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You've already received some great replies, and I also wanted to add another "safeguard" which has given me peace. We were able to meet both our childrens' birth moms, and that gave me a firm reasurrance that they had made the decision on their own. I know that meeting the birth mom isn't always possible, and seems to be quite rare with most agencies. But for us this was important, and I will be forever grateful to these women for their courage, and have an amazing treasure of video & photos of us with them and the children we share with them.
Our agency does run their own private orphanage, and it is not what you'd typically expect from an orphanage setting -- caregiver to child ratio of about 4-1, colorful murals on walls, beautiful bedding and decorations, CD boomboxes in every room playing soothing music, and they even have a birth mother program complete with housing and counselling and care before they give birth. I originally liked the idea of Guatemala because of foster care, but I wouldn't want it any other way for our children. For our family this worked best for us, and I am completely satisfied that our agency operates with honesty and a heart for the children AND their birth moms.
There are many good and ethical agencies out there, I guess you just have to know what questions to ask -- I might add that before adoption I was completely in the dark, did all the internet research, was still confused, and it's only by the grace of God that we came upon this agency!
Best wishes,
J.T.
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