Thursday, April 30, 2009
Liberia's Adoption Bill.....soon to be a law~
To everyone who has, or is considering adopting from Liberia~ This is a bill that has already passed the house here, and is before the Senate now. We are asking you to please read, and respond with comments, changes, problems, or any input you may have that can affect the way you believe adoptions should be handled in this country. This is what is going to be made into law! You will need to read from the bottom of this post up. If you click on each photo, it will be enlarged for easier reading. Please keep us in prayer~ tomorrow is our next court appearance @ 10:00 am.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Coming soon to a soup pot near you.....
Guess what we found laying around on our kitchen counter tonight????
* UPDATED to add the following info.....this rooster has joined the growing flock, and did NOT get eaten!!!!
Our New Spirit of Truth offices
The director of WACSN.... Maria Luyken and Pastor Jonathon, A Spirit of Truth Network pastor in the new offices.
A huge thank you to all of you who have helped to make this vision a reality for these pastors.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
OH, Liberia~ April 28 2009
Court update: Postponed until Fri. 10:00 am!
Dr. Susan was interviewed on the radio this morning, here were the questions posed to her, and her responses.
Interview Questions for Dr. Susan
1. Dr. Susan Olson welcome to Liberia
2. We learned that you are here volunteering your services to WACSN for the second time free of charge-Why did you choose WACSN as the organization to volunteer with??
WACSN has a solid foundation for caring for children. I wanted to be apart of expanding on medical services that they previously had in place by caring out exams, growth charts, and putting together formal records, treat infections, as well as treat them all for worms/parasites.
3. We also learned that during your last visit,you fell in love with twin boys whom you have since adopted. How did this come about?
Yes I did, and today is their birthday. I have thought about adoption for along time. After being here, meeting the children and seeing the boys I knew thatI was brought here for more than one purpose. That was to help the children and staff of WACSN and to make these two little boys part of our family.
4. Deputy Minister Joseph Geebro and Lydia Sherman of the MOH says that children adopted from Liberia by American parents are:
a. being trafficked- this is not true, the children were adopted by American families that went through extensive local,state, & federal investigation.
b. Their body parts used for medical purposes:and /or- That is a very morbid, cruel accusation to making in the year 2009 and is a blatant miss judgement of Americans.
c. put into slavery- That act was abolished in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln and is still upheld and supported in the 13th ammendment of the Constitution of the USA.
5. Dr. Susan, could you please explain: Who approves American Parents for international adoption?
A State licensed agency within the State you live, The US Dept. of Homeland Security, Dept.ofImmigration, and the Embassy of the US in Liberia.
What is the procedure or process that you go through as parents to be elgible for adoption?
There are many steps it takes and the process can take as long as 6 months to gain approval from the US Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of Immigration. There are many documents that have to be completed. You have to have personal, professional references, you have to show financial stability with 2-3 years of tax returns, you have to have a budget made out of monthly expenses, physical exam, if you have pets you have to show current vaccination records. A home study is completed by a State licensed agency to asses your home for a number of safty issues and enough indoor and outdoor space for the number of children you want to adopt.
6. Dr. Susan, you were the last medical doctor to fully examine the 35 WACSN children that the court says were illegally removed from that organization's care:
What were your professional findings on the welfare, health and upkeep of the children when you last saw them?
They were happy, healthy, active. I think we identified 1 or 2 children with ear infection that we treated. We did growth charts which showed-
7. Deputy Minister Joseph Geebro and Lydia Sherman of the MOH are claiming that children in the care of WACSN were badly cared for and many malnourished- First, is that true?-
Absolutely Not!!!That couldn't be farther from the truth.
Could you please address those claims?
The children were in exceptionally good condition. They had hot meals, clean clothes, spiritual instruction, singing, dancing, soccer, kick ball,
8. With the allegations being made by MOH against WACSN on child trafficking and smuggling- What is your opinion?
The children in WACSN care were relinquished by a parent or family member in the hopes that they would be adopted and have an opportunity for a good life.
