Children of Serbia

I have been in the orphanage in Belgrade four times now. Three times I have looked into the eyes of children who have never had someone return the look with love in their eyes. I have loved on children who have never before felt love. I have seen children who's lives are spent in a crib, waiting for the next time someone else chooses to move them. I have seen children who are blind left alone in their darkness. I have seen children who are deaf left alone in their silence. I have seen children with autism left to linger in their own solitary world. I have seen children with Down syndrome left to do nothing. Nothing at all.

Many of you reading here have read about the stories from all over the world. The horrible facilities where the "useless eaters" waste away to nothing. These same facilities exist all over the world, and Serbia is no exception.

My heart lies in Serbia. It aches for the children left behind. Unfortunately pictures of the orphans of Serbia cannot be posted on websites or blogs. As much as I want to get their story out, I also must respect the laws of Serbia regarding child privacy. And so,  I need to ask you to use your imagination a bit, to picture Pleven  to remember the investigation done by MDRI in 2007. (we have reason to believe Axel is one of the children pictured in the Serbia video).

According to the MDRI report: "Children with disabilities come directly from the hospital to the orphanage. Doctors encourage this. There is no interest in adopting children even with the mildest disability. Children without disabilities will go to foster families or will be adopted. Children with disabilities are left behind." – doctor, Subotica Institution for babies

Because the pictures cannot be posted, people forget these children exist. Adoption agencies don't make money on a child who's face can't be shown. Nobody is knocking down the doors of Serbia to find homes for these children. Families seem to hardly think twice about spending $20, $30, even $40,000 to adopt children from Bulgaria, Ukraine, Russia, China, Haiti. But Serbia, the least expensive country in the world to adopt from, free of all corruption - my adoption of Asher totaled $7100! - and yet nobody is saving the children. All because of one measly picture.

I must tell you, there are plenty of Ashers, Axels, Ivans, Marys, and Nicks in Serbia. There are laying down rooms, there are rooms no outsider will ever get into. There are institutions in Subotica, Kolevka, Kulina, Veliki Popovac, Veternik, Stamnica, Kovin, Curug...and more. *note not all of these facilities have children residing in them.* According to the report done by MDRI in 2007, in a country not much bigger than the state of Minnesota there are 78 institutions. Among them are 5 residential facilities for children.

I've posted before how Serbian adoptions work. No, you won't find pictures of Serbian orphans here or on any other website, but if you choose to pursue a Serbian adoption you will not travel without knowing information - and having had the opportunity to ask questions - about the child you'll be bringing home. It is like getting a prenatal diagnosis in a pregnancy; you know the child's diagnosis, age, height and weight, (and depending upon the child's social worker you might even get a picture of them before you travel) Just in case you need a reminder of the face of Serbian adoption, here are our two Serbian princes!

Axel at 4 months home

Asher home 5 months

Serbian Adoptions - Repost

Wow! I am so excited to see how many people are interested in adopting from Serbia! If you're new here and looking for information, I've compiled a post just for you, which I am reposting today.

This is based on CURRENT information about Serbian adoption practices. Please be warned...there is NOT ONE SINGLE U.S. based Adoption Agency that has established a formal working relationship with the Serbian Ministry. (this information is verifiable by contacting the Serbian ministry yourself. Please email me for that contact info and I will give it to you. I was specifically asked not to put the email address in a blog post due to problems with spam) If there is ANY agency making such claims ask to see their documentation of such an agreement. Also, a Serbian adoption should be somewhere around $13,500 or LESS. Any agency making claims of significantly more money (I have seen as much as $45,000!) should cause you to run. RUN and don't look back!

Ok...on to the repost...
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So you're wondering about adopting from Serbia. Is it for you? Will it work for your family? How much does it cost? What types of children are waiting for families? What are the requirements? I hope I can answer some of your questions, or point you in the direction of someone who can.

Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) is located in the Balkan region region of Europe. It is a small country, covering 34, 116 square miles. You can find out a lot about Serbia's history by reading here.

You can go to the Department of State's website for more details, but here are the basics:

Serbia is not party to the Hague Convention.

Who can adopt? Serbia requires that parents not be more than 45 years older than the child they are adopting. Parents must be married, but a common-law marriages can qualify. Single parents are approved on a case-by-case basis. If you're single be prepared to explain how you will care for a child with special needs.

What children are available?  There are currently more than 500 families in Serbia waiting to adopt healthy infants. While Serbia is slowly making progress in the area of services and acceptance for those with disabilities, they still have a long way to go. Because of this, the only children available for adoption from Serbia are those with physical or mental impairments who's needs can be better met in a country such as the U.S. There are currently approximately 50 children who are registered for international adoption in Serbia. Their needs vary from Down syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, Cleft lip/palate, Autism spectrum disorders or sibling groups. (keep in mind that except in the case of Down syndrome where a chromosome analysis can be done, diagnosis, particularly of Autism Spectrum Disorders, are not always accurate.) It is important to keep in mind that some things seen as "severe" in Serbia are diagnosis that are "no big deal" here in the U.S. This is mostly do to the services, both educational and medical, available in the U.S. Historically, children in Serbia born with obvious differences are usually institutionalized at birth. Although current laws state that children without parental care be placed in foster care at birth and that those currently residing in institutional care also be moved to foster care, the fact is there is a shortage of foster families willing to take the children with special needs. While education and public service announcements are becoming more common (I just saw some AWESOME t.v. commercials including many adults with Down syndrome during my most recently stay!) change takes time. While the children wait for change, they do just that....wait....

