(Before I get started... ... I think the writing style of the Ukrainian adoption assessment report sucks. The sentences run on and on. I had to re-read the larger 70 and 80 words sentences several times to understand their meaning.)

Part 1 was the back story on why and how a 128 page assessment on Ukrainian adoption was produced. This assessment document can be found ... more

The SDA during the July 3 press conference mentioned the following nationalities have registered dossiers.

390 America 350 Spain 119 Italy 108 France 1 Belgium 1 Mexico 1 Portugal 1 Slovenia 1 Croatia

This is 972 out of 1,200 registered dossiers. The remaining dossiers probably belong to Israeli, Irish, German, Swedish, Swiss, Canadian or Dutch... more

What does it mean that Ukraine is focused on promoting domestic adoption?

the Minister for Family, Youth and Sports, Yuriy Pavlenko, held a press conference [on July 3] to announce the official opening of the new [Ukrainian] adoption authority, to be known as the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC),

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he made clear that promoting domestic adoptions will be the first priority and the main focus of the new adoption authority.

From: US... more

Citizens from many different countries adopt from Ukraine. All potential adoptive parents have been waiting for news for months and months.

The news from the US Embassy in Ukraine feels good. Families with registered dossiers will start getting appointments on September 1, 2006.

If I had a registered dossier, I would wait and adopt from Ukraine. The big question is should non-registered families wait to see what happens on January 1 2007? The SDA said... more

Here is an email from the US Embassy in Kyiv on the July 3 press conference. It confirms what I heard from various translators.... and it has some more information.

Ukraine is focusing on domestic adoption. Every year a thousand or more Ukrainian citizens adopt children, but it has been decreasing. The number of disrupted domestic Ukrainian adoptions has been increasing.

And the government is trying to get rid of any corruption from the adoption system.

And a very interesting change..... Adoptive parents can no longer bring their own translator with them... more

Yuri Pavlenko is the Minister for Family, Youth and Sport. The State Department on Adoption and Children's Rights (SDA) is in this Ministry. SDA has all authority over Ukrainian adoption. Everyone was hoping he would announce when adoptions will start up again.

Pavlenko held a press conference this morning about adoption and future plans to reduce the number of homeless children.

For anyone who is wondering.... Pavlenko is safe and won't be leaving. With the coalition government forming this means that some Ministers will be replaced.

Ukrainian... more

Picture: An Open Air Market in Kharkiv from 2000. Everyone lays their goods on the sidewalk.

I know this is a very basic question. But I forgot poverty isn't always defined by lack of money. I assume others folks fall into this thinking too.

try this definition [of poverty] from Benjamin I. Page and James R. Simmons, political scientists at Northwestern University and the University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, respectively

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"A person deprived of things that everyone around him has is likely to suffer... more

There is going to be a press conference tomorrow June 29 July 3 with the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports. Topic is the opening of the SDA to the public.

For anyone new to Ukrainian adoption.

All Ukrainian adoption has been shutdown for the last few months (April, May and June). This is to allow Ukraine to transition their adoption processing from the Education Ministry to the Family, Youth and Sports Ministry. Child protective services are already under the Family, Youth and Sports Ministry. The new adoption... more

Here is the SDA's web site. Unfortunately they don't have an English version yet. It is in Ukrainian. But email friend has translated part of the information.

Director: Volinets Ludmila Semenivna

First Vice Director: Balym Ludmila Volodymyrivna

Vice Director: Hrischenko Fedir Volodymyrovych

Vice Director: Savchuk Inna Victorivna.

Address: Desiatynna Street #14, Kyiv 01025

Fax: 278-37-54

The rumor part... Staff are working in the... more

First the old rumor.. The SDA was suppose to open to adoptive families today. It didn't. No one is surprised. Staff is working at the SDA building. I have hopes that it will open to adoptive parents in July. (sigh...........)

I wrote about becoming a volunteer coordinator for my daughter's Ukrainian orphanage 2.5 weeks ago. I am working with the Life2Orphans charity, which is based in the United States.

I just realized that I didn't share my stories... more