9. What are you and other American parents who adopted Liberian children doing about the ban on adoption and the WACSN children that the court says were illegally removed from the WACSN adoption home on the Old Road on March 26th 2009?
We are working hard with our respective National Leaders(Senator and Representatives) from our States, we have sent information to Liberian Ambassador Barnes in Washington D.C. as well as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. There has been a family on the local News.
10. In court the Deputy Minister of Justice Mrs. Eva Morgan told the court that the 35 WACSN children were taken to Don Bosco Home for better care.
I was terribly upset, and angry as these children had very good care where they were at, and angry that the Ministry of Child Welfare would purposefully traumatize these children by removing them the way they did.It was thoughtless and very poor judgement.
11. What message or messages do you wish to leave with the Liberian public regarding the adoption of Liberian Children to the United States?
a. I want the Liberian people to know that we understand the hard times you are having and highly respect those individuals that want their children to have better opportunities. Americans that adopt from Liberia have very big caring hearts. They are driven as disciples of the Lord to extend their homes to help children grow and prosper. We also want to continue to work with WACSN to care for relinquished children. You need to stop and think....What are the guidelines in Liberia for a orphanage/children's home?? I would think at the top of the list would be food, clothes, shelter, and opportunities... The children that were relinquished had little to no food, the clothes on their back and marginal shelter, and no opportunities.
WACSN met all these needs and more
Dr. Susan was interviewed on the radio this morning, here were the questions posed to her, and her responses.
Interview Questions for Dr. Susan
1. Dr. Susan Olson welcome to Liberia
2. We learned that you are here volunteering your services to WACSN for the second time free of charge-Why did you choose WACSN as the organization to volunteer with??
WACSN has a solid foundation for caring for children. I wanted to be apart of expanding on medical services that they previously had in place by caring out exams, growth charts, and putting together formal records, treat infections, as well as treat them all for worms/parasites.
3. We also learned that during your last visit,you fell in love with twin boys whom you have since adopted. How did this come about?
Yes I did, and today is their birthday. I have thought about adoption for along time. After being here, meeting the children and seeing the boys I knew thatI was brought here for more than one purpose. That was to help the children and staff of WACSN and to make these two little boys part of our family.
4. Deputy Minister Joseph Geebro and Lydia Sherman of the MOH says that children adopted from Liberia by American parents are:
a. being trafficked- this is not true, the children were adopted by American families that went through extensive local,state, & federal investigation.
b. Their body parts used for medical purposes:and /or- That is a very morbid, cruel accusation to making in the year 2009 and is a blatant miss judgement of Americans.
c. put into slavery- That act was abolished in 1865 by Abraham Lincoln and is still upheld and supported in the 13th ammendment of the Constitution of the USA.
5. Dr. Susan, could you please explain: Who approves American Parents for international adoption?
A State licensed agency within the State you live, The US Dept. of Homeland Security, Dept.ofImmigration, and the Embassy of the US in Liberia.
What is the procedure or process that you go through as parents to be elgible for adoption?
There are many steps it takes and the process can take as long as 6 months to gain approval from the US Dept of Homeland Security, Dept of Immigration. There are many documents that have to be completed. You have to have personal, professional references, you have to show financial stability with 2-3 years of tax returns, you have to have a budget made out of monthly expenses, physical exam, if you have pets you have to show current vaccination records. A home study is completed by a State licensed agency to asses your home for a number of safty issues and enough indoor and outdoor space for the number of children you want to adopt.
6. Dr. Susan, you were the last medical doctor to fully examine the 35 WACSN children that the court says were illegally removed from that organization's care:
What were your professional findings on the welfare, health and upkeep of the children when you last saw them?
They were happy, healthy, active. I think we identified 1 or 2 children with ear infection that we treated. We did growth charts which showed-
7. Deputy Minister Joseph Geebro and Lydia Sherman of the MOH are claiming that children in the care of WACSN were badly cared for and many malnourished- First, is that true?-
Absolutely Not!!!That couldn't be farther from the truth.
