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Update: Russia Adoption Program
A delegation of Christian World Adoption staff headed by Executive Director Tomilee Harding traveled to Moscow in March to attend a two-day conference for all of CWA's Russian staff and regional representatives. Christian World Adoption has been working Russia since that country opened for international adoption in 1992, and convened this conference to prepare its Russian staff for the changes that will follow accreditation under the Hague Convention, which the United States should ratify at the end of 2007, with ratification by Russia expected to follow soon afterward.
The Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption will regulate all aspects of the adoption process between countries that have ratified the convention, and CWA is making a major effort in the first part of 2007 to prepare for the Hague accreditation process. This will also have a major bearing on the work of CWA's Russian staff and representatives, whose work will be closely supervised by CWA as the accredited adoption services provider, and will conform to best practices and strict standards in compliance with the Hague Convention. CWA's regional representatives heard presentations detailing the standards, reporting and qualifications that the Hague requires, and how those requirements will be implemented in Russia and the United States.
The conference was hosted by CWA's three-person Moscow staff, ably directed by Masha Gnevasheva, who guided CWA through NGO registration last year and is now hard at work on the final stages of obtaining CWA's reaccreditation in the Russian Federation. The amount of combined adoption expertise represented by those in attendance was impressive, to say the least! Representatives from the approximately one dozen regions from which CWA adopts in Russia were able to interact in person, many for the first time, and each reported on the outlook for adoption from his or her region. All are eager to resume work when CWA's reaccreditation is issued this year, and all had practical suggestions on how we can improve our work with parents, with regional and national authorities, and within CWA. A tremendous amount of information was exchanged; both the day-long conference sessions were intense, and discussion spilled over into breakout meetings and after-hours discussions throughout the three days we were in Moscow. This was an outstanding opportunity to bring all of CWA's excellent Russia staff together, coordinate our understanding of the issues we face, and prepare both for Hague accreditation and for the resumption of adoptions in Russia. Their enthusiasm for the work of adoption and their hearts for Russia's children were plainly evident.
Also attending and presenting were Bob Harding, CWA Chief Financial Officer; Anita Thomas, CWA Assistant Executive Director; Ludmilla Mikhailova, Eastern European Program Director; and Anya Rutherford and Michael Arrowood, Russia Program staff in CWA's North Carolina office who will be working closely with families as Russian adoptions resume. |
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