries and Storyteller Missions to provide cleft surgeries for children Hosted a nanny training and physical therapy training to orphanage partners through Storyteller Missions Provided room & board costs for older children to be able to attend school Partnered with Storyteller Missions to provide a New Physical Therapy room for one of our orphanage partner 2015 PROGRAM UPDATES ETHIOPIA PROGRAM 53 adoptions finalized One transition home operated by AWAA, caring for up to 50 children 2015 PROGRAM UPDATES INDIA PROGRAM 28 adoptions finalized AWAA staff traveled to India to meet with CARA and orphanage staff Over 40 different orphanage partners 2015 PROGRAM UPDATES HAITI PROGRAM 5 adoptions finalized AWAA continued to support and work with orphanage partners AWAA continued to operated a guest- house for adoptive families and mission teams in Port-au-Prince – (closed in Au- gust 2015) AWAA employed an in-country representa- tive to interface with the IBESR to advo- cate for cases 2015 PROGRAM UPDATES EL SALVADOR PROGRAM HONDURAS PROGRAM 4 adoptions finalized BRAZIL PROGRAM 1 Adoption Finalized 3 Referrals Assigned to families Staff traveled to Honduras to provide home study services to U.S. missionary living in Honduras Honduras increased their maximum age limit for adoptive parents from 51 to 61 years of age 2 adoptions finalized 2015 PROGRAM UPDATES KYRGYZSTAN PROGRAM DOMESTIC PROGRAM 2 adoptions finalized UGANDA PROGRAM 1 new placement 1 adoption finalized 18 expectant mothers/families served – many of whom chose to parent and were provided referrals to help them do so New partnerships formed with local preg- nancy centers 1 adoption finalized 2015 SOCIAL SERVICES America World Adoption is proud to be licensed and Hague accredited in 23 states, including our corporate office in Virginia, and privileged to work with 80 social workers across the country. Each of our affiliate offices is fully licensed in its respective state to provide adoption home study services (including post adoption services) to families adopting through America World. Most of our affiliate offices are also able to provide home study services for families adopting through other agencies. In 2015, our affiliate offices completed 235 home studies for families adopting through America World or other agencies. 2015 HUMANITARIAN AID CHINA Continued to provide assistance to school in partnership with Love Without Boundaries in one of our orphanage partnerships. This program includes a nutrition program and dental program. Donations: Our teams were also able to raise and bring over $13,000 in monetary donations to provide for some of the tangible needs of the orphanages and the children they met. A few of the items purchased with these donations include diapers, shoes, clothes, formula, bouncy seats and Bumbo chairs, and donations also helped provide for medical procedures and helped to build a therapy room in one of the orphanages. Orphanage donation items: sensory blankets, pediatric & general medical supplies, nutritional supplements, baby formula, first aid items, physical therapy balls, bouncy seats and Bumbo chairs, toothbrushes, bottle items for preemies, cleft bottles, diapers, shoes, clothing, toys, books, puppets, art supplies, school supplies, sports balls, parachute, bubbles, chalk, computers and printers, desks, AC unit, copier, waterproof camera ETHIOPIA America World partners with multiple orphanages in Ethiopia and invests in humanitarian projects to advance the cause of orphans. We are devoted to orphan care and know that children need to be cared for in every stage of the process as they wait to be placed with a forev- er family. We wish that all children could be adopted but not everyone living in an institutional setting can be. America World cares greatly about ensuring as many children as possible receive quality care and are honored to be able to take part in this cause. We commit to funding multiple orphanages which means providing for: Nannies to be the hands and feet of the love and nurture children need! Formula for infants for a year and food for older children! Clean drinking water for a year! Staff to gather clearances and adoption paperwork so children can be adopted! Medication and nurses and doctors! Cooks, cleaners, laundry, hygiene products, lotion and more! America World also runs a sponsorship program sponsoring many families so that they can stay together despite financial concerns. Our domestic program matched multiple children in our Transition Home this year with families living in and from Ethiopia. We also send mis- sion teams to the orphanages that have provided for the immediate material and emotional/care needs of children. 2015 STORYTELLER MISSIONS China: 10 Trips Ethiopia: 4 trips Uganda: 3 trips Haiti: 1 trip Total Trips: 18 Total trip participants: 195 Our teams in 2015 hosted many medical professionals, educators, young entrepre- neurs and adoptive parents who were able to use their talents, skills and profes- sional experiences to bless our orphan- age partners throughout the world. We partnered with entities such as Clemson FCA to send a team of passionate and energetic athletes to Uganda for their annual international trip. Work and assess- ments through our Ethiopia trips spawned the creation of a nanny sponsorship program for the staff that take care of the children in AWAA’s transition home day in and day out. Receptivity at our China partner orphanages has grown signif- icantly as our returning teams have carefully built trusting relationships with them. In addition to the children who will be adopted as a result of our team’s advocacy, at least 9 children will be adopted in the near future by 2015 team members and their families. Our teams were also able to raise and bring over $20,000 in monetary donations to provide for some of the tangible needs of the orphanages and the children they met. A few of the items purchased with these donations include diapers, shoes, clothes, formula, bouncy seats and Bumbo chairs. In China donations also helped provide for medical procedures and helped to build a therapy room in one of the orphanages. It’s been exciting to see our missions program continue to grow and expand as more and more people catch the vision that we are casting: to meet these children, help provide for some of their tangible needs, and also tell their stories in the hopes of finding their forever families. 2015 DEVELOPMENT In October 2015, America World celebrated our 20th Anniversary and the placement of over 4,200 children with our first annual Father Daughter Dance and Celebration Gala. On December 9th, 2015 we held our second annual Day of Hope Phone-a-Thon to kick off America World’s year-end fundraising campaign. Our goal was to raise $125,000 to contribute to our ability to provide financial support to our orphanage partners in Ethiopia, China, Haiti and India through individual project agreements, financial sponsorship of vulnerable children currently living in our orphanage partners and government run orphanages and for the medical and living expenses necessary to care for the waiting children living in our transition home in Ethiopia. Each year we also commit to providing financial support for children and their immediate families to preserve the family unit and promote family unity. We feel strongly that there is a great benefit in preserving a family so a child does not become an orphan and endure the emotional and physical hardship of being separated from a loving birth family. This year, thanks to the generosity of people like you, we raised $86,342 during the Day of Hope year-end fundraiser. In addi- tion, we were blessed with a very generous matching grant in the amount of $75,000. We are pleased to announce that we were able to exceed our goal for this year end campaign and raise $161,342 by December 31st. Thank you for your continued support of America World’s orphan care initiatives! 2015 FINANCIAL UPDATE © 2015 .