HIC Ohana News

HIC Mourns Ohana Member James Delano

Long time friend and supporter of HIC, James Delano, died on January 6, 2009 while volunteering in Mumbai, India. James was pivitol in establishing HIC's African adoption program and carrying out countless other acts of selflessness over the past 18 years. He will be greatly missed. For more information about James' incredible life of service and hard work, please see the following links:

New Adoption Program

New Philippines Adoption Program

Hawaii International Child is hosting a general information session introducing the new HIC Philippines Adoption Program! We cordially invite all interested persons in the HIC Ohana to attend this meeting to learn more about adopting through the Philippines.

Before confirming your attendance, please consider the requirements for adopting from the Philippines as noted below. We expect to cover all aspects of the program in approximately one hour during this lunchtime meeting.

At least one of the prospective adoptive parents must be a U.S. citizen.
Prospective adoptive parents must be married for at least three years (marriage is defined as being between a man and a woman). If either the husband or wife has been divorced (no more than one divorce), the prospective adoptive parents must be married for at least five years before applying to adopt from the Philippines. Single women are eligible to adopt a child over the age of 5.
Prospective adoptive parents must be between the ages of 27 and 47. There must be an age difference between both prospective parents and the adoptive child(ren) of no less than 16 years and no more than 47 years unless considering a special needs adoption or a large sibling group. To clarify, prospective adoptive parents who are older than 47 may adopt through this program but must adopt a child who is no more than 47 years their junior. Both the husband and wife must be at least 27 years old.
Both the husband and wife must be physically and mentally fit and must not have a history of anxiety, depression, or morbid obesity. Both prospective adoptive parents must have a favorable psychological evaluation conducted during the home study process.
Either the husband or wife must have stable employment. The family must at least satisfy the state and federal poverty guidelines.
Prospective adoptive parents must demonstrate five years of affiliation with a church with a letter on church letterhead attesting to the couple's faith and moral character.
There must be no more than two children in the family under the age of 18 years. Preference will be given to childless couples.
If either or both of the prospective parents has Filipino heritage, their case will be expedited.
Neither prospective adoptive parents may have a criminal history; they must behave honorably, with good moral character, and be law-abiding.

HIC Philippines Adoption Program
General Information Session
Thursday, November 19, 2009, 12:00pm (Noon)

Please RSVP as soon as possible to John@h-i-c.org or by calling (808) 589-2367 ext 202.

Three Ways to Give

Three ways you can donate to Hawaii International Child this fall...

Since 1975, HIC has built families and saved lives with adoption programs in Azerbaijan, China, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, the Republic of Georgia, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, the United States and Vietnam. We have placed more than 3,000 children with their forever families.

This fall you can help support our work by donating at the grocery store and/or at work! You can donate through Foodland's Give Aloha matching gifts program, through the Aloha United Way (AUW), or the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) workplace charitable giving campaigns.

Foodland & Sack N Save: Until the end of September, you may make a donation to HIC (up to $249) at any Foodland or Sack N Save checkout through their Give Aloha program. Foodland and the Western Union Foundation will match a portion of your gift! HIC's organization code is 78388.

Please send us a copy of your receipt so that we may acknowledge your gift.

Aloha United Way: HIC is proud to be an Aloha United Way Partner Agency. If you choose to donate to HIC through the Aloha United Way, please note that 100% of all designated funds will go directly to support HIC's work. (AUW does not deduct administrative fees from Partner Agency designated donations.) HIC's AUW designation code is 72670.

Combined Federal Campaign: If you are a federal employee and would like to donate to HIC through your annual CFC campaign, HIC's CFC designation code is 12408.

Many thanks for thinking of HIC and for helping us meet our mission.

