AUGUST PROGRAM UPDATE

Dear China Families, Contractors, and Welcome House Staff:

Below is a brief update which I just posted to our China Yahoo Group. Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. (215) 249-0100 ext. 119

China Program Update

Placements
I am very pleased to announce that we will have six placements from China in the months of July and August. Four Children came home in July. (I previously posted about two children adopted through the shared list who became US citizens when they touched down in early July.) I am also very pleased to report our first placements through the regular referral process took place in the second half of July. Both families matched through the regular referral process waited 49 months for the referral of their daughters, but had an amazing experience in China. A very big congratulations to Barb and to Chuck and Mariann and big brother, Matthew on the placement of their beautiful daughters from Jiangxi province.

Then in early August, we had two more families take off to meet their beautiful daughters. Li has been incredibly busy this summer, with groups literally leaving for China every 2 to 3 weeks! WHEW!! The two little girls just placed with their families this August were both waiting children, under two years of age, from two separate orphanages in Guangdong Province. Heartfelt Congratulations to Steve and Karen and to Eric and Robin on the adoption of their beautiful daughters this month.

The total number of placements so far in the new fiscal year 2010-2011 which just began on July 1st, 2010 is already 6, and the total number of placements calendar year to date is 11.

Pending Travel
We also have two more families who will be leaving for China in early September to meet their daughters. Both families are also adopting waiting children under two years of age. One little girl is from Guangdong province and one little girl is from Guangxi Province. After the September travel group leaves for China, there are two additional families adopting waiting children who have their letters of confirmation and should receive their travel approvals within the next month or so. Finally, we anticipate that our next dossier group, whose log-in date was 5/19/2006 might receive their referrals through the regular process in the next two months. Unfortunately, adoption travel in October and November will be virtually impossible. There are large trade shows in Guangzhou as well as the Asian Games which are slated to take place. There are no hotel rooms available in October and November and all adoption visas must be processed at the US consulate in Guangzhou. Accordingly, I anticipate that our next travel group, after the September families depart, will leave for China in early December 2010.

New Applications and Dossiers submitted
We have received 11 new applications for our China program Calendar year to date. We sent 2 dossiers to China in early August and anticipate sending three more dossiers to China very shortly. We have sent 2 dossiers FYTD and 4 dossiers CYTD.

Current Status of Referrals and Dossier Reviews
As of August 16th, 2010 dossiers that were registered on or before July 31st, 2009 have been reviewed and families with dossiers registered on or before May 15th, 2006 have been successfully matched with children.

CCAA announces new Special Children of Focus Program
CCAA announced this week that they are rolling out a Special Children of Focus program, for harder to place special needs children who have been listed on the shared list for at least two months without an adoptive resource for the child being identified. We will be sharing more details about this initiative as they are shared with us, but adoption agencies will be able to recruit adoptive families for harder to place children, and families will be given up to six months to submit their dossiers to CCAA.

Congratulations to all of our brand new parents this summer. I will post again soon.

Amy Durie
China Program Coordinator