Africa Adoption

As I race across the globe in the blogging sphere this morning, I am excited to arrive at Africa. This is one of the poorest continents in the world and home to many children who need a forever family. Most of the countries in Africa deal with poverty, hunger and disease. This is a terrible tragedy and the children suffer the most in these situations. There are times that it is difficult to look at pictures of the devastation that permeates this nation. This is where the growing adoption trend has made an incredible difference. When a child in an African country can be proven as abandoned or orphaned, they are often eligible for adoption. Adoption offers hope to the shattered lives of… [more]

It seems that African adoption has stepped to the forefront regarding their newsworthy happenings in the past few months. This is such a difficult time for adoptions from this continent. There have been many issues in the Ethiopian adoption realm. You can catch up on that news by accessing the blog for Ethiopia. Other African countries are struggling under threats of fraud and mishandling. Yet, good news has come out for those of you interested in adopting from South Africa. I believe in the last post, mention was made about a new rule that would make it so a prospective parent would be required to live in South Africa for five years before they could adopt a child from that area. Recently… [more]

I know that I have started blogs in the past with the line: African adoption is in the news. Yet, that is exactly how I desire to start this blog because African adoption is in the news. Of the recent adoption notices released in the last two weeks, four of them pertained to adoption programs from African countries. Check out my Ethiopian adoption blog for information on the happenings in Ethiopia. I will tell you that Ethiopian adoption continues to close orphanages and work through issues that have slowed the adoption program down considerably. A notice was also released dealing with South African adoption. Accordingly, adoptions from this area are under a much tighter rule base. In order to eligible to adopt one of… [more]

There are many parts of an African adoption that are difficult or out of the ordinary for prospective parents. They are often intimidated by the international adoption process, what comes across the news desk and how to pay the fees. This can cause a prospective family to look elsewhere when fulfilling their adoption desires. There are many children in African whom are available for adoption as we speak. They are victims of poverty, war and disease. They often lack proper nutrition, housing and education. Yet, these children come from a long line of hard workers. They know what want is but they know that smiles bring strength. There are currently many countries in the African continent involved in intercountry adoption.  Most of them… [more]

The increase in international adoption has led to a major numbers hike in transracial families. It is not unheard of to go to the local grocery store and see a young woman leading a line of children behind her- all of different races. This is partly from the steady growth of foster adoption that are occurring. It can also be explained by the number of cross cultural marriages. Yet, there are a number of children who are being adopted through inter-country adoption. Adoption of African children by Caucasian parents is on the rise. The reason for this is multi-faceted. First, news of the need in African countries is readily available. This tugs the heart of prospective parents. Also many people have adopted… [more]

African adoption is the latest trend that continues to grow amidst the adoption community. It seems that everywhere that I turn, I hear about another adoption occurring from this continent. This is very exciting. Though issues have arisen in some of the African countries in relation to fraud- the prospective parents do not seem to be put off. Recently, in my 'neck of the woods' I heard about another family that is adopting from Uganda. They actually attend the same church as my other friends who are in the process of adopting from that area. Their church heavily supports an orphanage that has many children who are orphans (both parents deceased.) These are the children that these two families are pursuing for adoption… [more]

Adoption has a long history in many countries. It is an activity that comes from the heart and offers compassionate people a way to help others. And it has grown in spectrum over the last decade. Where people often chose to adopt children who looked as though they were born into a family in the past- now many families are choosing to adopt transracially. They are expanding the view of what makes a family and offering hope for the many orphans that span the globe. It is no surprise to anyone who lives in today's society to hear that the need in Africa is great. There are many, many children who are literally starving. They are homeless, have lost their parents and have no… [more]

The number of children adopted from Africa has grown considerably in recent years. There are many reasons for this growth. Two of them seem to have had the most impact. First, many celebrities have chosen to adopt internationally with many of children coming from the African countries. This has brought focus on the African adoption demographic. The second reason, I believe comes out of the increased media coverage of the conditions in Africa and the needs that are there. In the history of media, more in-depth reporting has occurred about international conditions than ever before. This has opened the door of understanding and allowed for humanitarian efforts. The adoption program throughout Africa differs widely. In some areas, one or two adoption are completed a year… [more]

In February, I posted about the Democratic Republic of Congo, or Congo for short. International adoption from the Congo remains open at this time though there has been a recent change in the requirements. On May 13, 2011, a notification was released stating that prospective adoptive parents will now be required to travel to the Congo to pick up their child. This is the only way that the child will receive exit clearance from the country. At this point, this change has not been made in writing and the United States, using its diplomatic channels, has formally requested that the change be documented. If you are a prospective adoptive parent of children from the Congo, this applies to you. Traveling to the Congo… [more]

The Republic of Angola, commonly called Angola, is a country located in South Central Africa. It is a country that has been subject to massive poverty, civil unrest and disease. It is ranked the second lowest in life expectancy of all countries and has a very high early mortality rate for infants. With all of the negative numbers coming out of this area, an amazing change is occurring. The development of the oil in this country has begun to swing the financial arena and the people are beginning to feel the effects of this growth. Yet, it will be many years before a full rebound can occur so the need for adoptive parents is great. Adoption from Angola is not a complex process though… [more]