[skidd1]

I am new to adoption and am looking into Siberia. Does anyone have any information regarding the conditions of the children there? Looking for any information good or bad.

[kretzklan]

A great number of the regions from which to adopt in Russia are considered part of Siberia. We adopted from Kemerovo and at the time (late 2005) it was one of the most adoption friendly regions. Our experiences there -both with the children and with the surroundings were wonderful. Of course, it's not like staying at a Marriott (which we did in Moscow)...but it's not like slumming it either. I carried things like toilet paper and hand wipes - and never used them. The hotel rooms were large - they used to be apartments and the bathrooms were clean, although quite dilapidated.
The orphanages are sad and run down (which is true is most of Russia)...but the children were healthy and seemed as happy as can be expected. We traveled with and met about 12 families while we were there - accounting for about 20 children. Out of all those, only 2 have had issues and they were related to mental health - not physical health.
My children were 6 and 7 at placement and are incredibly healthy and adjusted children. We've been truly blessed to have found each other. We traveled with our oldest son (9 at the time of our trips) and we felt safe with him the whole time in region. Our group often walked to restaurants at night and took many walks to snowy parks during the days.

[skidd1]

Do you have an agency you could recommend? Please PM if you do. Also, do you think it matters whether you use an accredited agency in Russia?

[skidd1]

When you say you met with about 12 families - were you ever going to the same orphanages as the other families and were you ever looking at the same children?

[Ebadge90]

My wife and I adopted from Siberia, the Kemerovo region specifically, in Nobember 2006. We adopted from the city of Novokuznetsk. Although the city was looked like it was straight out of the 50's, the orphanage we went to was immaculate inside. The orphanage director was a speech pathologist, and the children we well taken care of.
There were some children at the orphanage that did have some medical issues, but our son, like the majority of children there, was healthy.
As has been said in a previous post, the hotels are not Marriots. In the hotel we stayed in, there were only 3 people that spoke English, and we all travelled together from the US. If our 10 days had not been waived, it might have been a tough time for us to stay there with no creature comforts.
All that being said, if my wife and I ever do adopt again, I will specifically request the same orphanage in Novokuznetsk.

[kretzklan]

My agency is not re-accredited and yes, I would only use one that is.
All the families that we met were there with referals, just as we were. We went for specific children. There were over 10 orphanages that we learned about while we were there (in Kemerovo). If you are using an agency that is above the board, you should not be "competing" for a child with other families.

[TweetyMom04]

Hi,
This link may help you in researching and Q / A's with others. Agency Feedback PM List

This link is great to find regions and is interactive. Map of Russia

We were just beyond Lake Baikal (sp?) in Winter of 2004. The town looks of pre-WWI. Old, dirty and layers of coal on everything. The snow is only white a short time in the winter. The Orphanage wasn't much better, although it was clean on the inside and VERY HOT. There were little comforts and staying there over 15 days was a time of rememberence of thankfulness of what you had back home in the USA.

In town is an Internet Cafe and yes you can get email and internet access in Siberia. Hot water is a 'luxury' and somedays and sometimes of the day it is available, other days, double up on the deodorant.

I'll PM you.

[DET62]

My daughter is from Khabarovsk, which is part of Siberia, or right on the edge. It's 20 miles from the Chinese border, closer to Korea than Europe. Technically it's called The Far East of Russia.

My daughter came from an older child orphanage but she had been in a babyhouse for about 6 months prior to that. The caretakers there were cruel, and beat her if she wet her bed. The babyhouse LOOKS OK, though, from what I've heard.

I don't think it would be fair to characterize all the orphanages in Siberia one way or another. You find varying conditions in the same town.

The biggest drawback to Siberia or the Far East is just how difficult it is to travel there. It took me 20+ hours to get to my daughter. I never could go thru Korea because there were few flights.

I suggest you find out a few specific regions, then get feedback on them. There are Yahoo groups for each region, too, I am sure.

Good luck!
Dee

Climate must be considered. In the winter it's freezing cold, in the summer you deal with huge mosquitos and non air conditioned hotels. That's true of a lot of places in Russia, though.

[Shark01]

We adopted from Kemerovo in 2001......great experience. The baby home had a very pleasant atmosphere, the staff was caring.

[angelkisses0102]

We adopted DD from Tomsk in 2002...it is considered Central Siberia. The region has been closed to the US for the past couple of years and the first US adoption was completed within the past month or so. Tomsk is 'only' a 4 hour plane ride from Moscow.

We are so glad we took the chance and went to Tomsk...we found our perfect daughter there. Tomsk is not an easy region but the children are worth it!

Good luck!

[RBSVARCHER]

We adopted from Chita City - PM me if you would like