International Adoption Net Blog

Today we celebrate a special referral acceptance. A wonderful family has been matched with a beautiful 3 month old baby boy, and this match occurs on the anniversary of this new Mom’s breast cancer diagnosis. We are so grateful to share this family’s joy in both a new baby and a healthy, healed mom.

List movement is below, and Happy Valentine’s Day to all!

-Infant girl: everyone after #15 moves one spot.

-Infant boy: everyone after #6 moves one spot.

Family time on the waiting list: One year, four months, nine days (with several weeks on hold).

Also, due to a family consolidating to one list, the waitlist is moving again!

-Infant boy: everyone after #4 moves one spot.

-Toddler girl: everyone after #3 moves one spot.

-Toddler boy: everyone after #1 moves one spot.

Due to a last minute change in a families plans, IAN is requesting for a family to volunteer to come in this Saturday during our training class to speak with our new families about what they may encounter during the adoption process.

If you can volunteer please contact Cat at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or simply call the office. Your help is very much appreciated. Thank You!

Hello friends and families of IAN,

We all know how much of a heart you have for the waiting children of Ethiopia.

We are excited to announce a new parent led team to continue advocating for waiting children now and once they are home.

This team will manage a blog called Hoping You Home at www.hopingyouhomeian.blogspot.com.

Here we will have information on the waiting children (information that is allowed to be shared) and other adoption resources geared specifically to waiting children and older child adoptions.

We encourage you to follow this blog and share the posts as they are published.

Our goal is to help these precious children find a family and to encourage and support those families along the way.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please feel free to email the Team Leader Charisa Knight at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ethiopia Trip Report January 2012

IAN was recently invited to a conference in the southern region of Ethiopia to provide input on how a solution could be found to moving that region forward. This was Bill’s primary purpose for traveling to Ethiopia. This conference was postponed, however, Bill’s work was not yet complete. IAN wanted to do a full assessment of the Ethiopia program / Care Center. While in Ethiopia Bill traveled to the southern regional MOWA, Ajuuja, Federal Court, US Embassy, and a couple of other care centers and orphanages for a comparison of standards to further assess IAN’s program in Ethiopia. While in Ethiopia, the following challenges were discovered:

1. The slowdown of the southern region and the planned conference was postponed

2. Staff training of the IAN Ethiopia staff and the manner in which their duties were performed

3. Condition of the IAN Care Center

4. Transportation of families while in Addis

The following is brief explanation of the course of action IAN will take to address these challenges:

1. The slowdown of the southern region is an internal regional MOWA issue that needs to be addressed by the regional MOWA itself. IAN attempted to speak with the regional MOWA in order to support any progress or plan to move the region forward, however, the regional MOWA is not meeting with agencies at this time and the conference, if it happens, will be the avenue agencies can pursue to provide input to the regional MOWA. The local orphanage directors in the region attempt daily contact with the regional MOWA to move cases along. The region is not completely closed and some small progress with cases is happening on a case by case basis. IAN contacts the region on a daily basis to stay up to date on the changes and if the conference will happen or if our families cases will move along.

2. There is refresher training for the staff at the care center to refresh the staff in all of the duties and standards that will be maintained at the care center and the manner in which these standards will be kept up. Regular inspection of the care center by management in a more formal manner will assure these new standards are maintained.

3. The care center is undergoing a renovation as we speak. All rooms will be cleaned and freshly painted, all electrical fixtures will be repaired, all mattresses are being replaced, broken beds are being repaired or replaced, and all playground equipment is being painted and resurfaced for safety, any and all playground safety hazards are being addressed in the appropriate manner. A procedure for safety inspections is being developed and the staff will be trained on how to conduct this inspection. IAN will be posting pictures on our website of the renovations as they are completed for all to see. The pictures are expected next week.

4. The procedure for providing transportation for the families by IAN staff is being reviewed by management for improvement and the results will be implemented upon completion of that review. A procedure for hiring drivers is also being evaluated to provide for the safety of families who choose to hire drivers outside of IAN, as not all drivers are licensed and properly credentialed to provide safe and secure services for visiting families as per Ethiopian law.

IAN has implemented a quality control program and will continue to improve its services to the wonderful families that provide loving homes to these wonderful children. IAN is very excited concerning the upcoming changes that will be put into place as the agency strives to continually improve the quality of service to its families. IAN welcomes any and all input either positive or negative from families as IAN does take family input very seriously. Please contact Bill Dickerson if you have any input for the agency.

These updates and reports as changes are implemented will continue in the Family Center of the current updates section of our website. Families can also find a customer satisfaction survey in the Family Center as well. Please feel free to fill this survey out and allow IAN to continue to improve our services as family input is very important to IAN.

Please check back often as humanitarian projects are also in development for the website.

Thank you very much for your support as IAN makes these changes and works into the future to continue to provide these wonderful children with their “Forever Homes.”