Africa Adoption

I am going jump all over the board in this post because there are things that have happened in various areas. First, the good news! If any of you have been waiting for Sierra Leone to re-open, the day has come. On April 30, 2012, the government of Sierra Leone released a notification that they have re-opened their intercountry adoption program. This program has been closed since May, 2009. The notice states that the adoptions will take place under the old legal structure but new laws are being processed. Sierra Leone officials strongly encourage all prospective adoptive parents to read all of the laws governing adoption from this country in order to fully understand what is expected. The other news that I have… [more]

I have news! This is such an exciting time for my friends because they have been MATCHED and are going to get their 18 month old child very soon. I have blogged about them in the past. They are a neat couple who are adopting from Uganda. Just a couple weeks ago, I noticed an invite popped up on my Facebook. Sometimes I read them, sometimes I don't. I am so glad that I did. It was an invitation to a baby shower given in their honor. I love it. They already have five children at home but the people of their church and family wanted to celebrate with them- what a sweet gesture. I cannot wait until I can tell you that… [more]

The interest in African adoption continues to rise. Unfortunately, the underdeveloped adoption program is not capable of handling the increase. This is not meant to be a negative statement- just a true one. Most of the countries in Africa are seeing a rise in the number of applicants for intercountry adtopion. The most prominent being in Ethiopia (you can read about what is happening there in my Ethiopia blog.) The other countries within Africa get a smattering of people. These people must be prepared to wait 3-4 years in order to bring their adoption to completion. This is too difficult for many and they end up giving up and/or transferring to another country's program. The wait can be excruciating. I have friends who are… [more]

Adoption from Africa is in a hard place right now and requires a lot of patience and understanding to get through. This is a fairly new development and is the result of fraudulent behavior that has occurred in the last few years. This is not a good sign for adoption from all countries in Africa. I recently talked with some friends of ours who are adopting from Uganda. They have been working toward a referral for over a year now. In the course of the conversation, I asked how the adoption was going. They replied, "They are wearing a hole in their thumbs." If you are like me, I didn't quite get it. I gave that unknowing look to my husband. He winked and… [more]

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]