Universal Adoption Program Update

New TB Testing Requirements for Children Adopted Internationally Starting July 1, 2009

Official Statement
Starting July 1, 2009, new screening and treatment requirements for tuberculosis will become effective for foreign immigrants, including adopted children. For medical exams on or after this date, panel physicians will be required to follow the 2007 Technical Instructions for Tuberculosis Screening and Treatment issued by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Children between the ages of two and fourteen on the day of the medical exam will be required to have a tuberculin skin test. The test results must be read 48 to 72 hours after the test is administered. If the results are positive, a chest x-ray must be performed. Based upon the results of the chest x-ray, a physical exam, and the child’s medical history, the panel physician will determine the appropriate classification, if any, of tuberculosis. Further testing and treatment, prior to immigration, may be required. For further information on the new requirements, please contact the CDC or visit their web site at http://www.cdc.gov/tb/. Please keep these new requirements in mind when scheduling visa appointments.
From: U.S. Consulate General Guangzhou, China

HIC’s Take on the Ramifications of the New Requirements
These requirements currently affect China and several African countries and may become worldwide in the very near future.

At a minimum, the tuberculin skin test will require an additional 48-72 hours in the country. If the tuberculin skin test is positive, it will be necessary for the child to have a chest x-ray, further delaying the family’s stay in the country. If the child previously received the TB vaccination, it is possible that the tuberculin skin test will be positive while the chest x-ray reveals nothing. If the child has any kind of cold or virus and does not have TB, it is possible that the chest x-ray will not be clear and further testing such as special TB blood tests or an examination of a sputum sample may need to be done, again with further delay. In the worst case scenario, if it is ultimately determined that the child is afflicted with Latent TB Infection (LTBI) or TB Disease, treatment consists of a regimen of medicine for 9-12 months. This treatment will need to be completed and the child re-tested in their country of origin before being permitted to board a plane bound for the U.S. In this event, clients would likely hire a foster family to care for the child while he or she is undergoing TB treatment. Rest assured that many adoption agencies and waiting families around the U.S. are all dealing with this same issue and we will not be managing these cases in isolation. If and when this were to happen to your adopted child, HIC will assist in all possible manners. Until that time, we urge families to remain calm and wait for factual information.

How Does This Affect Me?
Until your child assignment has been verified, there is no action that can be taken. National adoption advocacy organizations are proactively working on changing this state of affairs. We are all aware that this is an important issue and will disseminate any new information as it becomes available.

International Adoption Programs

Personalized Information Sessions

In order to provide better service to prospective adoptive families, effective immediately, HIC will be offering personalized information sessions for Oahu families interested in learning more about our international adoption programs (currently: Africa, China Waiting Child, and Taiwan).

You may contact Shannon at (808) 589-2367 or shannon@h-i-c.org to find out which programs you might qualify for, and to schedule an information session with one of our program managers.

Please note that these personalized information sessions will be replacing HIC’s monthly general information sessions.

China Waiting Child Program

For parents who are considering adopting a waiting child, please take a look at this video posted by the Love Without Boundaries Foundation.

Taiwan Adoption Program

HIC is now accepting applications to the Taiwan Adoption Program for children aged 3+. If you are interested in this program, please contact John Trowbridge at (808) 589-2367 ext. 202 or via email at john@h-i-c.org

Hong Kong Adoption Program

HIC is temporarily suspending applications to our Hong Kong Adoption Program. We will continue to operate the program and new referrals will be announced to interested parties.

International Adoption NEWS FLASH

USCIS announces a positive ruling concerning the I-600A renewal process.

Read the Joint Council Update here (PDF Download).

IMPORTANT UPDATE for ACTIVE ADOPTING CLIENTS

The USCIS has recently added an important update to its website regarding I-600A and I-800A forms. We recommend all active adopting clients read this update.

Hague Accreditation!

HIC is excited to announce that we have received Hague accreditation!

Click here for more Hague information.

International Adoption Advisories

China Adoption Processing Dates

The CCAA (China Center of Adoption Affairs) has moved the information regarding Document Processing (regarding the assignment of log-in dates) to the CCAA work system. Only approved international adoption agencies are able to access this system. The information is updated during the first week of each month. In order to make sure that our clients have the most up to date information available, we will email monthly updates as soon as they become available.

URGENT Information Regarding

I-171 H and Fingerprinting Clearances

HIC urges all clients to renew their I-600A applications and fingerprinting prior to expiration in order to maintain consistent I-171H approvals and up to date fingerprints.