With the exception of sibling groups, families are only allowed to adopt one child at a time from Serbia.

Now that you have some background, let me explain the adoption process.

What are the agency requirements? At the moment Serbian adoptions are independent. While you need to work with a licensed homestudy agency to complete the homestudy process, you do not need to work with an adoption agency. You can make all your own arrangements for travel, lodging, translation etc. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, and would like more of a "hand holder", you can contact Cherish Our Children International. They are a US based 501c3 NGO registered with the US Embassy in Belgrade. (I'll cover this more later in the post.)

I want to know more. What is my next step?

1) Contact the Serbian Ministry directly. (email me and I can send you the email address) This should be a formal email in biography format. Include information about your family, your background, your income, etc. If you have a child with a disability already, include that as well as why you feel you can handle another child with special needs. Also include information about your relationships with extended family and what support systems you have in place should you adopt a child with special needs. In other words, what makes YOUR family a good candidate for a child with special needs from Serbia. List the criteria for a child who would fit into your family. For example, we were willing to adopt a child, either boy or girl, between the ages of 6-12 with Down syndrome or any other special needs. If you are specifically requesting a child with Down syndrome, you need to be open to all the medical diagnosis that are possible with Down syndrome because many of the issues are not diagnosed in Serbia. I also included photos of our home, our yard, the bedroom the child would sleep in, as well as some pictures of Angela participating in some of her many activities in the community. I explained how normal life for is for Angela in our community.

2) The Ministry will respond to your inquiry. Please be aware the "adoption unit" is run by a group of people who wear several hats, and adoption is just one of their many responsibilities. There are also only two English speaking contacts in the office. While people often receive a response with a couple of business days, there are odd holidays thrown in there and there, not to mention it's a very busy office. Please be patient. If you don't receive a response within two weeks, contact them again. When they do respond to you, it will be with additional questions, and/or requests for more information. At some point the ministry will request your dossier.

3) Items that must be included in your dossier. All items must be certified, notarized an apostilled:
   1. Homestudy
   2. Birth certificates for all adults in the household
   3. Marriage License (and divorce decrees if applicable)
   4. Federal Criminal Backround check (this is not the same as the Adam Walsh)
   5. State Criminal Background check
   6. Local Criminal Background check
   7. Medical reports for both parents. This is very generic, and only needs to state that the individual is free          of serious or communicable diseases or psychological disorders. Must be on physical letterhead and notarized.
   8. The following financial records:
      a. Bank statement including account balance (checking and savings)
      b. copy of latest income tax return
      c. Letter from current employer which must include annual wages
      d. Mortgage certificate listing you as owner of your home, or a letter from landlord stating rent paid w/copy of your lease.
   9. Proof of US residency (copy of passport)
  10. Photograph

4. Your dossier must be translated into Serbian. You can contact the US Embassy, Belgrade to request a list of translators. Please note the Embassy cannot endorse any translator. They will only provide you a list of translators who are qualified to translate your documents. You can find the list here, or contact the embassy directly.
US Embassy in SerbiaKneza Miloša 50
11000 Belgrade
Serbia
Tel: (+381 11) 306 4655
http://belgrade.usembassy.gov/

Your other option is to contact COCI (Cherish Our Children International) and they will make translation arrangements for you. The going rate for translation is 10 euro per page. There is a 1900 keystroke per page limit, so some documents (such as your homestudy) will translate to several pages more than the original. (for example, my updated homestudy was 8 pages but translated to 14) When counting pages of your originals, be sure to count the appostille pages! (You may also contact COCI for information about walking you through the rest of  your in-country process. I have been involved with COCI for a little over a year  now and their staff is amazing! Please read more details about their work in Serbia by clicking here. COCI is a true example of what it means to work with a society for change!)

5. At some point in the process - it seems to be a little different depending upon the circumstances of certain children/families - the ministry will provide you with a list of children who are registered for international adoption who fit the criteria you have requested. When I adopted Axel, I had met him on a previous visit so I made my request for a child fitting his criteria. My adoption of Asher was the first truly "blind" adoption into the US. Meaning I did not have any information on a child prior to my inquiry. At that time you may ask for further questions to help you make a decision. Please be patient with this process. The ministry (which is like the state) must contact the child's social center (which is like the county) who is responsible for the child. However, the child might actually be housed in a facility at the other end of the country from the social center so it can take a few days to get your questions answered. It is possible you will not receive a picture of the children! Due to the selling of information that happened in previous years, Serbia is extremely protective of the privacy rights of it's children. Please be respectful of this. We did not get a picture of Asher before we traveled. We could have chosen to wait for a picture, however Dean and I decided together that just like a pregnancy when we have no idea what our child will look like, this adoption was no different. We didn't care what he looked like. (and to be honest, Asher took horrible pictures and I think having his picture could have caused us to choose a different child.)

