[CHRISTINA MOON]

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I originally wanted to adopt from Guatemala but the cost has had me looking into other options. When I learned about adopting independently from Ukraine, I was very excited. (The cost are 1/2 of Guatemala through an agency) However, I am really drawn to the children of Guatemala. I am wondering if anyone has adopted independently from Guatemala & if so, how is it done? Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Christina

[bonbry]

I can't answer your question about adopting from Guatamala, but we are just completing an independent adoption from Panama, and you might want to consider that. We were living down there at the time, but we are back in the states now, waiting to get our visa for our baby. Our little girl is native Indian, and just beautiful. There are a lot of Indian children available in Panama because the Panamaians will not adopt them as they are seen as a lower class of people. It is easy to qualify to adopt in Panama, but there is a lot of red tape and it is time consuming. We do not speak Spanish, so it has been difficult for us in that way. Do you speak Spanish? If you are interested in this, let me know, and I will fill you in on all I have learned. There are not very many if any adoption agencies here in the US handling Panamanian adoptions, but you can do independently with a lot of patience. The cost will be much less than going through an agency. The Panama ministry of children youth and families have a positive attitude about placing children in American homes. It probably would take about a year or a little less.