Colombian Culture, Colombia Adoption and Raising Colombian Kids

After a summer break, Tunes for Tuesdays is back. Much has happened since our last entry in this series. Most notably, Joe Arroyo passed away in July at a clinic in Barranquilla , Colombia. He was only 56 years old. Colombians lamented, cried, remembered, and then sang and danced to Joe Arroyo's music. "It's the best way to say good bye" they said. It was yet another excuse for a big party in Barranquilla, a city that has never experienced a shortage of such opportunities. All the big names in Colombian music had something to say. From Shakira and Juanes to Fruko , who cried on camera. Even the President of Colombia made a public statement. Abroad, Willie Colon and Oscar D'Leon , among others sent their condolences from the USA, and the BBC reminisced about a time when Island Records distributed his music throughout Europe. Then others also reminisced : that it was Fuentes who discovered him in 1972, that he used to sing in brothels in Cartagena

So far in 2011, Special Needs Adoptions have made up 55% of all the adoptions in Colombia (534 of the 977 adoptions). THIS IS AMAZING!!!!! To gain some perspective, look at the list below: In 2002, there were 349 -- 13% of all adoptions. In 2003, there were 392 -- 22% of all adoptions. In 2004, there were 356 -- 15% of all adoptions. In 2005, there were 383 -- 15% of all adoptions. In 2006, there were 608 -- 22% of all adoptions. In 2007, there were 776 -- 25% of all adoptions. In 2008, there were 730 -- 31% of all adoptions. In 2009, there were 824 -- 30% of all adoptions. In 2010, there were 889 -- 30% of all adoptions. What is changing? As waiting lists for healthy children have become longer, many adoptive families have become more willing to look into other options, and this includes adopting larger sibling groups, older children, and children with physical or mental disabilities or special health issues (like HIV +). Here are a few blogs from families that adopted THIS

Another way of seeing the growth of Colombians adopting form Colombia is to see the statistics from this year. Not only are there 124 Colombian families waiting to adopt, but so far this year Colombians have adopted more children than foreign families. Here are the numbers: Since January 1, 2011: 551 children have been adopted by Colombian families while 960 children have been adopted by Foreign families This means that 57.4% of all the adoptions in Colombia so far this year have been to Colombian families. Just for perspective: In 2010, 53% of the adoptions were to Colombians. In 2003, 35% of the adoptions were to Colombians. In 1991, 28% of the adoptions were to Colombians. In 20 years, the number of Colombians adopting form Colombia has more than doubled.

If you compare this new report with that from the final 2010 report, you will see that the number of families waiting has decreased and increased in the following way: THERE ARE NOW: 0 families from 2006 DOWN 19 families. 2007 DOWN 94 families. 2008 DOWN 43 families. 2009 DOWN 45 families. 2010 DOWN 24 families. 2011 UP 121 families. What happens to these families? One of three things is happening. 1- The family gets a referral for the age range they requested. 2- The family leaves the list or puts their application on hold. This can happen because of pregnancy, another adoption (domestic or foreign), family issues (divorce, job loss, weariness, etc.). 3- The family changes age range or sibling category. This has been happening quite a lot in Europe. Families that have been waiting for a couple of years realize that by changing to the sibling category their referral will come faster. So, they change categories and move to near the front of the sibling list

This most recent Wait List was published by ICBF on August 19, 2011. Once again, there has been a lot of movement. Great news for adoptive parents and for Colombian Children!! Remember, the ICBF Wait List applies to adoptions through ICBF only -- not through CASAS PRIVADAS. It also ONLY APPLIES TO NON-COLOMBIAN FAMILIES. It DOES NOT reflect special needs children. The definition of special needs are children with disabilities, children over 8 years of age, and sibling groups of 3 or more. Several dates have advanced again this time!!! YEAH!!! The dates that have moved are in BLUE. Also, this list only reflects that there are no more dossiers at the national office prior to the date shown. Dossiers from before October 2007 in the 0-23 months category, for example, may still need a referral, but they have already been sent to a region and are no longer waiting at the national office. Age of Child ------- Date of Application Approval by ICBF Child 0-12 months -----

