US families hope long wait is over
Congo’s halt to adoptions in 2013 left many in limbo
NEW YORK — After nearly two years of heartache and frustration, several hundred American families now have reason to hope that children they are adopting from Congo might finally be allowed to travel to the United States.
For many families, the long wait has been immensely challenging. Some parents relocated to Congo to be with their children, while Congressional supporters of the families said at least 10 of the children died and others suffered serious medical problems during the delay.
The adoptions had been approved by courts in the beleaguered Central African country, but the children were prevented from leaving after the government suspended adoption proceedings in September 2013 and stopped issuing exit permits.
Last week, however, the U.S. State Department informed the waiting families that Congolese authorities have formed a commission to review pending cases, and unless irregularities are found, the children will be able to join their adoptive families in the U.S. and several European countries.
The development does not mean an overall resumption of international adoptions from Congo, which has an estimated 4 million orphans living amid war, poverty and dysfunction. The government, concerned about fraud and corruption, will continue to reject any new adoption applications while it works on reforms.
However, Susan Jacobs, the State Department’s special adviser on children’s issues, said she was hopeful that the commission review — already underway — would bring good news within weeks to most of the U.S. families whose adoptions had been approved. In all, the U.S. cases involve about 425 children.
Initially, the Congolese government attributed the suspension to allegations that some children were abandoned by their adoptive parents and others were “sold to homosexuals.” More recently, authorities in Congo indicated that they view their entire adoption system as beset by corruption and falsified documents.
The breakthrough regarding exit permits came after months of pressure by the U.S. government and its Eu- ropean partners.
“It shows diplomacy can work,” Jacobs said. “Stressing how this will be in the best interest of the children finally won out.”
For the waiting families, a common bond throughout the saga was persistence.
Linda Scotto and Michael Fichera of Doylestown, Pa., already have one daughter adopted from China and another from Ecuador.
But when they saw a photo of a 6-year-old Congolese girl on an adoption website in 2012, they decided she, too, should become part of the family.
By the fall of 2013, the adoption process was virtually completed, and the couple was getting ready to travel to Congo when the suspension was imposed. The girl, Miriam, has continued to live in an orphanage; she’ll turn 9 in August.
Scotto said she’s confident this time that Miriam is coming home.
“We have pictures of her all over our house,” Scotto said. “She’s part of our family.”
Meanwhile, the past two years have been full of challenges for Evan and Elizabeth Clements of Lamar, Mo.
They launched an effort to adopt from Congo in January 2013 and were matched with a baby boy just days after his birth that June. By December, the adoption of Elijah was formally approved, but an exit permit was unavailable.
Meanwhile, Elizabeth became pregnant and gave birth to a son, Ezekiel, in January 2014. He has since undergone three open-heart surgeries to cope with a serious heart defect.
The couple also has a daughter adopted from Taiwan, 3-year-old Eden.
Stuck in Congo, Elijah, who will turn 2 on June 22, has come down with malaria three times, Evan Clements said.
“It’s been an incredibly stressful two years,” he said. “When we have Elijah in our home, that will be such a burden lifted off our shoulders and an answer to so many prayers. It will be a good day.”
With two sons, one 6, the other almost 4, Katie and Ryan Ong have plenty to keep them busy at their home in Vancouver, Wash.
In April 2013, having decided to expand their family via an adoption, they did some research and identified Congo as the nation they should apply to.
“With the war, and all the need there, we really felt a major tug at our hearts,” Katie Ong said.