[shellydm]

Hello everyone!
I am new here.

I have been researching international adoption and my husband and I are certain that this is for us.

I am afraid to fly, so we were hoping to find a country which allowed escorts. The only country I knew of that allowed this was Guatemala. From my readings, it looks like its a bit of a sticky situation over there right now.

I was watching Adoption Story today on tv and saw that a family adopted from India and had the child escorted. I was so happy. Chills ran down my spine. It gave me such hope. I did not know that an escort option was possible in India as well.

Can anyone suggest an agency? Does anyone know of one that offers the escort option?

I am so excited about this. The people and children of India are so beautiful, and I can't wait to learn more about their cultures and everything else!

I have stacks and stacks of information here about Guatemala, but none on India that I know of. Perhaps some of the agencies I have information from also have programs in India as well.

Please, it would be such a help if anyone can recommend one for me to look into.

I'd love to hear your stories!

Thanks,
Shelly

[shellydm]

Thank you!
Do most agencies offer the escort option? We would need an agency that offers this option.

If you don't mind me asking, do you know a rough estimate on how much Indian adoptions cost in total?

I think Guatemalan adoptions were 25-30K

Thanks again for your help!

Shelly

[Julie KS]

A complete list of agencies with programs in India appears at www.ichild.org. Summaries of the programs are also included, plus links to many of their websites.

I've heard that India is starting to frown on escorting, so you would need to take that into consideration and thoroughly question the agencies you interview about how certain it is that you will be allowed that option.

FYI: Korea also allows children to be escorted. The children live in foster homes, receive excellent medical care, and come home very young (from 4-6 months is not uncommon).

Good luck!

[Julie KS]

I believe the costs of adopting from India and Korea are typically less than Guatemala. But don't quote me on that

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[JuliannaTeresa]

India for Severe Special Needs was $8,000. Special Needs was $10,000.

[spaypets]

We originally chose India because of the escort option (we decided to adopt shortly after Sept. 11, so we didn't know what the world situation was going to be).

However, after listening to the experts talk about the importance of those first few days, we decided to go. I was terrified, because I hate to fly, but I did it for the good of my daughter.

It was the most amazing experience of my life. India was fascinating, the people warm and friendly, and I wouldn't have traded those first days with my daughter for anything in the world. The changes just in those first 10 days (she smiled for the first time on the exhausting flight home), were precious and I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been for her had she had an escort and then met us. She would have had to start the attachment process all over again.

If you are just starting the process, you have time to consult with your physician about some sort of therapy to overcome your phobia.

If you still can't fly after therapy, could your husband go? My understanding is that one parent can travel as long as there's a power of attorney issued.

MAPS International charged $11,000 for the adoption, $4,000 for the escort option. That doesn't include the fees for the home study.

Someone mentioned Korea -- we have friends who adopted from there and it was a much quicker process than from India. The wife traveled and the husband stayed home.

I have to caution you that the political climate in India is changing and there is a movement in parts of the country to discourage international adoption. The result is that the process is taking much longer and the children are coming home much older (well over 1 year).

That being said, I can hardly wait to go back to India to show my daughter the land of her birth.

[sak9645]

encourage, as well as allow, escort.

Korea has been placing children with American families for over 50 years, so the program is exceedingly stable and well organized. The children -- more boys than girls are available, and they usually come home quite young -- tend to be born in good hospitals and to be placed in well-supervised, caring foster homes. Information about the birthmother's health is often available, and some birthfather information is also available on occasion. The standard of medical practice in South Korea is very high, and the medical reports on the children tend to be accurate; American doctors usually accept the immunization records and do not feel a need to reimmunize. You don't actually finalize the child's adoption in Korea. The child is escorted to you under a decree of guardianship, and you complete the adoption in the U.S. While you are allowed to travel, and it's a wonderful way to learn about your child's birth culture so you can teach him/her to appreciate his/her heritage, escort is quite acceptable.

About the only drawbacks to Korean adoption are the strictness of the requirements and the limitations on the agencies you use. Korea's program is open only to healthy young married couples. Singles or people over about age 42 will not be accepted. People with medical issues, including serious obesity, may or may not be accepted. Unlike adoption from other countries, where you can use an agency anywhere in the country as long as you have a local homestudy, Korean adoption requires that you work with an agency that has a contract with Korea allowing it to serve your state; in practice, that means there will be one or at most two agencies open to you. The positive side of this policy is that the agencies open to you are likely to be long established and very experienced.

As to Ethiopia, there is a great need for adoptive families for children orphaned by poverty and war. Children of all ages are available, and the Ethiopian government tends to be flexible with regard to qualifications for the adoptive parents; they may be married or single, and older or younger.

In the past, only two American agencies were authorized by the Ethiopian government to place children -- Adoption Advocates International and Americans for African Adoptions; both of these agencies have a good reputation. Recently, some additional agencies have been certified. The first new one to be certified was Wide Horizons for Children, which has long been working with other countries and also has a good reputation. By now, there may be a few others, but always check carefully to be sure they are REALLY approved by the Ethiopian government The agencies working with Ethiopia tend to prefer that families use escort because conditions in the country are not always comfortable for Americans.

Either of these choices is a good one for people who don't want to travel overseas.

Sharon

[tman]

www.holtintl.org
Holt has been doing international adoptions for almost 50 years. Their India and korea program allow escorts! They are a wonderful agency!

[Ann Fleming]

Don't plan on an escort from India. Our almost-six-year-old was escorted from Calcutta's International Mission of Hope in 1998, and we would have liked for our second daughter to be escorted from Calcutta's Indian Society for Sponsorship and Adoption in 2002 (I am just not a good world traveler at all, sigh). Because I did not have any medical reason not to travel, I was expected to do so in 2002. My mom and I traveled, it turned out to be good experience in retrospect and we will eventually return to India to give both girls a "heritage" trip. India's Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), which oversees all international adoption, is really starting to favor parents traveling to bring their children home.