Could you please address those claims?
The children were in exceptionally good condition. They had hot meals, clean clothes, spiritual instruction, singing, dancing, soccer, kick ball,
8. With the allegations being made by MOH against WACSN on child trafficking and smuggling- What is your opinion?
The children in WACSN care were relinquished by a parent or family member in the hopes that they would be adopted and have an opportunity for a good life.
9. What are you and other American parents who adopted Liberian children doing about the ban on adoption and the WACSN children that the court says were illegally removed from the WACSN adoption home on the Old Road on March 26th 2009?
We are working hard with our respective National Leaders(Senator and Representatives) from our States, we have sent information to Liberian Ambassador Barnes in Washington D.C. as well as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf. There has been a family on the local News.
10. In court the Deputy Minister of Justice Mrs. Eva Morgan told the court that the 35 WACSN children were taken to Don Bosco Home for better care.
I was terribly upset, and angry as these children had very good care where they were at, and angry that the Ministry of Child Welfare would purposefully traumatize these children by removing them the way they did.It was thoughtless and very poor judgement.
11. What message or messages do you wish to leave with the Liberian public regarding the adoption of Liberian Children to the United States?
a. I want the Liberian people to know that we understand the hard times you are having and highly respect those individuals that want their children to have better opportunities. Americans that adopt from Liberia have very big caring hearts. They are driven as disciples of the Lord to extend their homes to help children grow and prosper. We also want to continue to work with WACSN to care for relinquished children. You need to stop and think....What are the guidelines in Liberia for a orphanage/children's home?? I would think at the top of the list would be food, clothes, shelter, and opportunities... The children that were relinquished had little to no food, the clothes on their back and marginal shelter, and no opportunities.
WACSN met all these needs and more
Monday, April 27, 2009
April 27, 2009~ Court update, and a news article
In today's court proceeding Maria was asked to provide evidence as to why she is fit to have these children in her care. The court will reconvene tomorrow at 2:00 pm. to hear the evidence brought forth. Dr. Susan has arrived, and will also be addressing the court.
LIBERIA:
Don Bosco aids MOH in illegally Removing Children from WACSN Compound By: J. Eben Daygbor - ebendaygbor@yahoo.com
On Friday April 17, Judge James Zotaa of Criminal Court “A” angrily proclaimed in open court that the Ministry of Health (MOH) illegally removed 35 children from the Adoption Home of WACSN – the West African Children Support Network in Sinkor on March 26, 2009 without a court order and placed them in the Don Bosco Home for street children in Chocolate City, Gardnerville. This action by the MOH upon the WACSN children was reckless and a blatant violation of their human rights. The Ministry of Justice needs to be more concern with the basic human rights of the Liberian Child. The MOJ must see the necessity to shift the working paradigm from one of criminal sanction on the providers to that of human rights promotion of the children.The Ministries of Health and Justice, and the private adoption agency WACSN were brought into court by the Independent Human Rights activist Melvin Page under a writ of Habeas Corpus to answer questions as to the whereabouts of 3 children illegally snatched by the MOH from the care of WACSN. The 3 children were the Kerkula boys who were among the 35 children unlawfully removed by the MOH from the WACSN compound in Sinkor. Due to the forceful and unlawful manner in which the children were removed, the MOH had no mechanism in place to determine the names of children, their medical history, and levels of social, psychological and behavioral competence and performance. In short the MOH did not and still does not know the children which they illegally remove from WACSN’s care. WACSN is rightfully claiming that the 35 children in its care that the MOH illegally removed and took to the Don Bosco Home were relinquished by their parents for the sole purpose of adoption. The agency maintains that it is not an orphanage, and the children in its care did not come from any orphanage and do not know urban life, as they come from homes with parents, authority and Christian upbringing. Many of these children came from rural and semi rural settings and do not know the city lifestyles of street children which Don Bosco Home primarily cares for. The WACSN children are not street children. They came from a well managed WACSN home, entrusted by their parents, cared for by professional home mothers in a home setting that provided them love, caring, food, clothes, shelter, education, religion, and healthcare services. Consequently, placing a person who has learned to survive by victimizing others and becoming a criminal, no matter