6. Both parents are required to travel. Once you have made your decision on a child, the ministry will give you a travel date. This is a FAST process! We were formally accepted for Asher on November 15th, and my meeting with the ministry in Belgrade was on November 22nd! The ministry will work with you on establishing a travel date that works for your family. We were prepared to travel quickly since we wanted our child home fast. In my opinion, if you're working toward completing an adoption, you know the travel is coming! With a Serbian adoption it's pretty easy to figure out a timeline.

7. Your first task in Serbia is to meet with the ministry. In attendance will be members of the Ministry, the child's legal guardian, social worker, and psychologist. If the child is in institutional care, a representative from the facility will be there was well. During this meeting they will go over the child's entire history with you, including social, medical, etc. You'll learn the circumstances that caused the child to come into state care. ( In both of my adoptions - both Asher and Axel were from the same birth city and represented by the same social center - I learned the names of the boys' birth parents, and that they were interested in contact.)

8. Immediately following the meeting you will go to meet the child. If your child is in Belgrade, it's a drive of just a few minutes. If the child is in another city you'll be driving there. Expect to stay in that city during the process of visitations with the child. For example, Axel was in a foster home in his birth city of Kragujevac. I stayed there for 9 days.

9. At some point in the visiting process two reports must be sent to the Ministry stating the social worker's opinion of how visits are going. If your child is in foster care, you will take the child into your custody much faster than if the child is in a facility. (In Axel's case I was granted custody on day 3, in Asher's case it was day 14. Even though I got custody of Axel sooner, the second report still had to be done, which was on day 6 or so.) The second report must be signed by the head minister of Serbia. Once you have a signature, hold on to your socks because things are going to move fast!

10. Usually the day after the signature, you will have the adoption ceremony in the child's birth city. If your child is over age 7, he or she must go with you because their finger print is needed to issue the passport. If your child is in institutional care and under age 7 he or she will not go to the birth city with you.

11. Once the ceremony is done, it takes 3-4 business days to complete the paperwork allowing the child to leave the country. Please allow yourself some room for error. Every adoption is different, and many cities have never processed an adoption before. This can add additional time. To avoid penalty charges for changing flights, I fly into Serbia on a one-way ticket and book my return flight 2-3 days before flying out.

What's the time frame? I have completed two Serbian adoptions. The timeline for each is included on the left sidebar of my adoption blog. Axel's adoption, from the time we started the homestudy until I traveled was 4 months. Asher's adoption was much shorter! More like 4 WEEKS. The ministry asks you to plan on 16-21 days in country. For Axel's adoption I came home on day 16 (we could have come home on day 15), and Asher's adoption I came home on day 18.

What's the cost? You can go to my adoption blog where you'll find a cost summary on the left sidebar. You'll notice a significant difference in cost between Axel and Asher's adoptions, where you'll find Axel's adoption was significantly more expensive. There was a corrupt facilitator who has since been removed, which reduced the cost by $5,000!!! Asher's adoption was completed after the removal of said facilitator, and before all my documents had expired. I had my original homestudy and Immigration approval written for two children from Serbia so I only needed to update a couple of things. The variables will be the cost of a homestudy in your state, where you stay while in-country, the location of the child's birth city, where the child is housed, etc. If the child is in another city your expenses will be at the higher end. If your child is right in Belgrade your expenses will be at the lower end. You can use my list of expenses as a guideline, then add/subtract what your own expenses would be. Currently, starting from scratch, a Serbian adoption will cost somewhere between $8,000-$13,500 dependent upon the variables I just listed.

I hope you've found this post helpful in understanding the process of adopting from Serbia. Please don't hesitate to contact me for the email address of the Serbian ministry!

I feel like I'm beating my head against a wall

Wow....just wow....If you could see my inbox, and the emails I have received directly or that have been forwarded to me by people, that is what you would be saying. Wow.

I am absolutely shocked at some of the things that have been said, some of them by people who are often worshiped in the international special needs adoption community. I would like you to read this post, if you will. Then come back and read some more of my venting.

I am tired of being called a liar. I would like to know what my motivation would be to post this, then volunteer the contact information for the authorities in Serbia so you can verify it for yourself? I don't care who you are, contact me and I will give you that information without asking a single question of you. Perhaps some of you making the claims of "She's fabricated all of it" should have contacted the authorities MONTHS ago! Does that make ANY sense at all? There were eight people in that meeting on Monday, two Americans, one Serbian/American, one Serbian citizen, and four Serbian government officials. Do you honestly think NONE of them look at this blog and would say nothing if  they saw me post something about that meeting that was untrue? Just where, exactly, do you think that would get me?

