[Baobab]

Hi,
My name is Jennifer and I'm new to this board. I came here to find information about adopting from Sierra Leone, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of new information. Does anyone know the current status of the Sierra Leone program? Can anyone recommend an agency in the US the works in Salone? I've searched and searched for information on the internet but I haven't been able to come up with any recent.

A little about me... I've lived and worked for many years in Africa and met my husband while working with refugees from Sierra Leone who had fled to Guinea. My husband was born and raised in Bo, Salone but has lived with me in the states for the past 8 years. We have always talked in abstract terms about adopting from Salone, but recently discovered we were both finally ready to go down this scary, unknown path.

We have our hearts set on SL because we want to be able to teach our child as much as possible of his/her birth culture and we know we will return to SL to live at some point in the future. Also, we have two biological children and want them to have a more tangible connection to their Sierra Leonean heritage. Since we've decided to adopt, my dds have taken a much greater interest in learning Krio and Mende and want to know as much as possible about Salone.

I would love to hear about your experience and would appreciate advice on where to start, what to expect, etc.

TIA!!

[smcd_fmr_attorney]

Hi!
Have you gotten any further knowledge about this? I, too, am interested in adopting from SL in the future. We're not ready right now (my husband and I have an eight month old) but I would love to adopt in the future. If we don't go domestic, I want to adopt from SL. Have you found out anything about any agencies, requirements, etc?

Interestingly, my husband is very apprehensive. My husband's parents, however, seem supportive of the abstract idea of adopting from SL. My husband's parents are Sierra Leonian (Krios from Freetown) and he has a large extended family in the US (VA/DC/MD) and few family members still remaining in Freetown. I agree that if we adopt internationally this seems to be the place to go--this way we could provide the child with some knowledge of his or her birth culture (limited if the child is not Krio, of course). First, however, I need to make sure we're ready! Still, I'd be interested to chat with you about what you've found! PM me if you want to--