A Medicine Hat family is closely watching the last-ditch efforts to help save a Manitoba-based international adoption agency from going under.
The Veurink family is in the process of adopting a seven-year-old boy from Ethiopia through the Canadian Advocate For the Adoption of Children (CAFAC) agency but learned recently they are having significant money problems.
In a note posted on its website, the agency said it was going to end its services on Feb. 3 but decided to hold an emergency meeting Saturday in an attempt to keep the agency running.
“We want to assure you that our operations in Ethiopia are continuing, the children are being cared for, the files continue to proceed, your funds remain in trust accounts,” reads the CAFAC letter.
The agency says in recent months there has been a drastic decrease in the amount of referrals coming from Ethiopia to the agency. Whereas they used to receive five per month, there have been only seven referrals since July.
With fewer possible adoptions and lengthier wait times, the agency found itself tight on cash.
Ruth Veurink says her two-year adoption process is almost done and she has a court date in Ethiopia in the next two weeks to begin the adoption process for the boy, Tessema.
If approved in court, the next step is to await all official paperwork.
“These kids are in the foster home awaiting the adoptions. CAFAC has indicated that they will only be cared for until the end of February financially,” she said on Saturday from her Medicine Hat home.
If needed, she says she will stay in Ethiopia and care for the boy until she can legally bring him home and said that wait time could be two months long.
“CAFAC has been very supportive throughout the whole process but now we’re left in the dark. We can’t get hold of anyone. We e-mail them and we don’t hear back,” she said.
On Saturday, she anxiously awaited news about the fate of the organization.
Evan Dewald also expressed concern about losing the agency over the weekend.
A father of two Ethiopian children adopted through CAFAC, Dewald said he feels for families currently trying to adopt from Ethiopia.
“We would be devastated,” said Dewald, adding overseas adoptions take years and thousands of dollars.
“You can imagine being three years into the process. . . . Emotionally, for a lot of people it’s like having a miscarriage,” he said.
Dewald, a Chestermere resident, is one of many Canadians circulating a petition through social media. He hopes the agency gets additional funding.
“There are people here dying to adopt a child,” he said.
In January, CAFAC trimmed its staff from eight to three to save money. It also added a file maintenance fee of $1,000 per year.
However, on Feb. 1 the agency said it could not get sufficient financial help from the Manitoba government and started a last-ditch letter writing campaign to convince officials to help.
Since 1997, CAFAC has completed over 700 adoptions.
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