I will not post emails that were forwarded to me. But I will post emails sent directly to me. I am tired of receiving emails like this one from Amy O., a name many of you know in the international adoption community.

Unfortunately, you are obviously you are a bit naive about adoption proceedings internationanally.  It is the case in each country worldwide that you either use independently or through an agency a person or team that is hired directly or through an agency that all see your personal information. You are never given the legal back ground of any person you use for any assistance in any country.  This is true for China, Russia, Estonia, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Serbia, Phillipines, Korea, well all of them actually. Each and every international adoption occurs because your complete dossier is sent to people you don't konw personally reads, translates and submits your dossier for acceptance.  In fact, Serbia out of all of the countries in the world that can be adopted from is in fact one of the ones where the least amount of people view your dossier and the costs are the lowest in the world and one of the least corrupt. Yes, you read that right out of dozens of countries you can adopt from as a US citizen,Serbia was the cheapest, easiest least corrupt process IN THE WORLD----- IN THE WORLD, LEAH, IN THE WORLD UNTIL YOU.  I have been working with international adoptions for over 12 years, several countries, Hague and not, independent and not and we have seen the cheapest easiest country in the world to adopt from now go down the drain right in front of our eyes since you adopted.  I think in your mind you have some sort of intention that you are doing something good, but instead we have seen children who were adopted purely because a small group of people were adovocating for the children see those children, the adoption numbers country wide go up signficantly.  Now that will be turned over to agencies who will benefit financially now and the families interested in those children will pay 20X's as much to go through an agency as they did without. Is this better, is this less corrupt? No, just a new cow will get milked. What was one of the best processes in the world, not perfect, not Leah's ideal world, but in the relative look at the world wide adoption community.  But you choose not to look at the world wide situation and the best situation for the children but instead wanted your perfect, the typical American wanting their version of the world.  This very very naive opinion will cost everyone. I am sad you don't see it but there is now nothing we can do, the ministry is now denying adoptions of families I had coming for children because of you.  We have in fact been told the children will be referred out through an US agency that currently charges $40,000 for an adoption.  I am so glad we adopted before you applied, I look at my child and I say thank you Jesus for sending us to her before Leah adopted so we could see the good, the caring, the truth the way things should have been before you.  Somehow we were guided to her before this all changed and we did not have to live through the hell that the families that have applied now have to live through now being told they can no longer have that child they know is waiting but now their advocacy is no longer acceptable. I pray for those children that they will not be forsaken for your own pride being hurt, for your own glory, for your own child you were told you could not have does not now cost others their children. 

I think of the story of Soloman, you might know the story, which woman are you Leah?

"Two young women who lived in the same house and who both had an infant son came to Solomon for a judgment. One of the women claimed that the other, after accidentally smothering her own son while sleeping, had exchanged the two children to make it appear that the living child was hers. The other woman denied this and so both women claimed to be the mother of the living son and said that the dead boy belonged to the other.After some deliberation, King Solomon called for a sword to be brought before him. He declared that there is only one fair solution: the live son must be split in two, each woman receiving half of the child. Upon hearing this terrible verdict, the boy's true mother cried out, "Please, My Lord, give her the live child—do not kill him!" However, the liar, in her bitter jealousy, exclaimed, "It shall be neither mine nor yours—divide it!" Solomon instantly gave the live baby to the real mother, realizing that the true mother's instincts were to protect her child, while the liar revealed that she did not truly love the child. The reputation of the king greatly increased when all the people of Israel heard of this wise judgment."


Do not forsake the children for your own selfish wishes.
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Here is what I don't get and here is where I'm going to loose my tempter....

People think **I** brought this on! WHAT??? WHAT????? This makes my head spin in confusion! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!!!!!! I answered questions asked of me by government officials!!!!!!! First U.S Officials, then Serbian. If **YOU** were contacted by government officials, and asked the same questions, what would you do??? Would you LIE???? I know that some of you HAVE! I, along with the MLSP have SEEN the emails sent by Dr. Jasmina Jankovic asking people to LIE and say they paid her nothing!!! How many of  YOU LIED?????

I have heard time and time again that I "did this" because of my own anger or, as the email above states, my own "selfish wishes". WHAT? I didn't "DO" anything other than HONESTLY answer the questions asked of me.

The email above is just one over the course of several months, written to make me feel bad for doing something I had no control over. It is not my fault I was questioned! The email above is exactly why others who are having problems in other countries refuse to say anything when they, too, have had problems in their adoption process. There is NO support in this community when you run into a problem such as I have experienced. There is only ostracism and attacks like the one I posted above. It is for this very reason people are becoming afraid of adopting from places like Ukraine. They have heard about the extortion by some of the Ukraine facilitators, and they have heard from families who received absolutely no support from their US based agencies or organizations when that happened. Yes, I worked with Reece's Rainbow, and no, I have not heard one single word from Andrea Roberts regarding this issue. Over the course of four months, I have received not one single reply to any email sent to her, other than to answer a question regarding grant money disbursement.  Although she has never asked me for clarification herself, she has told people in private emails that I am lying and that much of what I have said is "fabricated".  I did have contact with my representative from About A Child (who also happens to work with Reece's Rainbow) but her responses were in the capacity of agency rep.) but that agency turned around and paid Dr. Jankovic an additional 1000 euros, wired to her directly,  to pacify her! The words "We don't want to burn one bridge before we've built another" were used. After my adoption was complete, and the all of the problems during my and other adoptions were brought to light, Reece's Rainbow and About A Child continued to work with the same facilitator, even after other families had come forward.