the tender age, with children that are innocent and protected has certain disadvantages. Don Bosco Home does not provide the necessary protection, security, treatment and care for the WACSN children. A policy reversal is needed for the sake of parents who do not understand the politics and power play of Monrovia and the pettiness of bureaucrats who are determine to advance their careers on the backs of innocent children. In reviewing the services of Don Bosco, this author finds that WACSN is correct. The Don Bosco Home does no more than what WACSN does. In fact, this author finds that the Don Bosco Home is a bad fit for the WACSN Children. The Director of WACSN’s Adoption Program, Mrs. Willette Urey said recently, that our children are our most valuable resource and most vulnerable citizens. Hence, the MOH cannot in good faith place our children in a ramshackle, dilapidated, shabby place just because it says it is being run by Don Bosco. Our children are sleeping on mats on the floor at Don Bosco. Mrs. Urey angrily says, this action by the MOH is not fair. It is not right. She wonders why Joseph Geebro, Lydia Sherman and Eva Morgan are playing politics with the lives of innocent children. According to the Don Bosco website, the organization only service children who live on the streets of Monrovia. These children are deprived of family care and protection, many between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old. Their population includes children who might not necessarily be homeless or without families, but who live in situations where there is no protection, supervision, or direction from responsible adults. Many of the street children in Don Bosco’s care while living on the streets were engaged in contracts to fetch water or wash dishes and carry loads short distance for people for money, whereas others simply stole to earn a living or to eat one square meal a day. When these children are not in the care of Don Bosco, they sleep in unfinished buildings, market stalls, abandon cars, soccer pitches and just any available place they can find regardless their safety, they are largely self-supervised. The Don Bosco children’s home website further states that the negative impact of street life on children in Liberia is enormous. Accordingly, many street children in Don Bosco’s care lack basic rights such as education, family love, health care, good food & safety. Other disadvantages include exposure to drugs, the risk of being knocked down by uninsured cars, harsh punishment for little offences. Also these conditions and behavior brings early arrival of adulthood, association with the wrong people & criminals and a loss of family ties. Another big problem with children at the Don Bosco Children Home is that they have been exploited by adults who hire them to work but often do not paid them for the work they do. The Don Bosco website further states that, these children allegedly face more attacks and abuses from law enforcers than they face from civilians. As such, protection/ advocacy groups determinately engage law enforcers in a dialogue to try and establish a working relationship with them to care for these vulnerable children. In past years, it has been WACSN who provided food and medical supply to street children, ex-combatants and war-affected youths. Madame Diana Davis, former president of the union of orphanages in Liberia said, it has always been WACSN who have come to the aid of orphanages and street children by supplying critically needed food, clothing and medical supply for children. Over the past 11 years, it has been WACSN who we all turn to for assistance. There are about 95 registered orphanages with many informal group homes caring for Liberia’s over 60,000 homeless, abandoned and orphaned children. Orphanages are usually underfunded receiving erratic government funding of about US$4.00 per orphan per month; thereby, relying primarily on private donations. Orphanages throughout Liberia have difficulty providing basic sanitation, adequate medical care, education and appropriate diet for children. The government does not support adoption homes or other children centers. According to the March 2009 UN Report entitled, “Human Rights in Liberia’s Orphanages”, children living in Liberia’s orphanages are denied basic rights, ranging from the right to identity, family, leisure, education, adequate sanitation and hygiene, health and participation in cultural activities. The report concludes that the lack of these basic rights have an incremental and lasting effect on the development of the Liberian Child.In another related report compiled by IRIN, malnutrition will kill 74,000 Liberian Children by 2015 if nothing is done about the current situation of severe hunger and health amongst children. The IRIN report also states that currently in Liberia 37 % of all children under 5 suffers from chronic malnutrition. With these critical and vexing issues clawing at our national doorstep with our president’s tirelessly, persistently and frustratingly making every effort to effectively deal with the UN millennium development Challenges, why then are individuals like Deputy Minister Joseph Gebroo and his associate Lydia