Yesterday we learned that there are more Colombians (living both inside Colombia and Expats) adopting form Colombia. While this is SUPER news for Colombian children, it does mean longer wait times for foreign families, though at this time only slightly because we are not talking hundreds of Colombians. Today, let's take a look at the number of families currently on ICBF's Foreign Family Wait List. DRUMROLL PLEASE. 2,880 Here is how that 2,880 is broken down. 227 families waiting since 2007 721 families waiting since 2008 707 families waiting since 2009 745 families waiting since 2010 480 families waiting from this year. ICBF's report does not show how many families are waiting in each age range category, though this would be helpful. It is possible, however, to look at the last posted wait list and see that all age ranges from 0-4 years 11 months had families waiting from 2007. Even those waiting for 2 siblings 0-4 and 0-5 were still in 2007 on the

ICBF recently published its mid-year report (July 29, 2011) on Adoption statistics. I intend to highlight this report over the next few days. Today, I wanted to adress the number of families currently approved to adopt through ICBF. As of July 29, 2011, there were 124 Colombian families on the Colombian wait list . This list is prioritized over all other lists. In years past, there was practically no wait list for Colombians. When we processed our adoption in 2006, there was NO COLOMBIAN FAMILY WAIT LIST. The referrals were practically instantaneous. For example, we submitted our paperwork to ICBF and were approved within 2 weeks. The week following our approval our dossier was sent to the Bogotá regional office and the next week we had a referral -- 4 weeks total. Now, that was considered fast even then, but most of the Colombian families we knew at the time were going through the same process in no more than 6-8 weeks. Today, however, it seems to be taking 3-6 months f

Just had to share this video. So, Colombia!!!!

Surprisingly, Colombia is the land of many glaciers...or at least it was. In the 1800s, there were 18 glaciers in Colombia. Today, there are 6. You can hear a report from PRI's the world below. http://www.theworld.org/2011/08/watching-colombias-nevados-park-glaciers-melt-away/ Picture: http://www.flickr.com/photos/triangulodelcafe/5078071791/

Last night I got to watch the game on ESPN 3. Colombia pulled out a controversial last minute win when James (pronounced HA mays not Jay mz) Rodriguez scored on a free kick. Here are the highlights:

Saturday Colombia beat Korea 1-0. This means that they are moving ahead and will play Costa Rica Tuesday in the Group of 16. Here is to hoping they win and move on to Quarter Finals :) For now, enjoy watching Colombia's goal against Korea.

More Colombian Love Fest. At the opening ceremonies of the Under 20 World Cup, Jorge Celedón sang the following song called "La Invitación" (the invitation). It is a welcome to Colombia for anyone who wants to visit. Here are the lyrics and partial translation for the song: Como te quiero Colombia! -- How I love you Colombia Saludos desde Colombia a todo el mundo, -- Greetings from Colombia to the whole world con esta canción que nace en el corazón, -- with this song that is born in my heart perdonen si con mi canto les interrumpo, -- forgive me if with my song I interrupt you les pido 3 minutitos de su atención, -- I ask you for 3 minutes of your attention Les quiero contar del valle y de la montaña, -- I want to tell you about the valleys and the mountains de como se ve la siembra color marrón, -- how the crops look brown (golden) in color de como huele mi tierra cuando la bañan, -- how my land smells when it is washed (by the) goticas de aguita fresca que manda Dios. --

Last night Colombia beat Mali (2-0), for its second victory in Sub20 group A play. Here are the goles.

Last week, the PRI program, The World, reported on the Under 20 World Cup. Here is a taste of what you can hear on the report: "Compared to the main World Cup, the U-20 is small potatoes. There’s no bidding war to host the event, which is played every two years...Still, it’s a chance for Colombia to show off. The matches will be played in Bogota and seven other cities. 500 million people around the world will watch them on TV. They’ll learn about Colombia’s natural beauty, booming economy and improved security, even as a drug-fuelled guerrilla war grinds on. Cristian Bonilla, the Colombian team’s goalkeeper, said they’re proud that so many countries are participating and so many tourists are coming.'Perhaps they will come away with a different image from what foreigners normally think about Colombia,' he said. Bonilla and his teammates will be playing for more than national pride." You can hear or read the whole report here: http://www.theworld.org/2011/07/colombian-

Okay, if you were expecting Myths for Monday, you'll have to wait another week. This week I am dedicating the blog to following the Under 20 World Cup being held in Colombia. Today it is the amazing and decisive victory (4-1) of Colombia over France in the first game of the tournament. BTW, France was the European champion, so this is a BIG DEAL in Colombia. Here is a Colombian tradition, watching the GOALS -- GOLES (GO lays -- in Spanish) -- of the game. You can see the 1st goal, made by France. Then, it is a Colombia love fest as you watch the 4 Colombian goles. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!! DE COLOOOCOLOOOOCOLOMBIAAAAAAAAA!!!