People are of the mistaken opinion that Serbian adoptions will now be even more expensive because of this mess that I supposedly created.

1) One, I didn't create the mess. It was created by Dr. Jasmina Jankovic by what I think was a simple, honest error on the visa paperwork. This lead the U.S. Embassy to start asking me questions, which lead to other questions, which lead to a lot of paranoia on the part of both Serbian and U.S. individuals who were a little freaked out that I was questioned. Also, this investigation was started a FULL YEAR prior my adoption. The MLSP stated time and again that they determined Dr. Jankovic was doing this for nothing more than personal gain, and had been watching her for more than a year before I came along!!!!

2)  The email above mentions an agency charging $40,000+ for a Serbian adoption. Well, they were doing that BEFORE! They started advertising that MONTHS ago. (actually, right around the time I came home, I believe.) They also state they have "recieved approval from the Serbian government and is accepting applications for inter-country adoption". The ministry officials in the adoption unit have never given any agency "approval" for anything. They are familiar with the claims that agency is making and stated in our meeting that was a LIE. The ministry also claims to have not had any contact with that particular agency. They were also appalled to hear that agency is asking people to bring HUGE sums of cash with them for their adoption facilitator, not to mention the claims this agency is making to families about the types of children they can hope to adopt, and the timeframe in which it will happen.

3) There is now a cooperative effort between the MLSP (Serbian government) and the U.S. Embassy regarding Serbia's adoption process to keep it intact, and keeping it as inexpensive...actually less expensive...than it has been since it began. Something you would discover for yourself if you actually contacted the MLSP and asked questions yourself.

4) Depending upon the type of accommodations you like to stay in, your expenses in country - including hotel, in-country transportation, translation services (both written and spoken) - should not cost more than around $3500 if you stay in country for 21 days. I paid those expenses, plus a facilitation fee of 4000 Euro ($ 6500 U.S. dollars including the bank fee)

5) there are plenty of HONEST people in Serbia willing to help you complete the in-country part of your adoption. I can put you in contact with Cherish Our Children International, a  U.S. based NON-PROFIT organization who wants nothing more than to see the children of Serbia get out of the institutions and into families. They will also give you the receipts you need for tax purposes. The U.S. Embassy and the MLSP are aware of this organization, and know exactly what happens for the families working with them. Cherish Our Children International has met with BOTH the U.S. Embassy, and the MLSP. You can verify this for yourself by contacting them the Embassy and the MLSP. I personally participated in both meetings.

6) Families are still not required to use an adoption agency to adopt from Serbia. If you are working with an agency who is asking for tens of  thousands of dollars to do what you can EASILY do yourself, PUT THE PHONE DOWN AND WALK AWAY! Adoption from Serbia **is** easy compared to many other countries. It is also the cheapest country to adopt from. But keep in mind, if anyone promises you a healthy child from Serbia, WALK AWAY! There are only approximately 40 children registered for international adoption from Serbia, and it was verified Monday that every single one of them has "significant special needs, some of them very severe". (keep in mind that "severe" in Serbia is very different than "severe" in the U.S.) (*note* I say "approximately" 40 because at the time of our meeting with the MLSP they did not have a list of the children sitting right there, so this was the estimate given.)

7) If any more emails accusing me of lying and falsifying information come through my box I am going to start filing slander and/or defamation of character law suits.  NOTHING I have said on my blog is untrue, and ALL can be verified by contacting both the US Embassy and the Serbian Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. 

***EDITED TO ADD*** July 2013: Since this post was first published in May of 2011, Serbian adoptions have significantly decreased on cost and become even easier than they were before the investigation which lead to the crack down on corruption in Serbian adoptions. I have gone on to adopt twice more from Serbia. My first adoption, using the corrupt facilitator, was $18,000. My second adoption, AFTER the investigation, was $7100. My 3rd adoption, my STATESIDE costs increased, bringing my total adoption costs to $11,500. Although people tried to bully me to give up fight for truth and transparency in Serbian adoptions, I didn't. Serbian adoptions are alive and well, with proof sleeping right down the hall from me and in the homes of other families around the U.S.

Verification

Several people have emailed me, asking me to verify the information in my blog post. I would be more than happy to, by referring you to the MLSP directly, and asking them to verify it for you.

Please email me privately at deanleah at comcast.net and I will give you the email address. I will also give you the email address of the person in charge of adoption related issues at the US Embassy.

