[nbj]

Is there anyone that can offer information on adopting from Haiti? I am a single mom that has already adopted from China and was looking at Ethiopia as a possible avenue for another adoption. I had not looked at Haiti since I thought it was closed to singles but then learned a few orphanages do permit single women to adopt.

I am very interested in any information that you can offer on the following topics but appreciate any words of advice on the subject in general:

1) agency recommendations
2) process length
3) travel
4) use of US based agencies vs "independent" adoptions through lawyers in Haiti (process/expenses/problems)
5) health/age of children
6) possibilities of sibling or nonrelated child adoptions


Thank you in advance for your time and information.

[sis2kensia]

Originally Posted by nbj

Is there anyone that can offer information on adopting from Haiti? I am a single mom that has already adopted from China and was looking at Ethiopia as a possible avenue for another adoption. I had not looked at Haiti since I thought it was closed to singles but then learned a few orphanages do permit single women to adopt.

I am very interested in any information that you can offer on the following topics but appreciate any words of advice on the subject in general:

1) agency recommendations
2) process length
3) travel
4) use of US based agencies vs "independent" adoptions through lawyers in Haiti (process/expenses/problems)
5) health/age of children
6) possibilities of sibling or nonrelated child adoptions


Thank you in advance for your time and information.

Hi!
Here are the answers to your questions as I know them.

I will PM you some agency recommendations.

I would definently recommend independent adoption - adopting directly from many orphanages in Haiti often offers the same level of support and help that an agency would - without charging several thousand dollars in agency fees.

The timeline often depends on the orphanage you choose. There are fast orphanages and very slow orphanages. I'll PM you which are which and pros and cons of them. My parents used a fast orphanage last year and their adoption took 7 months - they brought home a 10 month old boy. At the same time we knew people adopting from another orphanage and their adoption took 16 months. I think that 10-12 months is probably the fastest things could go right now (from referral). things do seem to be speeding up and many people hope they keep speeding up. Wait for referrals are usually very short (days to weeks often) and there seems to be an equal number of boys/girls available.

Infants and up are available. You can get the referral of a newborn but the child will probably be 10-12 months at the youngest when they come home.

Most kids I have seen/heard of (including my two siblings) have come home quite healthy. Parasites, scabies, other skin issues and malnutrition is common but issues that are quickly resolved.

You can adopt sibling groups (twins, triplets available sometimes too) and there are often young sibling groups (baby and toddler groups) available. You can also adopt unrelated children. I don't think orphanages usually recommend adopting more than 2 unrelated children at a time, though I have heard of families adopting three unrelated children.

Anyway, hope this is helpful. Let me know if you want more info!!

S.
sis2kensia@yahoo.com