Mrs. Haregewoin Teferra has died. She passed away on March 17, 2009. Haregewoin was and will continue to be an example and an inspiration for people to love and care, without reservation, for children in need. Her ability and determination to care for the neediest when no one else would and her determination to make the situation better for them brought much needed attention to the problems that face the orphans in Ethiopia. People of all ages flocked to Haregewoin because she did not let AIDS, the threat of social ostracism for caring for children and befriending adults with AIDS, or financial hardship (in a country that has been enduring longer and deeper economic troubles than what most of us can imagine), keep her from sharing everything she had with the children that arrived at her door. These sites will give you more information about Haregewoin and help answer any questions you might have about the issue of adoption from Ethiopia. Mark and I also recommend the book There Is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene. Her book is extremely well researched and has an endless list of sources and information at the end. A Google search will also provide you with hours of reading on the complexity and seriousness of the issues that I discuss below.
http://www.thereisnomewithoutyou.com/blog?op=view&id=64
http://www.ethiopianreview.com/content/2009/03/ethiopian-humanitarian-haregewoin-teferra-dies/
Please realize that adoption is NOT viewed, and rightly so, as a solution for the orphans in Ethiopia. These beautiful children are loved and wanted but they become orphans due to one or both parents dying and the often impossible task of earning an income due to a combination of drought and a bad economy and/or stigmatism from someone in the family having AIDS. The number of orphans that will be adopted does not touch the problem it simply saves those children. That is the concern of the Ethiopian government and that concern, saving as many children as possible, is weighed against the loss to the child of their family, home, country, culture, language, and heritage. It is a huge loss for the child and the country. The beautiful children from Ethiopia that you see adopted into families are a treasure to those families and their communities. However I am hopeful that more people will become more informed and therefore better able to promote healing and recovery in Ethiopia and that will provide a greater and more secure future for the children in Ethiopia.
Greater access to the medicines that have made AIDS a chronic disease in the Western World is needed. For too long, and at the expense of a generation of people in third world countries like Ethiopia, pharmaceutical companies would not make the needed medicines easily available and affordable. It is complicated but right now it is my understanding that only the first round of AIDS medicines has been made affordable and available. The second and desperately needed round of medicines that an Aids patient need is still being kept out of reach (greed) and therefore the numbers of people dying from AIDS in third world countries continues to be outrageous. It is also my understanding that AIDS became AIDS and was then spread primarily with the reuse of plastic needles during the early immunization phase in Africa (1950's on) because not enough (needles were made inexpensive and mass produced in US but not distributed widely enough) were made available to meet the demand for the miracle immunization drugs that were proven to save lives in record numbers.
Haregewoin Teferra your life will be honored by all of us who have been touched by your efforts. We will be the ones to carry on for you. It is our turn now.
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Baby Room pics!!!
Here you go!
It's been a while but we are almost done! The room is serene and cute with many things that are mine from when I was a little girl. Several things were handmade by my mom. The dressers from my childhood bedroom were refinished by my parents quite a while back. There are still a few things to add but it feels great to be ready. The "Hope" bear that Brenda from Children's Hope gave us is in the crib waiting for our baby to love on it.
There is also a new link under Our Library Wish List on the left to try out. The guest password ourgirl must be entered to see the list. I created a baby gift list of books and music that are special for our adoption. These are about adoption, racial issues, hair care, Ethiopia, and Africa. If you choose any of these for us then we would be happy for you to read or listen to your gift before we receive it. Much of this is new to us so it would be so neat to talk to you and hear your ideas and thoughts afterwards!
Enjoy the pics!
Lisa
It's been a while but we are almost done! The room is serene and cute with many things that are mine from when I was a little girl. Several things were handmade by my mom. The dressers from my childhood bedroom were refinished by my parents quite a while back. There are still a few things to add but it feels great to be ready. The "Hope" bear that Brenda from Children's Hope gave us is in the crib waiting for our baby to love on it.
There is also a new link under Our Library Wish List on the left to try out. The guest password ourgirl must be entered to see the list. I created a baby gift list of books and music that are special for our adoption. These are about adoption, racial issues, hair care, Ethiopia, and Africa. If you choose any of these for us then we would be happy for you to read or listen to your gift before we receive it. Much of this is new to us so it would be so neat to talk to you and hear your ideas and thoughts afterwards!
Enjoy the pics!
Lisa
Monday, March 2, 2009
Keep Moving Forward
So this winter has been a time of hunkering down and regrouping. While things with the adoption are taking longer and leaving us with out a clear time frame, other parts of our world have kept right on keeping on. It has also become clear to me that in order to stay viable in the job market we all have to keep adding to what we can offer.
With the arts always on the verge of or actually being cut or reduced in quantity/quality it's been clear to me for a long time that if I want greater opportunities for my career as an educator that the arts is not going to provide them. As much as I love teaching art and am always on the lookout for better and new ways to teach it and share my passion for it, it may never provide any stability and security for my career. I plan to keep my professional art educator license up after I graduate though because you never know.
Something that is increasingly important to us is the need to create a stable and secure future for our daughter. So with that in mind I am moving forward with applying to start in the online Masters of Library Science program through the University of Tennessee (UT). The online program means no commute to school and therefore less time away from baby. I've been researching library science programs for a long time and have been interested in being a librarian for over 15 years. This is a 42 credit hour program and allows me to add a school librarian certification to my program.
