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Community Resources
**NOTE: These groups are family led and moderated.**
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Support Our Cause
(proceeds support Opportunity House)
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VOLUNTEER FOR AAI
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Interested in volunteer opportunities at AAI? contact us to learn more!
We've had several inquires from our PNW families, but don't let distance hold you back! We'd love to see our board include a diverse membership; from the Pacific to the Atlantic and beyond!
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Dear Friends,
 Spring is finally beginning to make its debut here in beautiful Port Angeles! There's still a chill in the air, but the sun is starting to shine, birds are singing their songs, and new blooms are peeking out from the earth.
The AAI office recently underwent some "Spring cleaning." Moving furniture, replacing fixtures, and adding some splashes of color to the walls are all small changes that can make a big impact; we move into the warmer months with a fresh perspective and renewed vigor.
Happy Spring!
The Staff at AAI
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WAITING CHILDREN
 Have you visited our online Waiting Child page lately? Many new children from China, both healthy and with special needs, have recently been added and more will be posted soon! The page also features several other children from the different countries we work in, all waiting for their forever families. Contact Johanna if you need the password to access the page.
If you would like more information on our China or Thailand programs, or if you'd like to be added to our Asia Programs Newsletter list, contact Ky. |
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BURKINA FASO HUMANITARIAN PROGRAMS
 Sheltering Wings is an orphanage run by Ruth Cox, our in-country partner. Opened in 2004, it now includes a school and clinic. Clean water projects, community education, and dispersal of baby formula are some of the main goals of Ruth's mission. To learn more about Ruth and Sheltering Wings, visit her blog today!
 Amical Orthopedique du Faso (AOF) is another organization we are proud to support. Created in 2002, the AOF was set up to make prostheses for children and adults. The highly skilled craftsmen also make tricycles and braces to fit individual needs. The AOF is run out of a small compound with one room dedicated to each of the stages of production. There's also an area for physical therapy where clients can practice using their new limb. Visit our website to learn more about these two wonderful organizations. If you would like to help support Sheltering Wings or the AOF, please click here to make a donation! Be sure to select "Other" under "Donation Designation" and write in the program of your choice in the text box provided.
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ADOPTIVE FAMILIES MAGAZINE SPECIAL ISSUE
 Adoptive Families wants to hear from you! Its next special double issue - "Celebrate Adoption: Our Families, Our Stories" - will feature personal stories from the AF community. Adoptive parents, birth family members, and adoptees of all ages are encouraged to submit their stories and photos to be included. Submissions can range from making the decision to adopt, the first meeting between child and family, homecoming stories, new and old family traditions, and more! |
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ETHIOPIA PROGRAM GETS NEW LICENSE!
 Every three years, the Ethiopian government relicenses all adoption agencies that work in the county. Here at Adoption Advocates International, we felt confident we would be relicensed, but we've still been waiting since the end of 2012 to learn our fate! Thankfully, we received word from our AAI Ethiopia staff at the end of February that we officially had our new license. With this news, we could all breathe a collective sigh of relief and get back to the work we love to do: connecting children with families.
 Since we reopened our program to families seeking to adopt children of any age, both healthy and special needs, we have had many new applications. For us, this seems like an exciting time of new energy and growth for this program. Over the last month we have offered three new referrals to families and we had two families bring their children home. We have a number of families in the queue for both court and embassy and we expect many more to come home over the next few months. |
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FEATURED WAITING CHILD
 This little guy was born around May 31, 2012. He has craniosynostosis, visual problems, undescended testes, and is developmentally delayed. He cannot support his head. He can hold an object in each hand and he feeds and sleeps well. He is a very cute baby boy! He needs a family to provide him with the love and care he lacked early in life so that he can flourish and reach his full potential.
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POST PLACEMENT REPORTS REMINDER
 Bringing a new child or children into your home has the tendency to turn your world upside down - in a good way! We know remembering to do post placement reports can be difficult when you're trying to find a new routine for your growing family. However, post placement reports are extremely important for the continued success of international adoption programs.
There are two types of reports: Agency Reports and Family Reports. Agency reports are written by your local social worker, typically the same person who completed your homestudy. Family reports are completed by you, the adoptive parents. Both reports focus on how your family is adjusting and specifically on how the child is progressing in all areas. Family reports can be completed online at our website. Reports submitted online will be automatically sent to our office and you will receive a confirmation email once your report has been received. Post placement report schedules vary by country; if you have any questions on when or how to complete your reports, feel free to give our office a call or contact Jill! |
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JOINT COUNCIL LIVE WEBINAR
Building Bonds of Attachment: Practical, Expert Advice
Joint Council is a non-profit organization whose mission is to advance the overall well-being of vulnerable children and their right to live in permanent family care. Together with Adoption Learning Partners, they are offering a live webinar that focuses on attachment.
The webinar will be held Tuesday, March 12 at 7:00PM (Central Time) with a Q&A session following at 8:00. Read below to learn more and reserve your spot!
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All parents hope for close relationships with their children. And for children, trusting their parents and feeling secure in their family is essential. Often, adoption can pose challenges to the attachment process. Circumstances prior to adoption experiences either in utero, in an orphanage or in foster care, can create serious barriers to attachment.
Join us for a webinar discussing bonding activities that result in healthy relationships both in the short term and throughout childhood. Deborah Gray, an adoption therapist specializing in attachment, grief and trauma issues in children, will provide practical steps that move parents toward building trusting relationships and secure attachments with their child.
- Recognize behaviors that are common in adopted children who have experienced trauma
- Learn bonding activities that result in healthy relationships in the short term and throughout childhood
- Maintain relationships with children already in the home
- Learn practical steps you can use with your family right away
Sign up today!
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