Sherman doing all they can to sabotage and hold hostage the president’s cardinal effort to protect and dignify the Liberian child? Where is this new dispensation headed with the democratic election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president? One would have thought that this new dispensation was to change the face of Liberian life as many ordinary Liberians have come to know it for generations. Many Liberians truly believe that the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf would evolve a democratically driven society where the personification of integrity, honesty and a deep sense of purpose would be achieved. Instead, certain close-minded individuals in this government have been allowed to roam around Monrovia with nothing much to do but harass and torment the lives of productive citizens trying to make a difference in the lives of children. Our country will never change with this backward mindset. Will someone inform these individuals that Inter-Country adoption is not an avenue to build individual bank account? Inter-country adoption is a good thing for Liberia. It exposes our children to resources and opportunities not currently available in our country after 20 years of social devastation and economic dislocation. It allows children to grow up as kids during their formative years.
LIBERIA:
Don Bosco aids MOH in illegally Removing Children from WACSN Compound By: J. Eben Daygbor - ebendaygbor@yahoo.com
On Friday April 17, Judge James Zotaa of Criminal Court “A” angrily proclaimed in open court that the Ministry of Health (MOH) illegally removed 35 children from the Adoption Home of WACSN – the West African Children Support Network in Sinkor on March 26, 2009 without a court order and placed them in the Don Bosco Home for street children in Chocolate City, Gardnerville. This action by the MOH upon the WACSN children was reckless and a blatant violation of their human rights. The Ministry of Justice needs to be more concern with the basic human rights of the Liberian Child. The MOJ must see the necessity to shift the working paradigm from one of criminal sanction on the providers to that of human rights promotion of the children.The Ministries of Health and Justice, and the private adoption agency WACSN were brought into court by the Independent Human Rights activist Melvin Page under a writ of Habeas Corpus to answer questions as to the whereabouts of 3 children illegally snatched by the MOH from the care of WACSN. The 3 children were the Kerkula boys who were among the 35 children unlawfully removed by the MOH from the WACSN compound in Sinkor. Due to the forceful and unlawful manner in which the children were removed, the MOH had no mechanism in place to determine the names of children, their medical history, and levels of social, psychological and behavioral competence and performance. In short the MOH did not and still does not know the children which they illegally remove from WACSN’s care. WACSN is rightfully claiming that the 35 children in its care that the MOH illegally removed and took to the Don Bosco Home were relinquished by their parents for the sole purpose of adoption. The agency maintains that it is not an orphanage, and the children in its care did not come from any orphanage and do not know urban life, as they come from homes with parents, authority and Christian upbringing. Many of these children came from rural and semi rural settings and do not know the city lifestyles of street children which Don Bosco Home primarily cares for. The WACSN children are not street children. They came from a well managed WACSN home, entrusted by their parents, cared for by professional home mothers in a home setting that provided them love, caring, food, clothes, shelter, education, religion, and healthcare services. Consequently, placing a person who has learned to survive by victimizing others and becoming a criminal, no matter the tender age, with children that are innocent and protected has certain disadvantages. Don Bosco Home does not provide the necessary protection, security, treatment and care for the WACSN children. A policy reversal is needed for the sake of parents who do not understand the politics and power play of Monrovia and the pettiness of bureaucrats who are determine to advance their careers on the backs of innocent children. In reviewing the services of Don Bosco, this author finds that WACSN is correct. The Don Bosco Home does no more than what WACSN does. In fact, this author finds that the Don Bosco Home is a bad fit for the WACSN Children. The Director of WACSN’s Adoption Program, Mrs. Willette Urey said recently, that our children are our most valuable resource and most vulnerable citizens. Hence, the MOH cannot in good faith place our children in a ramshackle, dilapidated, shabby place just because it says it is being run by Don Bosco. Our children are sleeping on mats on the floor at Don Bosco. Mrs. Urey angrily says, this action by the MOH is not fair. It is not right. She wonders why Joseph Geebro, Lydia Sherman and Eva Morgan are playing politics with the lives of innocent children. According to the Don Bosco website, the organization only service children who live on