I will be able to work full time when our girl goes off to school and still have hours that match hers so I can be there for her after school and hopefully she will go to the same school that I work at. I can also work in academic libraries, art libraries, and businesses. I may only take one class this fall. I may need to defer until the spring if we find out we will be traveling in the fall. It is 3 or 4 years of study as a part time student so regardless it is time to get moving.
This is a big decision and one that we have put lots of time and thinking into. Send us your best wishes when you get a chance.
With the arts always on the verge of or actually being cut or reduced in quantity/quality it's been clear to me for a long time that if I want greater opportunities for my career as an educator that the arts is not going to provide them. As much as I love teaching art and am always on the lookout for better and new ways to teach it and share my passion for it, it may never provide any stability and security for my career. I plan to keep my professional art educator license up after I graduate though because you never know.
Something that is increasingly important to us is the need to create a stable and secure future for our daughter. So with that in mind I am moving forward with applying to start in the online Masters of Library Science program through the University of Tennessee (UT). The online program means no commute to school and therefore less time away from baby. I've been researching library science programs for a long time and have been interested in being a librarian for over 15 years. This is a 42 credit hour program and allows me to add a school librarian certification to my program.
I will be able to work full time when our girl goes off to school and still have hours that match hers so I can be there for her after school and hopefully she will go to the same school that I work at. I can also work in academic libraries, art libraries, and businesses. I may only take one class this fall. I may need to defer until the spring if we find out we will be traveling in the fall. It is 3 or 4 years of study as a part time student so regardless it is time to get moving.
This is a big decision and one that we have put lots of time and thinking into. Send us your best wishes when you get a chance.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Important update
For all of you who may be in close contact with our baby girl within 60 days of our return from Ethiopia please follow through. Send this information to friends and families you know that are adopting from the countries listed in the article. This vaccination has been reccomended for years but people are not following though and getting it.
Panel: Adopting from abroad? Get hepatitis A shotBy MIKE STOBBE – 2 hours ago ATLANTA (AP) — A 51-year-old adoptive grandmother's death from hepatitis has helped spur new vaccination recommendations for people in close contact with children adopted from other countries.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, meeting in Atlanta, voted Wednesday to recommend hepatitis A vaccinations for all close contacts of children coming from countries where hepatitis A is relatively common. That includes Guatemala, China, Russia and Ethiopia — four countries that are currently the major sources of international adoptions. The committee makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Federal officials estimate that international adoptees trigger only 100 to 1,000 of the estimated 32,000 hepatitis A infections that occur in the United States each year. But cases that do occur are sometimes tragic.Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a virus, which can spread through handling a diaper or other contact with contaminated feces. Federal guidelines call for vaccinations against it for all U.S. children and for adults who travel to countries where the illness is common.The two-dose vaccination costs about $140 per person. International adoptions tend to cost $20,000 to $40,000, said Dr. Cindy Weinbaum, a CDC viral hepatitis expert.Children adopted from other countries generally do not have recommended vaccinations when they arrive. They undergo physical examinations, but infected young children often don't have the jaundice considered a sign of the illness, CDC officials said.Non-traveling family members of the new adoptee often aren't vaccinated either. A CDC official told the panel a 2007 international adoption of twins caused the death of a 51-year-old woman in Minnesota. Another last year put two adults in the hospital and prompted school vaccination clinics in a Maine community.The panel's recommendation is targeted at family members, baby sitters and others who come in close contact with an international adoptee within 60 days of the child's arrival in the United States. Ideally, people should get the first dose at least two weeks before the parents bring the child home, health officials said. Hosted by Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Panel: Adopting from abroad? Get hepatitis A shotBy MIKE STOBBE – 2 hours ago ATLANTA (AP) — A 51-year-old adoptive grandmother's death from hepatitis has helped spur new vaccination recommendations for people in close contact with children adopted from other countries.The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, meeting in Atlanta, voted Wednesday to recommend hepatitis A vaccinations for all close contacts of children coming from countries where hepatitis A is relatively common. That includes Guatemala, China, Russia and Ethiopia — four countries that are currently the major sources of international adoptions. The committee makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Federal officials estimate that international adoptees trigger only 100 to 1,000 of the estimated 32,000 hepatitis A infections that occur in the United States each year. But cases that do occur are sometimes tragic.Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by a virus, which can spread through handling a diaper or other contact with contaminated feces. Federal guidelines call for vaccinations against it for all U.S. children and for adults who travel to countries where the illness is common.The two-dose vaccination costs about $140 per person. International adoptions tend to cost $20,000 to $40,000, said Dr. Cindy Weinbaum, a CDC viral hepatitis expert.Children adopted from other countries generally do not have recommended vaccinations when they arrive. They undergo physical examinations, but infected young children often don't have the jaundice considered a sign of the illness, CDC officials said.Non-traveling family members of the new adoptee often aren't vaccinated either. A CDC official told the panel a 2007 international adoption of twins caused the death of a 51-year-old woman in Minnesota. Another last year put two adults in the hospital and prompted school vaccination clinics in a Maine community.The panel's recommendation is targeted at family members, baby sitters and others who come in close contact with an international adoptee within 60 days of the child's arrival in the United States. Ideally, people should get the first dose at least two weeks before the parents bring the child home, health officials said. Hosted by Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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