State Dept and Embassy notices (with update)

State department notice confirming orphanage closures in Ethiopia:
http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=ethiopia_12

Also, posted in one of the online groups this morning, a list of documents/info required to be submitted to the U.S. Embassy with I-600 (source stated to be U.S. Embassy):

[Update: Our agency says there is no such official list, and that while this list may be accurate is some cases, it may not apply to others.]

KEBELE DOCUMENTS REQUIRED FOR SCREENING

Cases of Relinquishment
1. Petition from the relinquishing parents addressed to kebele/woreda/court showing their will and reason for relinquishment.
2. The Kebele and/or Woreda court decision regarding the relinquishment. The Court decision should include statements, signatures and occupation of all the witnesses, as well as the relationship between relinquishing parent and each witness.
3. All the local documents should include the name of the child, the names of the parents (deceased or alive), the name of the relinquishing person and so forth.
4. If a parent is deceased, death certificates or evidence from local authorities confirming the death. We will accept a declaration from a church or administration office with a registration number. Death certificates should provide the name and signature of the issuing person. We will not accept a statement of death to a church or administration office.
5. In cases when one or both of the biological parents have serious medical problems, a medical evaluation of the parents is required. (Please see Cases of Mental Illness for further required details.) In cases when the agency can't provide the medical evaluation report done by the authorized specialist it may be required that the parent is taken to the embassy's panel physicians.
6. Any correspondence between concerned authorities regarding the relinquishment of the child.
7. Complete life history forms of the children to include:

• child's detailed information
• names of both parents (alive, deceased or disappeared)
• contact information for the relinquishing person (full name, address, phone number)
• list of maternal and paternal relatives (even if parent is deceased)
• list of siblings and their ages (to include stepsiblings)
• acceptance date to the orphanage
• statement from the relinquishing person giving the reason for the relinquishment and showing his/her will to give the child for international adoption
• name and signature of the person filling out the form

Cases of Disappearance of One Biological Parent (in addition to relinquishment documents)
8. Police report reflecting a search for the parent and that he/she could not be found. Should include details of the investigation (exactly what action has been taken to find the birth parent)
9. If the details of the police investigation are not available, please provide proof of any efforts made by the family/orphanage/other to find the birth family. Example: ad in a newspaper, public announcement, ad in a church bulletin.

Cases of Abandonment
10. Police Report regarding the case to include the name of the person who found the child, the exact place and time where the child was found, efforts made to find the birth family of the child (example: ad in a newspaper or an announcement made by the police, orphanage or the agency).
11. Complete child's life history form to include information from the police report, date when the child was accepted to an orphanage, the name of the person that referred the child to an orphanage, contact information for the police officer processing the case.
12. Recommendation from the local authority to place the child in an orphanage.
13. Statements of the witnesses (if applicable). (Please see Cases of Relinquishment for further required details.)

Cases of Relinquishment by a Relative/Other
14. Court decree granting legal custody rights to the relinquishing person (not required if the relinquishing person is a sibling or a grandparent, according to Ethiopian law)

Cases of Mental Illness
15. Medical evaluation proving mental incapacitation of the parent provided by a medical official. In cases when the agency can't provide the medical evaluation report done by the authorized specialist it may be required that the parent is taken to the embassy's panel physicians.
16. Court document removing custody of the child from the mentally ill parent.
17. Court document assigning new guardian to the child.

Cases of Father Unknown
18. Efforts made to identify/find the unknown father. Example: ad in a newspaper, public announcement.

ALL DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE TRANSLATED INTO ENGLISH. THE TRANSLATION IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AGENCY. IF THE TRANSLATION IS NOT ACCURATE, THE CASE WILL BE RETURNED.