Ministry revokes Africa Cradle's license

ex-''director'' stabbed

June 14, 2000- the Reporter

The Ministry of Justice has revoked the license it had issued to African Cradle as of June 6, 2000. The organization received the license in 1998 after presenting the project proposal of its '' parent organization'' - family connections to

the Disaster Prevention and Prepardness Comission(DPPC) & the Ministry of Justice.

"Since contrary to the rules of conduct & obligations relating to the license, it has ben proved that the organization has sent children abroad in inter-country adoption without having Adoption agency license & since its working relationship

with Ministry of Labor & Social Affairs (MOLSA), which was working with the organization as a government representative has been discontinued as a result of the organization's inability to carry out adoption activites, the organization's license

has been cancelled, " states a letter written by the Minstry of Justice to African Cradle dated June 6, 2000. '' It is also decided that MOLSA shall take custody of the children in the organization & DPPC shall take over its property,'' the letter adds.

It was reported in this paper that Amber Stime Kassa, the executive director of African Cradle, was asked by MOLSA to present the organization license from its home country, but her organization continued operation without providing the

required document for the last four years with the good will of some officials in the ministry. The ministry reportedly asked for the document upon learning that the organization was posting on the internet the profiles and pictures of the children

ready for adoption and handing over children to organizations abroad. The executive director later came up with a license for facilitation of adoption which, she said, was "enough to operate in Ethiopia". The organization was suspended from practicing inter-country adoption as of December 1999 by MOLSA.

Meanwhile, The Reporter learnt that W/o Haregewoien Birhane, African Cradle's ex-"director", was stabbed with a sharp edged knife & was seriously injured by unidentified assailants. The assault occurred in woreda 28 while she was heading home. One of the attackers was followed in hot pursuit & caught by people living around. He was later arrested by the police.

Informed sources linked the attack on W/o Haregewoien to the cancellation of African Cradle's license. We were able to confirm that the stabbing took place a couple of days after the revocation. The woreda 28 police are conducting

investigations into the matter.

African cradle fired the ex-"director" for allegedly providing undue information to the government last march.