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Hello all,
Wondering if anyone has had wonderful experiences with any certain places regarding international adoption. My husband and I do not have a lot of money and we do have the ability to have biological children but feel there are children out there who need good homes. We would prefer to provide a home to a child who is already here and in need of a home than to bring more children into an already full world. We actually already have two children.

We don't really want to work with our state in foster/adopt and so are thinking of looking outside the US. Any thoughts anyone can share?

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I'm reading that you can adopt kids in Haiti quite easily and relatively inexpensively (like $7000). Anyone know if this is correct????I mean quite easily if you are a good family with an approved homestudy, etc.

By the way, where do you go for a homestudy?????

Is it also true that you can get a tax refund for some of the money you spend on adoption?????

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Originally Posted By Pam

Haiti was very inexpensive at one time. I don't know if it still is. When we heard about Haiti, you had to be a fundamentalist christian to adopt from there and have the church references to prove it. In fact, I think it said you had to be "born again." This ruled us out. Our family has adopted internationally twice and in-country three times. In spite of problems in-country, it was not as bad as out-of-country....the waiting, the cultural differences (they just took their sweet time and could not understand why these crazy Americans wanted these orphaned kids so much) and long delays with court. It took us one and a half years to get my son out of Hong Kong. Korea was quicker. Each country is different. We live in a state that is hard to adopt from, but we adopted kids from states that were more cooperative. All in all, it was a better experience, and certainly cheaper. As for the tax break, you can claim up to $5000 on your tax return, if you adopt a child and incur costs that high. Kids from overseas are usually not entitled to medical cards or special needs subsidies even if they have special needs unless they are adopted from foster care. I think a few states let you try to apply for them. Good luck

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It is also pretty slow in country it seems to me :-( We have been dealing with foster care and losing children for so many years that we can't take any more. It is very, very sad to have children in and out of your home. I know we could apply only for children who are free to adopt but in reality, we want younger children. We are not concerned about special needs or race but age is important to us so as not to disrupt birth order. Also for some reason the younger children here are FOUGHT over. I want a child who may otherwise not have a home. If several more years go by we could adopt older male minority children with joy (from the MARE list, etc.) but now is not the time for us to do that.

I hope no one thinks badly of me asking about the money issue but we are fairly poor. We have enough money to provide for all of a child's needs and have a nice home and reasonably nice vehicles but just don't have lots to spare.

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... From the country of Kazakhstan. It is a wonderful country and we got a beautiful little girl from there who is just healthy as can be! Unfortunately, the Kazakhstan process is very expensive, as are most countries that require an agency in order to adopt. Also, changes in law have made it so that many agencies require parents to stay a month or so in country which is very difficult. (We were there in spring, 2000, for 13 days and that was difficult enough... can't imagine a month.)

Ukraine allows independent adoptions and the cost ranges right around $10,000. It's a great process (we almost went there, but fell in love with a photolisted child from Kazakhstan), and there is a great network of people that can help you every step of the way.

Haiti adoptions currently run about $12,000 and it is a relatively easy process. I just this morning got an e-mail from a lady who runs an orphanage ministry in Haiti who sent me a listing of the children there. They have very young babies as well as older children available. Would be glad to pass this info along to you if Haiti is something you're interested in.

There are tons of countries out there... Where you go depends on a number of things, including gender, race, age of child you desire, how quickly you want the adoption done, if you want to travel or not, and - of course - how much money you're willing to spend. If you go with an agency, I strongly advise that you do your homework on them as there are some pretty disreputable ones and international adoption is a financial risk even in the best of circumstances. There are some wonderful agencies out there though, too.

The Hope for Adoption Act recently raised the $5,000 tax credit that Pam mentioned to $10,000. Also, some non-recurring adoption expenses can be claimed.

Feel free to e-mail me if you'd like, and I can give you more info.

-SusanC.

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It is also pretty slow in country it seems to me :-( We have been dealing with foster care and losing children for so many years that we can't take any more. It is very, very sad to have children in and out of your home. I know we could apply only for children who are free to adopt but in reality, we want younger children. We are not concerned about special needs or race but age is important to us so as not to disrupt birth order. Also for some reason the younger children here are FOUGHT over. I want a child who may otherwise not have a home. If several more years go by we could adopt older male minority children with joy (from the MARE list, etc.) but now is not the time for us to do that.

I hope no one thinks badly of me asking about the money issue but we are fairly poor. We have enough money to provide for all of a child's needs and have a nice home and reasonably nice vehicles but just don't have lots to spare.

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Michigan - why, do you know of a good agency to talk to and see what we can learn?????

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I am not sure of the cost, I know that they started the process, and had the child within a year. They only had
to be in the country for three days, which is why they chose
to go because they had other children in the home. They
brought home a healthy baby. Good luck!

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Originally Posted By Pam

Call them. They are a really good, reputable agency that works with many countries. They are based in Michigan...sorry, not sure what city. Good luck.

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We adopted from Russia - yes it was very expensive. My son was almost 4, so he does have difficulties from the neglect.

He has responded well to therapies, and is an absolutely wonderful child. I would give anything to be able to go back and adopt a second older child from Russia.

One thing I have learned, is that neglect is neglect. Doesn't matter if a child is neglected in an orphanage, in America etc, the neurological impact is the same. But there is a lot that can be done to help our kids. And against the odds, many kids come through the foster care system and through the orphanages without any significant scars. My niece was adopted from a Russian orphanage at 11 1/2 months of age, is now 3 1/2 with absolutely no issues or concerns.

I am aware of 1 agency in PA that has low cost adoptions from Romania. I know they are licensed in many other states besides PA. It is sponsored by a church which funds most of the costs, they also have their own orphanage and families can stay there while in Romania (orphanage is also funded by the church). It's "New Life International" 31 Port Allegany Rd, Coudersport, PA 16915. Phone: 814-274-7784.

Good luck, Dimas Mom

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Originally Posted By Darcia

  We got our 2 boys (then 6 & 11) from an orphanage in Haiti. They were very reasonably priced. I paid $7,500 for three kids plus our stateside costs, which were around $2,000. I did have to stay a month for finalization, but I don't think that's always the case. The orphanage was (still is) notoriously slow.

  Of course, there are always risks. Our daughter is still there and just now (4 years later) declared "unadoptable" for lack of proper documentation. The money spent on her will never be refunded. Not to mention the heartache of a "stillborn" adoption and a child still in our hearts we will never hold.

  However, I would do it again in a heartbeat. Our boys are a joy (most days!). The older is MMR and has emotional problems, but it's so worth the challenges. The younger boy has fully recovered from his institutionalization (is that a word?) and shows not ill effects. He's sharp as a tack and leads his class at school.

  I understand being broke and looking for a way to make it happen. Just don't give up and someday it will. Then you will have the privilege of watching the world open up for a child who has nothing. To be a part of a little life is great joy.

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Originally Posted By barki

I know a family who's adopted from both countries. They handled the adoptions without an agency -- don't know what kind of homestudy process they had to have. I can pass on information from them if you are interested. barksum@hotmail.com

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Originally Posted By Darcia

We didn't use an agency. We went through an orphanage that facilitated private adoptions. We can't recommend it to others, though because they were very unprofessional and inefficient. What should have taken 5 months took a year. They are now taking 1-2 years per adoption on a regular basis. It's just not a priority. Haitians think real different about some things. I would recommend Dillon International, though. I've never used them, but have heard good things. Good luck in your search!