Formal Announcement

To all my readers:

I have now received official permission from the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy (hereafter referred to as the MLSP) in Belgrade, Serbia to inform you of the events of the past several months.

In April of 2010, the family of Kaci was questioned in person by the MLSP when they appeared for the Ministry appointment to complete the adoption of their child. At that time they were asked about the involvement of Dr. Jasmina Jankovic in their adoption process, including questions about money paid to her. How they received information about the child, and other areas of Dr. Jankovic's involvement. At that time the MLSP informed Dr. Jankovic that she was to have no further contact with Kaci's family. In addition, the Velika Plana Social Center informed Ms. Jankovic that she was no longer allowed in their facility.

Over the course of the next year, although the MLSP suspected that Ms. Jankovic was continuing to facilitate adoptions in an illegal manner, they did not have substantiated evidence to confirm their suspicions, and no other families came forward with complaints.

As most of you know, during the in-country portion of my adoption process in Serbia, Dr. Jasmina Jankovic, doctor at the Zvecanska Street facility located in Belgrade, Serbia, acted as my adoption facilitator. (As she did for ALL the Serbian adoptions to US citizens, as confirmed today by the Serbian MLSP.)

During the course of my adoption, there were many issues brought to light including corruption, extortion, violations of privacy rights of children not legally available for adoption, and violations of Hague Convention regulations.  Children who were not legally available for adoption were listed on the website of Reece's Rainbow. Although it was discovered there was a girl listed who was not legally registered for adoption, the director of Reece's Rainbow, Andrea Roberts, told me she had "verified the status" of all the other children. At the time my adoption was completed Reece's Rainbow was informed of the questionable activity of Dr. Jankovic, but Reece's Rainbow continued to send families into her hands. 

At the end of my adoption process, I was questioned by the U.S. Embassy, and in February 2011 I was contacted by the MLSP Adoptions Unit requesting additional information, which was provided to them in the form of all email correspondence with Dr. Jankovic, along with copies of my adoption contract with About A Child, and written correspondence with Reece's Rainbow. During that same month the ministry informed Dr. Jankovic she was to have no further involvement in the adoption by a family currently in country. It was also discovered that most of the Serbian children listed on Reece's Rainbow were not legal orphans.

In May, 2011, I, along with Kaci, agreed to travel to Belgrade, Serbia in order to provide in-person testimony regarding the situations surrounding our adoptions. 

On May 5th, 2011, I had a meeting with Mr. Pete Marigliano at the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade. At the meeting I was informed of exactly what the Embassy is able to do for me as U.S. Citizen and adoptive families while in Belgrade, and what they are not able to do. The U.S. Embassy is well aware of my recent involvement with Cherish Our Children International, and how that organization helped me during my adoption process when it became clear that the situation in December had become an issue of my personal safety. In addition, the Embassy informed me that Dr. Jankovic had made an appearance before Embassy Staff, as well as staff from the MLSP to plead her case in the situation.

Today, May 9th, 2011, I along with Kaci appeared before the MLSP in a closed meeting. At this time we were informed that, based on their investigation, the MLSP has brought formal charges against Dr. Jankovic for violating Hague Convention regulations by conducting adoptions as an employee of the Serbian government, including but not limited to releasing private information of vulnerable children. There is also an ongoing investigation of other issues related to adoption, and a suit against her by the Zvescanska organization. These statements were signed and sworn to and subsequently entered into evidence for an upcoming trial against Dr. Jankovic. 

The MLSP has also verified that although Dr. Jankovic has announced that an official communication from the MSLP was released stating Serbian adoptions are closed - a statement which was supported by Reece's Rainbow although they never verified it with the ministry -  the statement absolutely untrue! The MLSP has never issued such a statement. Serbian adoptions have never been put on hold. Although families who have recently contacted the MLSP about their case, and told that no travel dates would be issued until after a certain date, there has never been a "hold" on adoptions. Because Dr. Jankovic was releasing information about children who were NOT legally available for adoption, the MLSP is now taking additional steps in the adoption approval process to assure that all children being presented are, indeed, legally free and available for International Adoption. These additional steps have added time to the adoption process.

Prior to their contact with me in February, 2011, the MLSP was completely unaware there were so many families currently interested in Serbian adoption. This has led to a high volume of emails and phone calls to the MLSP Adoption Unit, which they were not prepared to handle. Although they are trying their best, please be patient as you wait for responses from them.

There are currently approximately 40 children currently registered for International Adoption from Serbia. This information is available to families by contacting the Ministry of Labor and Social Policy Adoptions Unit directly.

The MLSP confirmed in our meeting that there are ABSOLUTELY NO healthy children being adopted out of Serbia. Also, although in the past some Roma children were registered for International Adoption, this is now a very rare occurrence as they are now being adopted by Serbian families.

