The court has extended their closure due to training. Many with early October court dates have already been rescheduled for later in the month; the latest date I've heard so far is October 21st. Here are what agencies are saying about re-open dates (updated):

-In 2 weeks, no date given- 2 US agencies
-October 12- 2 US agencies
-October 13- 1 US agency

Re-opening of the courts

At least two US agencies so far have announced that the courts have delayed their re-opening until Oct 12th or 13th due to training.

At least one US agency has announced that the court will be closed for another two weeks for training (no re-open date given)

1 US agency said recently that the courts will be opening back up on October 7th 2009.

(post edited)

Abandoned children without clearance letters

An email:

"Are there any families that received referrals of children abandoned in Addis Ababa that meet all of the following criteria?

1. The children were referred before or during the ban
2. They had been reported to the police as abandoned BEFORE the ban, but
3. Had not completed their 60 day police clearances at the time the ban started

I would like to know if any of these adoptions have been processed and how many are still pending. We are in this category and know 3 others from the same orphanage that are as well and we are still waiting for our police clearances."

If you have any information regarding cases like this, please respond or email me. Thanks!

Ethiopia and singles

At least 2 US agencies have reportedly told their clients that Ethiopia is now closed to single individuals wanting to adopt. It is believed that those with referrals will be able to complete the process.

edited: At least 1 European agency was told no more singles after Sep 2009, and at least one agency in the UK has reported that the UK is officially closed to singles.

From the Australian government:
Australia has received advice from the Ethiopian Ministry of Woman’s Affairs (MoWA) that no further adoption applications from single applicants will be accepted by the Ethiopian program. This applies to any potential applications from single persons yet to be approved by State and Territory Central Authorities, including those who have lodged adoption applications and are currently under assessment.

MoWA has agreed that existing applications already approved by State and Territories can be progressed. This includes those applications lodged with the Australian Representatives in Ethiopia, and those approved and waiting with Central Authorities.

The Annual Court Closure

Obviously the courts have stayed open longer than usual, but it seems they will likely be closed after this Friday. Here is the current list:

Closing after August 21st: at least 5 US agencies, at least 1 European agency

Reopening Sep. 25th: 1 US agency
...in about 4 weeks: 1 US agency
...in early October: at least 2 US agencies
...October 6th:at least 1 US agency

The earliest court date I've heard is October 6th. If you have a court date after August 21 but prior to October 6, please let us know!

The future of this blog...

As you may have noticed, I've had nothing to post lately. This blog was originally set up to pass on information specifically concerning the abandonment hold, though often the information was beneficial to anyone with an interest in Ethiopian adoption (such as MOWA closing for training, the dates of the annual summer closure, etc.)

I'm happy and willing to continue posting what agencies are saying about any Ethiopian adoption related topic whatsoever, not just the abandonment ban. If your agency shares some interesting news, please feel free to pass it on to the rest of us! Not all of us have agencies that are quick to learn of and share new developments in Ethiopian Adoption.

As for the abandonment hold, many families have now passed court and some are currently traveling or will travel soon. We understand this hold was necessary to make sure all ET adoptions remain ethical, and very much appreciate those in Ethiopia who worked hard to complete their investigation in a relatively short time frame!

There are many families still affected, unfortunately...some who are waiting for new court dates to come or be assigned, some who are waiting on essential paperwork before they can move forward, and some who were referred abandoned children without police clearances who are currently waiting for decisions to be made on how to proceed with such cases. Our hearts go out to these families.

Thank you so much to everyone who was willing to pass on what their agencies were saying, and to anyone who may continue to do so in the future :-)

Most agencies now seem to be getting court dates for new cases for early October, after the court closure. It appears that the majority of cases who had original court dates during the ban are being heard before the closure. If you're an abandonment case still waiting for a 2nd court date or if you've received one for October, please let us know.