http://www.house.gov/htbin/findrep?ZIP=
Here is a link to find your Senators
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Tips
- Contacting your legislatures by phone prior to writing your letter may be of benefit.
- Sometimes contacting the D.C. office can be more helpful that your local office. However, this may not always be the case.
- You may be asked to sign a Release of Consent form. If so, this is a simple form that can be filled out. Their office will either give you the form, or give you instructions on how to write one up.
- Keep your story simple and to the point. However, letting your emotions come through your story can help our lawmakers realize the effects this is having on our families.
- Some people have found that putting some of the facts into bullet point form help convey your thoughts in an easy to read form.
- Be respectful but firm.
- Add a picture of your child and your family.
**********************************************************************
Congressman ______________ OR Senator
________________
Attention: The name of the staffer you have made contact with
Street address of their office
City, State Zip
Dear
Congressman ______________ or Honorable Senator ____________,
I first want
you to know that I did not contact you unconscientiously and without the
knowledge that you are working hard for our community in many other ways right
now. I realize that our family is asking of more work from you and I appreciate
the kind and prompt response we have received. I have been a supporter of
Congressman_________/Senator ______________ from the early 1990s (or whatever your case), not only in my
voting rights, but also in my positive message of him to friends and family. I
remembered Congressman _______/Senator ___________ right away when we were
faced with this heart wrenching, and possibly illegal and unethical misuse of
our US Embassy’s approach to our international adoption.
We cannot
fight this battle alone. We know that the US Embassy in Addis is likely acting
with support from their affiliates at the Department of State. We have no doubt
that our daughter will receive her visa. We just do not feel that it is ethical
or legal that they delay our visa interview, furthering the delay of issuing it
to her. We need your office to put pressure on the US Embassy in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia and the Department of State to stop their unreasonable delays of
issuing visas to children already given legal custody to American families.
We are well
aware of the alert that the US Embassy in Ethiopia sent out in September 2011.
It is widely believed in the international adoption community that this alert
is false testimony. The letter lumped misspellings of words in texts, adoptive
parent name misspellings, specific words they wanted changed, and other similar
clerical errors into that 80%, then led the reader to believe there was
fraudulent behavior among the adoption agencies or the Ethiopian government. I
also need you to know that in April of 2011 there was a teleconference with the
adoption agencies where the US Embassy in Addis stated that despite the above
shocking percentage they have never denied a visa...ever. They stated this in
response to an agency representative’s question.
This is where
you begin telling your lawmakers what wrongdoings or aggravations that the
Embassy has caused you.
UNICEF
documented 5 million orphans in Ethiopia in 2009. Orphanages in Ethiopia are
full and now with the newest closing of southern border orphanages the problem
is now compounded. There are not enough prospective adoptive families in the
United States to get anywhere close to filling in the gaps. In 2011 less than
2,000 children were adopted to American families. This is way less than 1% of
all orphans in Ethiopia. Please tell me who in their right mind is recruiting
more orphans in a country where there is an orphan crisis.
Yes,
Ethiopians working in the orphan and widow branch of government have a lot to
learn about how to document and gather paperwork the “American” way, but that
does not mean there should be a knee jerk reaction from the United States. That
just punishes children and families for the very small percentage of bad in the
international adoption community.
Most of the
problems in Ethiopia are related to poor documentation, which is a symptom of
poverty, not fraud. In the US, I can buy a social security number, make a fake
drivers license in my living room, draw up a fictional resume, steal someone's
identity, claim benefits I'm not entitled to, etc. But we don't shut down the
SSA, the auto industry, the job search industry, etc. because fraud might
occur.
We are not
denying there is a child trafficking problem in the world, especially in the
continent of Africa, but to be honest, our family made the decision to adopt
from Ethiopia in hopes to eliminate just one life from the prospect of this ill
fate. We have three biological children and Lord willing could have had our
last child through childbearing. However, we knew we wanted to complete our
family through international adoption as we all know there are so many children
who deserve a loving family.
We belong to
a church that has been on the forefront of the anti-trafficking movement. I have researched and studied the information
that is out there on this subject. We did not make the decision of
international adoption lightly. We are glad for the safe guards there are in
the Ethiopian government and in ours to help eliminate children from being
adopted to American families if they already have a birth family that is able
and willing to take care of them. We support and encourage the review of
documentation and any further requests for further information within justified
reason.
After some
research we have found that there is likely an undercover political agenda
behind the behavior of the US Embassy in Ethiopia. We believe that sometime in
the fall of 2011 the Ethiopian government declined to sign the Hague Treaty. We
know that the Department of State receives money for every country they get to
sign the Hague Treaty. We have seen the trends in other countries where the
Department of State was unable to receive a signed Hague Treaty and those
countries are now closed to international adoption, including Vietnam, Nepal,
etc. Please do not let Ethiopia be the next country to close. There are too
many children in need of loving homes. They are the victims of these political
agendas.
Here is where you are asking them for help.
Be specific on what you want and aim high. You want change and you are asking them
for it!
Remind them here of YOUR child. Use
emotional language and let them know what this has done to you and your child.
Make sure you attach pictures with these letters/emails. Let them know any
milestones you have missed in your child’s life, any specific painful
circumstances you have faced.
Please
support us in this terrible situation. Our daughter was moved to a transitional
home that was meant to be temporary (4-6 weeks) until we returned to bring her
home. It has already been almost 4 months and we have no idea of knowing how much
longer it will be. We know that the more time spent in an institution causes
emotional and physical damage to children. Please don’t disappoint our hope in
your swift and powerful help.
Sincerely,
Your names
Street address
City, State zip
Phone number
Email