The MLSP was appalled to hear that families were sending all of their financial information, including bank account numbers, social security numbers, level of income etc. directly to Dr. Jankovic. and that agencies and non-profit organizations in the U.S. were encouraging this practice of sending sensitive information to non-qualified individuals. They were equally shocked to hear that some agencies are telling families to carry large amounts of cash into the country to be handed over to their in-country facilitators. If you are working with an agency who has made such a suggestion, you are strongly encouraged to contact both the MLSP and the US Embassy with that information. It is reasonable that your ONLY expenses while completing your Serbian adoption would include:

Taxes for legal documents (birth certificate, passport, visa, etc.)

Translation fees of dossier and post adoption documents (with the going rate being approximately 8 Euro per page)

Lodging

Transportation

Translator fees

Food

In conclusion, the MLSP is eager to move forward with a 100% transparent adoption process. Any claims that were made by Ms. Jankovic that families cannot contact the MLSP directly, and the MLSP is to be feared, is 100% false. You can feel confident that the MLSP wants nothing more than to see future U.S. adoptive families complete the adoption process without fear, and instead only with joy as they bring their children home. The MLSP is now working jointly with the U.S. Embassy to insure a smooth process for everyone.

I want to encourage each and every one of you who have had similar experiences in your adoption process to speak up. Yes, there are children's lives at stake, but extortion and bribery taking place during international adoptions runs a line very close to child trafficking, something none of us want to be party to.

Lastly, I would like to thank those of you who have offered your support over the last four months, as we very carefully took each measured step to insure that future U.S. adoptive families do not experience the fear and/or extortion that we experienced.

I especially want to thank Dean, who one year ago wanted nothing to do with adoption, and suddenly found himself in a difficult place, watching me through skype during what were sometimes some very intense situations. Even through all of this he is eager to adopt again. Only God can do that.

Please feel free to distribute this blog post to any families, past or present, involved in Serbian adoptions.

Guess What I'm Doing Now?

Do you know what I'm doing now?

Yep, packing! It's time to go home, and I'm ready.

It's been a long, very emotional week here. Thankfully God has been preparing me for several months, and I was able to complete all the tasks He set before me. These tasks were no small feat, and involved the assistance and cooperative thinking of several agencies and organizations, both Serbian and American.

My heart is still broken about Ianna. I just want to be done. There is really nothing *I* can do (nor has there ever been) but there is certainly much that God can do. I have done all that He asked me to do. I'm weary. It's like an elevator door that is closing, and you kind of want to get off. You put your hand out to stop the door, but at the same time want to pull it back because instinct says you're going to get hurt.

And so I head home.

I'm thinking....no.

Check out this video from Kostanjica, the town we're headed to next month. My heart raced just watching this.

And the Pressure Mounts...

This week I've been feeling my anxiety rise steadily each day. It started on Monday. That's the day that I realized in the entire month of May I will be home 4 or 5 days.

I know, right?

There are two trips being planned simultaneously. On April 30th I leave for the tiny village of Kostanjica, in the Republic of Srbska. (and no, it's not missing any vowels!) There is a lot of work to be done there, and much preparation to be done here before we even leave. (And SHOPPING! Hello! I've done a little bit but I'm still in need of an outfit for a particular event. ) It's funny though, I feel like I haven't really done much to contribute to the preparations of this trip. Then I was reminded of all the things I HAVE done. I guess I just needed to realize that just because I ENJOY doing something, doesn't mean it's not work! LOL I do have to say, every single day the details of this trip that fall into place amaze each of us on the team. How He is working to put it all together.....I just can't even explain it all!

I will arrive home on May 9th, and the 14th we will leave for Philadelphia for Axel's surgery. Today all our flights were booked for both trips were booked. Our house sitter is in place, and the final details being arranged. Surgery Day is coming. I'm anxious and sick to my stomach all at once. I'm also a little bit excited. We'll have one day to spend together as a family, with good friends from the DS community who we've wanted to see for a very long time. It is time our family needs right now before our lives are focused on helping Axel heal.

Tomorrow I'll try to update about Axel's school issues. "Interesting" is a good word.

Oh! And, just for kicks, we've just finished updating our homestudy. You know...just in case.

God is absolutely amazing.

So you all know that the number 300 has been pretty significant around here the last few months.

Last week I entered the Silva family's giveaway they were doing to get their little guy Noah home. I had just gotten my non-adoption related portion of my tax refund back, and my entry to the give away was my tithe from that money. As I was getting ready to hit "submit" on the chipin, I hesitated. What if I needed to buy toothbrushes? That money would buy all the toothbrushes, plus some extra, for my upcoming trip. But God reminded me that he's always made sure what I needed was where it needed to be...right on time. HIS time.

Yeah Duh! I hit submit.

On Saturday I found out I'd won the camera! I was elated! (more on that later, since it's a whole post in itself.) Just hoped I wouldn't need to buy toothbrushes. I know God...I know...trust, faith, and all that jazz.

Sunday morning I got a comment on my blog from an old high school classmate. (Lets keep that clear, I'm the old one, she's not!) She was sending one order of 48 toothbrushes. Later that night I got another email, saying 288 toothbrushes were on their way! Today the company called me (by phone. Where did they get my number?) to verify the shipping address and to tell me when I could expect them to arrive.

