Important Updates for Acres of Hope Families
Featured Children:These special children have been admitted to the Acres of Hope Liberia program and need a forever family. If you are interested in any of the children listed below, please send an email to aoh.savinglives@gmail.com for more information. Please note, however, that no official referral can be made until the staff has had time to review your current homestudy. We must also have received your signed and notarized AOHL contract and application/processing fees.
- Levi, male, is thought to be almost 3 years old and has severe Cerebral Palsy. He is good natured and easy to please, but his developmental age is thought to be 3-6 months. ( FEES REDUCED BY $ 2000. )
Dear AOH Families and Friends, This is a scan of a newspaper article that was published in Liberia the first week in May 2009.
Blessings,
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Dear AOH Families and Friends, On March 10th, 2009 Melodie Sheppard (Missionary in Liberia), Diaku Juasemai (AOHL Staff member), and Bob Bridges (adoptive parent from the U.S.) participated in a live call-in/talk radio program on Liberia's Star Radio. Blessings,
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Dear AOH Families and Friends, Liberia's President, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf has announced as part of her Annual Message the following quote: "We have thus suspended the adoption program until laws, policies and proper guidelines have been established and we have asked our concerned friends and partners in the United States to be patient as we try to correct the serious malpractices which exist. We expect the National Social Welfare Policy and National Adoption Act which will be submitted to you during the course of the year, will provide guidance and prevent such abuses in the future." While this may seem to be a tremendous set back, we at AOH choose to view this as a positive step towards insuring a more successful outcome to the adoption process. Please know that we will continue to work closely with the government and advocating on behalf of parents in the process of adoption and the children who need them. Faith and hope, Patty
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Dear Families and Friends, Acres of Hope has been proud to announce our recent achievement of becoming a licensed adoption agency in the state of Wisconsin since October 2008. We had worked on this for a very long time and are pleased to be able to expand our services to include home studies and post-placements for WI families and more. Because we are licensed and to avoid any confusion we are asking that all correspondence be sent to our main office. We feel it is important to let you know, the effects of the current economic situation are being felt around the world which has included Acres of Hope. Unfortunately Acres of Hope has been forced to scale back operations both in the USA and Africa. Our AOH East Coast office and AOH West Coast office have been closed. We will miss the services that were provided by Rachel Wilson and Terri Cannon who are no longer working for Acres of Hope. We thank them for their contribution and look forward to their continued support and friendship that has been developed over the years. We regret any inconvenience this causes our AOH families. The staff in the States as well as Liberia are working hard to complete each and every adoption process. Thank you for your prayers and patience during this transition. Acres of Hope, Inc. 29525 Four Corners Store Rd. Mason, WI 54856 PH: 715-765-4118 Fax: 715-765-4119 E-mail: aoh.savinglives@gmail.com
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Acres of Hope is pleased to present two new opportunities for those seeking to adopt from Africa. We are now accepting applications from new families for both of these programs. Applicants must realize that these are new programs, and as such, are vulnerable to unforeseen obstacles. Acres of Hope is committed to overcoming these and will work with both the families and the governments to work toward a positive outcome. Delays are likely to occur, however, and families need to be prepared to be flexible and patient.
A brief explanation of each program is included below. Some restrictions may be waived on a case-by-case basis. For more information, please contact the main office at :aoh.savinglives@gmail.com.
Ghana, West Africa : Parents must be married (adoptions by single parents are not permitted by non-citizens) and at least 25 years of age (no upper limit). They must be at least 21 years older than the child/ren they are adopting. The medical information on the parents is important to the Ghanaian government, so applicants should have a clean bill of health. The residency requirement is being waived for Acres of Hope Ghana families. Children are often abandoned (pregnancy out of wedlock is taboo) and in these cases, very little is known about the family/social history. Infants and young children are available up to around age five. Some sibling groups are available. The time when you can travel after your referral is made is estimated to be 6-12 months (includes the adoption process and immigration investigations). Please note that we are currently awaiting the Ghana Authorities to complete the processing of the adoption cases for our first families.
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa : Adopting parents may be married, single, widowed or divorced. Singles may not adopt a child of the opposite sex and must be at least 30 years of age. Couples should have been married for at least five years. Prospective parents must be at least 15 years older than the intended adoptee. Any person who has a prior history of child abuse is not permitted to adopt. There is no upper age limit for adopting parents. No couple may adopt more than three children unless a subsequent prospective adoptee is the biological child of one of the parents. Parents may not already have more than two children when they adopt. There is no medical ineligibility for adoptive parents. Children are often abandoned and, in these cases, very little is known about the family/social history. Infants and young children are available up to around age five, though there are some slightly older children available as well. Some sibling groups are available. There are also children with special needs waiting to be adopted. From the time a complete dossier is received to referral is estimated to be 1-3 months; from referral to travel is estimated to be 4-12 months (includes the adoption process and immigration investigations). The official language is French and children may know little or no English.
