DRC Update

So… There are a couple of updates, but we’re still stuck.

The US sent a delegation of congressmen to the DRC to talk specifically about this issue. As has become typical, the DRC responded with things that we want to hear. I won’t go into details, but I wanted to document, for posterity, the letter I wrote to my congressmen in Colorado. I’ve been interacting with their offices for the past couple of months and have a fairly good rapport going with my contacts.

For those that want more gory details of what’s going on, hit us up and buy us a beer (or three) and we will share our long, politically charged story with you.

Here’s my latest letter.

Hello!

We’ve gotten some updates on recent developments in the DRC that I thought I should share.

You may or may not be aware that a delegation of Congressmen from the House has very recently been to the DRC and have met with many high ranking officials around the adoption issues in which we have so much interest. The delegation (referred to as a “Co-Del?”) consists of Ed Royce (CA), Eliot Engel (NY), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL), Gregory Meeks (NY), Reid Ribble (WI), Dave Trott (MI), and Ted Yoho (FL).

From the sounds of it, their meetings were very productive. In fact, the Congolese have announced that they are re-convening the investigative committee that had met late last spring which resulted in 14 American families being allowed to bring their legally adopted children home to the US, along with many others from other countries around the world. They have committed to creating a list of approved cases in the next 15 days.

While this is certainly encouraging to hear, we parents are weary that we have seen this all go down before. The Congolese have proven very adept at placating our group and our government whenever a moderate amount of pressure is applied, in this case having Congressional feet on the ground in Kinshasa.

We are asking for continued attention to this situation. Specifically we hope that Congress will do what they can to help the State Department in enforcing this 15 day commitment. Furthermore, since it is likely that the 15 days will pass with no further action, we ask that contingencies be worked out in advance. The time for waiting has long passed us in this situation.

I can’t express how thankful I am to have your cooperation and continued interest in this difficult situation. It really means a lot to my wife and I to know that our government, specifically the people within our government, are paying close attention to this issue which affects an admittedly small number of families in our country (and the world). Your efforts are making a huge impact and difference. It gives me hope that this situation will come to a happy conclusion in the near future.

As always, please feel free to reach out with questions or requests.

Sincerely,

Brandon and Jenny Grady