Another friend of mine, hearing that all the toothbrushes had been donated, gave money for us to purchase school supplies for the kids who are being provided scholarships. God did MORE than 300. Of course he did.

God is so good, isn't he? I have A LOT of trouble stepping out in obedience. In fact, I'm struggling with an issue at this very moment. Because I'm feeling selfish and maybe a little bit entitled. And yet, God just showed me what to do.

Destination Revealed!

For the past couple of months I've been hinting at an upcoming trip. I've posted pictures like these:

What in the world do they mean?

A couple of months ago it was made clear to me that I need to go back to Serbia. I am not done there. And as I opened my mind to what God was showing me, things started happening. First, my good friend Kaci, who also wanted to return to Serbia, wandered into some God orchestrated connections. (and really, they just keep happening!)

Watch this video:


Airline Ambassadors has been in the process of starting a program in Serbia, and they invited Kaci and I to help them get it going. In fact, they handed Kaci the position of Serbia Program Coordinator.

I knew right away that Airline Ambassadors was meant to connect with Cherish Our Children International (COCI). Once that connection was made, everything snowballed!

On April 30th myself, Kaci, and a team of eight other people will be boarding another plane for Belgrade, Serbia. From there will will travel to Kostanjica in the Republic of Srbska, where COCI has established a school for special needs children. Kaci and I will support the medical team while they conduct a clinic to do medical screenings for approximately 300 children from the region. We will also be meeting with several dignitaries to discuss issues related to orphan care.

But that's not all! This is just the first of FOUR trips planned for the next year, and God is going to do some great works through them!

This is where the 300 toothbrushes come in. We still need them! Someone asked me the other day if I've met the goal yet. Sadly, are no toothbrushes coming in. If you have ordered toothbrushes, please drop me a note at deanleah at comcast.net to let me know.

We're also still looking for a couple of medical professionals. We really need and AUDIOLOGIST and a SPEECH PATHOLOGIST. (yes, earlier I had different professions listed. Go with me here.)

If you are interested in donating toothbrushes, are or know of medical professionals who would like to join us, please drop me a note at deanleah @comcast.net If you could help me spread the word by posting this to your facebook or twitter accounts, that would really help!

Also, my friend Kaci has an awesome post explaining more of the details of our trip. Please visit her blog!

Re: 300

I posted this last week, but didn't have a shipping address. Now I do so I'm reposting. :-)

In some economically challenged parts of the world, oral hygiene is not routinely taught to children. Axel is a prime example of this!

The makers of the Firefly toothbrush have designed a brush with a built-in, very fun timer. The Firefly toothbrush has a little light in the handle that stays lit up for one full minute, encouraging the child to brush as long as it is lit up. (or to start the lit timer again and brush longer!) This is crucial for parts of the world where children might never have seen a toothbrush before, and oral hygiene isn't routinely taught.

A couple of months ago I did a post about the number 300. Guess what? I haven't forgotten that number. In fact, it has become even more significant!

I need to COLLECT 300 toothbrushes!

I have found a site where boxes of 48 Firefly toothbrushes can be ordered for a very reasonable price. They also have bulk orders of travel size toothpaste available. If you are interested in donating toothbrushes or toothpaste, you will get a receipt for your donation from  Cherish Our Children International, which is a 501c3 organization. 

Donations would need to be in by April 25th.  (That is not a lot of time, is it?) If you would like to include SMALL toys or trinkets (like you might put in a child's birthday party goodie bag) you're welcome to do so. Donations can be shipped to:

Leah Spring
P.O Box 211174
St Paul, MN 55121

So what am I doing with all of this? Well...lets just say it goes back to these posts, and there will be more details coming soon! Mark your calendars for April 30th when I can post some GREAT news!!

Do You Want to Learn a Language?

I'm sure most of you are familiar with Rosetta Stone, the language learning software. They offer coursework in many different languages including

Arabic

Chinese

Danish

Dutch

English (American)

English (British)

Fillipino (tagalog)

French

German

Greek

Hebrew

Hindi

Indonesian

Irish

Italian

Japanese

Korean

Latin

Pashto

Persian (Farsi)

Polish

Portuguese (Brazil)

Russian

Spanish (Latin American)

Spanish (Spain)

Swahili

Swedish

Thai

Turkish

Vietnamese

Welsh

Do you see what is not on that list? Serbian is not on that list. After making several inquiries to Rosetta Stone about creating a Serbian program, I was told, "If we receive enough inquiries, we will create the program. At this time there is not enough demand for Serbian." Really? There was enough demand for Swahili or Polish? They did not specify what qualifies as "enough" demand, so I can only guess. But I do know this: The more people who request it, the better chances are of getting Serbian!

I know that I *really* need to learn Serbian. Thanks to Axel, my ties to Serbia are growing every day. My plans for the next year are being mapped out as I type. I know there are people lurking in the background of my blog who want to learn Serbian as well. Please go here, fill out the request, and add your voice to mine and the few others who have requested Serbian.