the streets of Monrovia. These children are deprived of family care and protection, many between the ages of about 5 and 17 years old. Their population includes children who might not necessarily be homeless or without families, but who live in situations where there is no protection, supervision, or direction from responsible adults. Many of the street children in Don Bosco’s care while living on the streets were engaged in contracts to fetch water or wash dishes and carry loads short distance for people for money, whereas others simply stole to earn a living or to eat one square meal a day. When these children are not in the care of Don Bosco, they sleep in unfinished buildings, market stalls, abandon cars, soccer pitches and just any available place they can find regardless their safety, they are largely self-supervised. The Don Bosco children’s home website further states that the negative impact of street life on children in Liberia is enormous. Accordingly, many street children in Don Bosco’s care lack basic rights such as education, family love, health care, good food & safety. Other disadvantages include exposure to drugs, the risk of being knocked down by uninsured cars, harsh punishment for little offences. Also these conditions and behavior brings early arrival of adulthood, association with the wrong people & criminals and a loss of family ties. Another big problem with children at the Don Bosco Children Home is that they have been exploited by adults who hire them to work but often do not paid them for the work they do. The Don Bosco website further states that, these children allegedly face more attacks and abuses from law enforcers than they face from civilians. As such, protection/ advocacy groups determinately engage law enforcers in a dialogue to try and establish a working relationship with them to care for these vulnerable children. In past years, it has been WACSN who provided food and medical supply to street children, ex-combatants and war-affected youths. Madame Diana Davis, former president of the union of orphanages in Liberia said, it has always been WACSN who have come to the aid of orphanages and street children by supplying critically needed food, clothing and medical supply for children. Over the past 11 years, it has been WACSN who we all turn to for assistance. There are about 95 registered orphanages with many informal group homes caring for Liberia’s over 60,000 homeless, abandoned and orphaned children. Orphanages are usually underfunded receiving erratic government funding of about US$4.00 per orphan per month; thereby, relying primarily on private donations. Orphanages throughout Liberia have difficulty providing basic sanitation, adequate medical care, education and appropriate diet for children. The government does not support adoption homes or other children centers. According to the March 2009 UN Report entitled, “Human Rights in Liberia’s Orphanages”, children living in Liberia’s orphanages are denied basic rights, ranging from the right to identity, family, leisure, education, adequate sanitation and hygiene, health and participation in cultural activities. The report concludes that the lack of these basic rights have an incremental and lasting effect on the development of the Liberian Child.In another related report compiled by IRIN, malnutrition will kill 74,000 Liberian Children by 2015 if nothing is done about the current situation of severe hunger and health amongst children. The IRIN report also states that currently in Liberia 37 % of all children under 5 suffers from chronic malnutrition. With these critical and vexing issues clawing at our national doorstep with our president’s tirelessly, persistently and frustratingly making every effort to effectively deal with the UN millennium development Challenges, why then are individuals like Deputy Minister Joseph Gebroo and his associate Lydia Sherman doing all they can to sabotage and hold hostage the president’s cardinal effort to protect and dignify the Liberian child? Where is this new dispensation headed with the democratic election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as president? One would have thought that this new dispensation was to change the face of Liberian life as many ordinary Liberians have come to know it for generations. Many Liberians truly believe that the election of Ellen Johnson Sirleaf would evolve a democratically driven society where the personification of integrity, honesty and a deep sense of purpose would be achieved. Instead, certain close-minded individuals in this government have been allowed to roam around Monrovia with nothing much to do but harass and torment the lives of productive citizens trying to make a difference in the lives of children. Our country will never change with this backward mindset. Will someone inform these individuals that Inter-Country adoption is not an avenue to build individual bank account? Inter-country adoption is a good thing for Liberia. It exposes our children to resources and opportunities not currently available in our country after 20 years of social devastation and economic dislocation. It allows children to grow up as kids during their formative years.
