These country updates bring you the most current and up-to-date information from our program coordinators. One way of keeping you informed of what is going on in the country.
March 2010
Official news coming from the Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare (Ministry) and from the Child NGO Federation Nepal (CNFN) has been relatively quiet over the past couple of weeks. On March 4th the U.S. Department of State (DOS) issued a warning to prospective adoptive parents and agencies working in Nepal, this announcement may be found here www.adoption.state.gov/country/nepal.html. In this announcement the DOS is warning families not to initiate an adoption in Nepal at this time and for agencies to carefully evaluate the adoption practices in Nepal. CAS is in discussion with Joint Council agencies, the Ministry, CNFN and Nepali representatives regarding this statement. We are advocating, along with other agencies, for the Nepali Government to make changes and corrections to their current adoption system in order to prevent any corruption or wrong doings. In supporting the best interest of the children we would like to see Nepal make these changes while keeping adoptions open.
We are currently not accepting new applications for the Nepal program due to the uncertainty of future adoptions. As we receive official information it will be posted on our website.
February 2010
We are waiting for news from the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare about new referrals and travel approval for families who received referrals in September. At this time though no official announcement has been made, the Ministry is not accepting new dossiers. On February 4th the following article was posted regarding adoptions in Nepal,
news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100204/wl_asia_afp/nepalchildadoptionlaw. The U.S government has not yet indicated their official position relative to the UNICEF article. We will post updated information once an official announcement has been made regarding the validity of the claims.
January 2010
Nepal is a country known for its many festivals, including several intended to serve as celebrations of the New Year! The first is the celebration of Lhosar or Tibetan New Year, occurring each February and marking the New Year of the Tibetan and Sherpa people who inhabit Nepal. The day is celebrated by feasting, dancing and the exchanging of gifts. The second New Year celebration in Nepal takes place in early April, marking the beginning of a new calendar year and celebrated by socializing with friends and family.
We begin the New Year cautiously optimistic in relation to international adoption from Nepal. The Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare has undergone some staff changes and these new appointees remain focused in ensuring that adoptions process in as smooth and timely a manner as possible. They have not issued new estimates in relation to the current time frames from dossier submission to referral, nor have they given a best guess as to how wait times may increase with the influx of new dossiers anticipated in January 2010.
December 2009
While instability remains in the structure of the Nepalese government, the US Embassy continues to work closely with the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare to ensure that adoptions are processed in an ethical manner. As per the Ministry, current time frames are estimated to be 6-8 months from the time of dossier submission to referral. Families should know that we anticipate the wait times will greatly increase beginning in January 2010, as the Ministry opens to receiving more dossiers from all of the agencies working in Nepal.
In other news, we have had some staff changes in our office and our new Nepal program coordinator is Mary Beth King. Mary Beth is based in our Raleigh office and, while not having traveled to Nepal, she has spent time in Vietnam while working as program coordinator for another agency, giving her experience in both Asia and in the world of international adoption. Mary Beth is excited to learn more about the country and culture of Nepal and has already overwhelmed the local library with book requests!
November 2009
The months of September and October are full of festivals in Nepal thus adoption activity was at a standstill as offices have been closed on and off during this time. The beginning of November is projected to be a difficult time politically in Nepal and we are uncertain of the impact this may have on families waiting for their dossiers to be processed, matches to be made and travel to be arranged. Timeframes remain unpredictable during this time of instability. We are currently accepting new applications for 2009 and 2010 for families hoping to adopt children 3 1/2 years and older. Please continue to check our website for any new updates.
September 2009
At the end of August we were informed that the Deputy Prime Minister granted approval for the first three families to complete their adoptions and they may travel immediately. On September 2nd a new Minister and State Minister were assigned to the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare. It is not yet clear if this is the start of the resumption of all adoption activity. We are currently accepting new applications for 2009 and 2010. Please continue to check our website for any new updates.
August 2009
There continues to be a hold on adoption activity as there is not a minister seated at the Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare (MOWCSW). It is hopeful that a new minister will be appointed in the near future; however, they are not offering any projection regarding timeframes. The matching process and preparation for the first families to travel may not resume until there is a minister. For the next 1-3 months, CAS will carefully be monitoring adoption activity and until further notice we will not be sending additional dossiers to Nepal and will not be accepting new applicants to the program. Please continue to check our website for any new updates.
July 2009
Adoption activity in Nepal has slowed down as there is currently not a Minister seated at the Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare (MOWCSW). It is hopeful that a new Minister will be appointed in the near future, but there are not any projected timeframes. The matching process and preparation for the first families to travel may not resume until there is a Minister at the MOWCSW. For the next 1-3 months CAS will carefully be monitoring adoption activity and until further notice we will not be sending additional dossiers to Nepal and will not be accepting new applicants to the program. There are still children who need our support! CAS has launched a child sponsorship program this month; please check our website for more information on how you may sponsor a Nepali child to provide for their basic needs and education.
June 2009
We are very excited to share that our first dossier has now been sent to Nepal. We are currently accepting ten additional families into this program with the understanding that these families may need to wait and submit their dossier in January 2010. CAS is working to finalize a child sponsorship program, please continue to check our website for more information on how you may sponsor a Nepali child to provide for their basic needs and education.
May 2009
CAS President/CEO, Rosemary Martin, has returned from a successful and eye-opening trip to Nepal. Rosemary had the opportunity to visit two orphanages, one of which Carolina Adoption Services has been supporting. The Child Welfare Home was very clean and the children all appeared happy and cared for well. At this time our Nepal adoption program is full to new applicants as each agency that is licensed to work in Nepal is limited to working with 10 families during 2009. The majority of the children who are in Nepali orphanages are not eligible for adoption, thus CAS is currently working with the Child Welfare Home to develop a child sponsorship program. We should have information soon on how you may sponsor a Nepali child to provide for their basic needs and education. If you would like more information about Nepal or sponsoring a child, contact Allie Weldon.
To view past Nepal adoption program updates, please see our CAS Publications page and click on the Monthly Country Updates.