Lifeline has heard from our Advocate/Attorney as well as other well connected sources in Uganda over the course of the past 24 hours. There is speculation of positive movement in the High Court that relates to the “legal guardianship” wording required by the US Embassy. In addition to this, there has also been discussions on waiving the 3 year adoption waiting period that is currently in place. We do not know if these discussions have been limited to children with special needs (we know of one case where this action has indeed taken place) or would be across the board (include non-special needs). Lifeline wants to be clear that discussions are NOT decisions, and although the Embassy is also hopeful for a quick resolve, the Vice Consular informed us yesterday that as of 2/16/10 no formal document from the High Court has been delivered to the Embassy. The US Embassy in Uganda can not and will not provide positive encouragement to adopting families, without a written commitment from the Ugandan High Court, for the requested change in wording as it relates to the full intent of the “legal guardianship”.
Lifeline supports the US Embassy’s position while also understanding the frustration of the High Court. Both Embassy and High Court agree that there should be no misunderstanding in the courts, and in the written decree, as to why American families are requesting “legal guardianship”.Lifeline families may contact our office for additional and breaking news on the current situation in Uganda. We will continue to provide you with timely and accurate information. We do not know when our next posted update will be, but we continue to pray that the current situation will be resolved quickly.
Adoptive families should also be prepared for a potential backlog both at the courts and the Embassy when the process is fully resumed.
Dave Wood
International Director
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