Volume 3 Issue 3 October 2011 Report on Dorinda‟s trip to Vietnam 1 Adoption Programs: Report on Dorinda‟s trip to Vietnam: Vietnam, Ukraine, Russia, Honduras 3 August 7-25 Special Needs Update 4 Families Needed 4 This trip was made in the spirit of reconnaissance. Dorinda went to Vietnam Helping TDH Make a Difference: to try to assess the current level of development regarding international Long Hai Centre: for the protection of children 5 From Dream to Reality - Quebec Gala 6 adoption. Family Features: She went first to Saigon, so Dorinda, Thuy, and Loan worked together to try All I want for Christmas - Vietnam 7 to make a reasonable assessment. She also went to the center of Vietnam - Culture Camp - Vietnam 8 to Kontum and Quang Binh - then to Hanoi and back again to Saigon. Painful Recollections - Vietnam 9 News, Current Events, Family Functions: GENERAL RESULTS Federation TDH - 50 years 10 Children of War 10 The first thing she noted was the fact that the new format for international My Adoption Portal 11 adoption is indeed in the process of being normalized. As is to be expected, New Arrivals! 11 the changes in the law have required that the Vietnamese make changes at Vietnam Protocal Series: the local level. That is never easy and not very quick anywhere. But progress The Other Culture 12 is being made, not as quickly as hoped for, but as fast as the culture allows. Broader Adoption Issues: The second point is that the role of the Department of Adoption (DA) has The War on International Adoption follow-up 13 been increased, and the culture has had to find ways to restructure itself at Letters to the Editor 16 the level of the individual orphanage. The DA is mostly waiting for the local functionaries of the system to reorganize themselves, and there is a level of reluctance, if not actual resistance, to the idea that the provinces should cede their control to the Central Authority. Such resistance is to be expected as a normal human response to change. Dorinda made a point of visiting a number of orphanages, meeting both old TDH Ontario Inc. and new directors. These visits were social, that is, they were only a matter of upgrading her general awareness of the particular orphanages and their 36 Home Ave. staff. P.O. Box 963 Vankleek Hill, ON The third point was that, in accord with the new process, there would have K0B 1R0 to be some adjustments to the paperwork of international adoption, to the (613) 482-6306 / (613) 216-2565 (fax) expectations of agencies and parents, and to the costs. [email protected] THE THEORY TDH Ontario quarterly newsletter The motivation behind these changes came from the pressure exerted on www.tdhontario.tdh.ca Vietnam by UNICEF, The HAGUE, and the international community in Sharon Kashino general. Vietnam wanted to show that it was ready to comply with the [email protected] demands made by these organizations. It has written these new laws to conform to the demands these organizations have addressed to them. We TDH L’Infolettre Québec are now waiting for the culture to adjust to these demands. www.tdhpourlesenfants.tdh.ca Rina Arlegui (Continued on page 2) [email protected] Page 2 TDH Ontario Quarterly October 2011 (Continued from page 1) wider range of orphanages. This also on a new value for international implies that parents will often have adoption, in part because the process THE PRACTICE to travel greater distances than is slightly quicker, but also because, before and that, of course, impacts in general, these are children whose The adoption agencies will have little on the logistics of the adoption trip. future, and even whose lives, remain or nothing to do with the orphanages bleak in Vietnam because the in the future, according to the new THE LIST medical, social and cultural law. It is said that this new provision infrastructure is not yet developed to was meant to eliminate any Gradually children are being a point where it can care for them favoritism due to financial presented to the DA for listing on adequately. So for these children the contributions. But the agencies do their general list of adoptable option of being adopted to Canada, need to have some familiarity with children. As that list builds up, where there is a high quality of the orphanages from which the adoptions will begin to move again. medical expertise, often means life children are presented from a The list started slowly because the rather than death, but always means bureaucratic and health point of local administrators had to learn a a quality of life that is entirely view. Dorinda’s visit was in part to new way of doing things: notice of different from that which is possible ascertain what could be learned search (30 days) for birth parents in Vietnam. This distinction, of about the orphanages on those two before birth certificate could be course, will impact upon the points. registered, then 60 day searches for motivation and intentions of the Vietnamese adoptive families at Canadian couples looking to adopt Now that agencies are not allowed to commune, provincial, and national from Vietnam. It will also impact on make direct donations to orphanages levels, and finally request from the the way agencies are viewed by the from which they receive children, the DA to the province to prepare the DA. Those agencies who are sensitive orphanages have to find ways to complete child dossier. That new way to the needs of these children are address this issue. That is accounting has added some steps to the official truly appreciated by the government for some of the time the adjustment identification and processing of the of Vietnam is taking. The theory was that fees children’s files, for example the would be paid directly to the DA and police investigation which now IN SUMMARY those fees would be distributed to occurs after the 180 day search the orphanages. But the amount period. Dorinda returned to Canada with a they are to receive by this means is renewed sense of hope in the future greatly reduced from what was being What does seem to be working is of international adoption in Vietnam. donated by agencies, and the that, once the various searches for She also came away with a very orphanages are pointing out that it is domestic adoptive parents is strong impression that Vietnam impossible for them to take care of completed and the child is deemed wants the process to work and is all the children in the orphanage, to eligible for international adoption, it determined to find ways for it to support those who will be adopted seems that the actual adoption operate within the law and through the longer process required process (from proposal to successfully. She also recognized by the new law, and further to finalization) will proceed more that the task of adjustment for the advance all the expenses until the quickly than previously. culture is difficult and requires end of the process when they would considerable innovation and DISTINCTIONS receive the funding. The bottom line resourcefulness. But, again, the is that the agencies must, in addition The new law clearly makes a changes are proceeding more slowly to the fees paid to the DA, make distinction between healthy children that was envisioned and the slow donations at the provincial level and those who fall under the pace is definitely having a negative which will be designated for the category of Special Needs. For the impact on TDH as an organization, orphanage from which adopted healthy children, TDH will continue straining its resources to the limit. children come. to provide the same level of medical Brendan Cavanaugh ([email protected]) In general, the new formula means and social assessment as before. The that children will now come from a category of Special Needs has taken Page 3 TDH Ontario Quarterly October 2011 rd Adoption Program Updates: 3 Quarter - 2011 Honduras 1 couple from Quebec travelled in July for Vietnam As of September 30, 112 children had been their first trip to meet their son . They will wait 3 months placed on the National database. By October 1, 66 of for their second trip. 1 couple from Quebec went in these children had completed the 60 day wait on this September for their first trip to meet their son. He will be national list. The next step for these cases is that DA will 5 years old soon and he has special needs. Another couple send the list of names of children to each province and ask from Quebec is in Honduras right now for their second them to send the complete dossier of each child back to trip. They are adopting 3 siblings, the eldest of whom is 8 DA. Meanwhile, DA will decide which parent dossiers will years old. 1 single woman from BC is also in Honduras be sent to these provinces so that the province will make right now for her second trip. She is adopting a boy who is the selection of which family each child may be assigned almost 7 years old. to. TDH is still accepting applications for this program. We have heard that no dossiers will be sent until the first Children may be 2 years and older (practically speaking, 29 child dossiers (those that came off the national most children are 3 and up), with children in the 2-4 year database by the end of July) are received at DA. old age range mostly going to adoptive parents under 40.