Odeen Velyky Pyvo and an Unexpected Pause in Paris
Published May 31, 2005
We learned all we know too late.
We did, however, have our share of suspicion before traveling, though not due to any information forthcoming from Yunona. It was because of adoption chat groups I encountered that we began to question our agency. But met with inquiry, Yunona artfully and continually deflects parental worry by wielding a shield of propaganda that's been polished to a high sheen by half-truths and outright lies. If you tell Yunona other parents informed you photolistings are illegal in Ukraine, Yunona says they don't use photolistings in Ukraine – they use them on the Internet. When we asked for details about what would take place at the NAC, such as how long our appointment would be and what would take place there, we were given vague platitudes consisting of statements like, "Don't worry. Your coordinators in Kiev will take care of everything."
Now that we are back and voicing our dissent, one indignant parent has accused us of "being willing to go along with Yunona so long as we thought we could get what we want." To an extent she is right. But she, like Yunona, is skirting past several salient points. For one, most of what we now know we didn't know prior to traveling. What we thought we were "going along with" didn't include the realization that money we believed was being spent to make the lives of orphans better was in fact being used to bribe officials such a notaries, judges, and employees of the NAC. For another, suspicions notwithstanding, Yunona held two very important things over our heads: all of our liquid assets and the lives of the daughters we expected to raise. Pretty hefty stakes.
To be sure, we would also be less upset if Yunona at least honored its contract in that it returned our funds. Instead they are attempting to extort our complicity in their schemes by trying to force us to sign a gag order — which includes a waiver of a multitude of our rights — in order to secure our already-contractually-agreed-upon refund. Well, I may be one stubborn woman because my silence cannot be bought. Not even for the $14,400.00 that Yunona still owes us. Our right to free speech and the rights of other unsuspecting parents to be duly warned is in fact worth a whole lot more, don't you think?
Organizations like Yunona that run afoul of international laws and standard codes of ethics in their conduct do more in the long run to harm orphans than they do to help them. If Yunona were sincere in their claims to care about orphans, they would serve them appropriately and further the cause of adoption in an upright and unsullied manner. There would be no need to deceive parents. And if deception isn't at play here, why do parents like us have to wrestle and sue for our refunds?
- Odeen Velyky Pyvo and an Unexpected Pause in Paris
- Published: May 31, 2005
- Type: Opinion
- Section: Culture
- Filed Under: Sci/Tech: Internet, Politics: International, Culture: Society, Culture: Family and Relationships
- Writer: garrie keyman
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- garrie keyman's personal site
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Comments on this articleComments
Thank you for writing, Jeanne. One thing that's been rewarding for me through all of this has been hearing from many wonderful adoptive parents out there who take a few moments to share their personal thoughts and stories in return.
Congratulations on your adoption. Sounds like our adopted daughters are about the same age.
And thank you for the compliment on my writing. Next to my husband and children, writing is the most important thing in my life.
-- gk
I only wished that I would have read this 5 months ago. We have lost over $10,000.00 since 1-2006 to Yunona USA (and what ever else they decided to use as a name for there illegal scams).
They are currently under investigation and the coward Ivan Jerdev is curreently hidding in Russia. I can not beleive people are out there that take advantage of desperate parents!
If you are the lucky few that had a positive experience with Yunona, concider yourselves very blessed to not be taken advantage of. Unlike the MANY that are heart broker and not to mention broke because of this.
If you have been a victim of Yunona or any other affiliate to them, please call the NAPA Police Dept in California. Thay are trying to get all the people who were scammed by Yunona invovled so that they have enough evidence to charge all people involved and hopefully reimburse all our money back.
Please don't speak out negatively to all those who were scammed. We are hurting and we do not need the persecution of others to stick up for a company that has lied to ALL of us from the beginning.
I only wished that I would have read this 5 months ago. We have lost over $10,000.00 since 1-2006 to Yunona USA (and what ever else they decided to use as a name for there illegal scams).
They are currently under investigation and the coward Ivan Jerdev is currently hiding in Russia. I can not believe people are out there that take advantage of desperate parents!
If you are the lucky few that had a positive experience with Yunona, consider yourselves very blessed to not be taken advantage of. Unlike the MANY that are heart broker and not to mention broke because of this.
If you have been a victim of Yunona or any other affiliate to them, please call the NAPA Police Dept in California. They are trying to get all the people who were scammed by Yunona involved so that they have enough evidence to charge all people involved and hopefully reimburse all our money back.
Please don't speak out negatively to all those who were scammed. We are hurting and we do not need the persecution of others to stick up for a company that has lied to ALL of us from the beginning.
Ivan Jerdev is very much a crook. We were referred to a child in Rostov on Don and discovered upon our arrival there that the agency has never even worked there. It was a horror story from there...................We have adopted through 2 previous agencies and realize adoption is not a cut and dried procedure but Yunona is plain crooked.
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First of all-you are indeed a wonderful writer.I am sure that I would not be able to resist any of your literary adventures but since this subject is close to my heart I was all the more intralled.I adopted my daughter from Kazakhstan in 1999 at the tender age of 10 months.I did not use Yunona but I certainly have learned some lessons regarding International adoption through my journey and through the experiences of friends.One friend went to Russia to adopt 2 children and when she arrived was told that their parents had decided to keep them.She fainted and became hysterical when she came to.She and her husband "picked" out 2 different children who are now 8 and 10 and yet she continues to mourn the children she lost and yet she never really had.When I visited my daughter's baby house to meet her for the first time I was brought a three year old rather than a small baby.For a period of time I waited while they looked for her in quite a panick.Luckily she was there and seemed to be waiting for me.