Published In The Newspapers here~
Press Release
Ministry of Health, and Ministry of Justice Denied My Children A Golden Opportunity
An Aggrieved Father The father of the three children the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare illegally removed from the compound of the West African Child Support Network (WACSN) Mr. Randall Keculah ----says Acting Minister of Justice, Cllr. Eva Mappy Morgan has denied his children their ever life time golden opportunity that may never come their way again.Upon the directives of Acting Minister Morgan, he said his children were stopped from leaving the country at the Roberts International Airport (RIA) on grounds that the ministry did not give them a final clearance for departure. He said, in keeping with law and required legal procedures governing adoption, he and his late wife relinquished their 4 children to WACSN to be adopted under a court degree, which was later climaxed with an interview for visa at the United States Embassy, noting that the effort of the WACSN and the adoptive parents were wasted owing to the action of Acting Minister Morgan who singlehandedly ordered security officers at the RIA to stop his children from entering the plane for departure to the United States. Addressing himself to the rather unfortunate situation in a chat with reporters yesterday, Mr. Keculah indicated that because of the action of the Acting Justice Minister, the adopted parents have refused to accept the children due to the behavior of government officials and the length of time it has taken to resolve the situation before the President announced the ban on adoption.Mr. Keculah, a father of seven children, said the mother of the children died in child birth with their last child who was one of the children denied leaving Liberia, “after completing all necessary paperwork in compliance with Liberian Adoption Laws. This Process included approval from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, and the granting of a decree by the Probate Court of Liberia.In a press statement issued today, Mr. Keculah was quoted as saying that an independent investigation to establish the biological parenthood of the children was conducted by the US Embassy thereby allowing WACSN to put in place its customary practice of inviting the adopting parents to Liberia to spend three weeks to bond with the children. Mr. Keculah stressed that a required interview with the US Embassy was scheduled to complete the adoption process after which, the three Liberian children were then issued visas for travel to the United States by the US Embassy with their adoptive parents. While at the airport, the children were cleared by Liberian Immigration officers at the Roberts International Airport. The three children were then stopped with their adoptive parents from boarding the plane by Minister Eva Morgan who insisted that another clearance for departure was required before the children could depart Liberia. In this process, the children were denied travelling to America, while their adoptive parents looked on and felt insulted, embarrassed, and belittled.“A sad end to this story of the three boys now ends in a tragedy, with their future compromised and their father left in a state of bewilderment. The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare illegally removed them from the WACSN Compound without a court order and placed them with street children at the Don Bosco Home,” the traumatized father of the children said. “Keep in mind that many of these children have been in WACSN’s care for the past three to five years attending private school and being cared for by doctors at the Saint Joseph Catholic Hospital. The tragedy of this situation is the adoptive parent in America has said that they do not want to adopt the children any longer because of the behavior of government officials,” Mr. Keculah is quoted as saying in the press statement. According to Mr. Keculah, the action of the Acting Justice Minister is something he will never forget ever in his life. “The Minister is a mother and good thing she took her children to the airport to travel to America, when she took that decision t prevent my children from going where her children is. Now my children are at the Don Bosco Home for street children a place where nobody wants their children to be, who knows such opportunity may never come to my children again”, he told reporters. Meanwhile Judge James Zota of Criminal Court “A” has found the Health and Social Welfare Ministry guilty for illegally removing the children from the WACSN compound without a court order.
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