Dear Families and Friends of Acres of Hope, It was with pride and joy that we announced the appointment of Eric Sewa, AOHL Country Director, to the Special Committee on Adoption of Liberian Children. Eric is honored to have been appointed by President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to serve alongside members of the various ministries involved in adoptions. We congratulate Eric and praise God for another avenue in which to affect positive changes for Liberian children. Click here to read the article published in The Liberian Journal.
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15 October 2008 Dear Families and Friends, We all need a little good news these days. With everything else that has been going on, I have been negligent in congratulating all the families and children who have been united recently. Since my last update, eleven children have joined their forever families! And, four children were referred to their new families as well. We join in celebrating these milestones with you. Acres of Hope has just reached a milestone of it's own: We are now a licensed adoption agency in the State of Wisconsin ! We've been working on this for a long time and we're so pleased to be able to expand our services to include home studies and post-placements for WI families and more. Look for more information about the new services soon. Finally, I want to share with you some heartwarming photos. Recently, Florence A. Tolbert Disabled Advocates, Inc. distributed several wheelchairs to Acres of Hope Liberia for children with mobility impairments. This is part of a much larger campaign to empower children and adults with disabilities to make a difference in rebuilding Liberia . The founder of FATDA, Samuel Dean, is a Liberian who lives in the States, but felt the importance of contributing to his homeland. He is a role model to all of us and to our children, who we hope will find creative ways to give back to Liberia throughout their lives. Acres of Hope Liberia looks forward to partnering with The Florence A. Tolbert Disabled Advocates, Inc. in helping to meet the needs of the disabled in Liberia. Faith and hope, Rachel |
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23 September 2008 Dear Families, Friends, and Supporters of Acres of Hope, Because there has been so much going on recently on the adoption front, most of our updates have focused on that area of our work. However, we have continued our humanitarian work during this time as well. We are pleased to announce the dedication of two new water wells in the Rock Hill Community of Monrovia, Liberia. Through the amazing fund-raising efforts of Acres of Hope Belgium, we were able to provide two beautiful new wells with hand pumps to this deserving community. Please see the Projects page for more photos and details. ( click on this link to view: Rock Hill now. )
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In addition, we are very aware that many of you are actively seeking ways to give back to the nation of Liberia and we would like to extend to you the opportunity to sponsor a school child or teacher in the Rock Hill Community School. You can have a specific impact in helping one or more of these precious children out of a life of abject poverty. Or, you can help many of them, and help support a family, by sponsoring a teacher. Please contact the Main Office ( aoh.savinglives@gmail.com , 715.765.4118) to get started! Faith and hope, Rachel |
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ACRES OF HOPE EXTREME HUMANITARIAN EXPEDITIONS
Click on this link to view announcement:
Extreme Humanitarian Expeditions
A Missionaries page has been added to the website. Click on this link to view it:
Missionaries Page
The Spring 2008 Newsletter is available online. Click on this link to view it:
Spring 08 Newsletter
If you would like to read previously posted newsflash notices, click on the date below for a word document copy:
| Acres of Hope, Inc. |
| Main Office |
| Dave Reto, Office Manager Hours: Monday through Friday, 9 AM - 5 PM CST Phone: 715.765.4118, Fax: 715.765.4119 Mailing address: 29525 Four Corners Store Rd, Mason, WI 54856-2054 Email: aoh.savinglives@gmail.com |
| Patty Anglin, Executive Director, can also be reached through this office when she is in the US. |
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PayPal Donations
The Waiting Child
by Debbie Bodie
I saw you meet
your child today
You kissed your
baby joyfully
And as you walked
away with her
I played pretend
you'd chosen me.
I'm happy for the baby,
yet
Inside I"m aching
miserably
I want to plead as
you go by,
``Does no-one want
a child of three?"
I saw you meet
your child today
In love with her
before you met
And as I watched
you take her out
I knew it wasn't
my turn yet.
I recognize you
from last year!
I knew I'd seen your
face before!
But you came for a
second babe.
Does no-one want
a child of four?
I saw you meet
your child today
But this time there was
something new
A nurse came in
and took MY hand
And then she gave
my hand to you.
Can this be true?
I'm almost six!
And there are
infants here you see?
But then you kissed me
and I knew
The child you chose
this time was me.
Copyright © 2008 Acres Hope, Inc. All rights reserved. None of the materials, photos, text, etc. provided on this web site may be used, reproduced or transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or the use of any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.