El Salvador is a Hague Convention compliant country as is the US so the adoption must follow the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The following information about adoption from El Salvador is from the Department of State, last updated November 2009.

Adopting from El Salvador is a lengthy and complicated process. There are inconsistencies in the adoption procedures so each adopting family has a different experience when adopting from El Salvador. Although the Salvadoran authorities who are responsible for adoptions are aware of this, they have yet to reach a consensus on changes that would improve the system.

Who Can Adopt?

Residency requirements: If the adoptive parents are not related to the child they wish to adopt, they must “reside with the child in El Salvador for at least one year prior to the finalization of the adoption.” In order for this to be possible, the adopting parents must be appointed foster parents by the court. However, apparently in some recent cases this requirement was waived.

Costa Rica is a Hague Convention compliant country as is the US so the adoption must follow the requirements of the Hague Adoption Convention on Intercountry Adoption. The following information about adoption from Costa Rica is from the United States Department of State, September 2009.

Costa Rica does not allow “private-direct-adoptions.” Every adoption must go through PANI (Patronato Nacional de la Infancia – Costa Rican Council on Adoptions). Additionally PANI does not allow adoption of children under 4 years of age unless a child is part of a family group that is being adopted. Post adoption reports are required every six months for the first two years and must be sent to Costa Rica. Adoptions from Costa Rica take anywhere from eight months to a year.

Who Can Adopt?

Residency Requirements: When the adoption is initiated, the parent or parents adopting must sign consenting documents in a Costa Rican court. This can take up to 30 days approximately. Following this one of the parents or the parent in the case of a single-parent adoption can stay in the country or make a second trip to complete the following requirements:

o Meet the child;

o Give formal consent for the adoption at the court;

o Obtain a decree of abandonment;

o Obtain a certified copy of the final adoption decree from the court;

o Register the adoption at the local Civil Registry;

o Obtain a birth certificate from the Civil Registry with the new name of the child;

o Obtain PANI authorization for the child to leave the country;

o Obtain a Costa Rican passport for the child.

What is the Guatemala 900 Initiative? On January 1, 2008 adoptions in Guatemala changed from a privately run system to a government run system. The 5000 adoptions that were “in process” at the time were to be “grandfathered” under the laws in which they began. Although the remaining cases were to be handled in a timely and reasonable manner, two years later there are still under 900 children waiting to join their families. The Guatemala 900 Campaign is an active voice for these 900 children and asks the governments of the United States and Guatemala to work together to ensure speedy due process for the remaining grandfathered cases.

Last year in June the Guatemala 900 marched in Washington. This year the Guatemala 900 is preparing for a Washington, DC Congressional briefing on May 6, 2010. It is not too late to make it there for this event. Over 30 families have confirmed their attendance and will be staying at the:

Holiday Inn Capitol Hill

550 C Street S.W. Washington, DC 20024

1-800-Holiday or 1-800-465-4329 and use Group Code GU5

Sequence of Events:

1. On Wednesday evening May 5th everyone will meet in the Holiday Inn Lobby to make signs and plan their statements.

As parents we need to be physically and mentally on top of our game. This is particularly important for older parents. So how do we go about doing this? Should we join yet another gym we will probably avoid like the plague after a month or so? Would doing Sudoku and crossword puzzles every day be beneficial?

Well it so happens that walking is the answer to both keeping our brain and our body in good shape. According to the AARP:

“Simple forms of steady exercise, such as walking, give you the best mental boost. Walking improves your ability to make decisions, solve problems, and focus. Even small doses of walking, like a 15-minute trek, can increase your brain power.”