2 1/2 Year Old Boy Waiting in Ghana

by Bethany, posted in Children Waiting for Families

Sampson is a 2. 5 year old little boy currently waiting for a family in Ghana, West Africa. He has been legally cleared for adoption by the appropriate authorities. Sampson is HIV+. At this time, we do not know to what level the virus has affected his health. CD4 count/percentage and viral load are hard to get in Ghana, but we are working toward that end. Sampson is also a sickle cell carrier. Sampson has a minor special need in his rectal area, which makes it difficult and painful to potty. He will very soon be under the care of an HIV/AIDS specialist in Accra, Ghana, where he will receive competent care until his adoption is complete.

Sampson needs a family who has a completed homestudy and is prepared to take on his special needs. He is a smart little boy who has had a very rough start to life. He is currently living at Eban House Foster and Rehabilitation Center in Teshie, Ghana–a very good child care facility with high staff to child ratio. Right now Sampson is a bit lost, and a bit sad. His whole life has changed in the last few months. We wait expectantly for the day when he will “blossom” into the joyful and energetic child he was meant to be! Families who have visited Eban House since Sampson’s arrival have been very taken with this exceptionally beautiful little guy.

Sampson can be adopted through Adoption Advocates International. Couples must be between 25-50, and 21 years older than the child they intend to adopt. Families with 0-6 children can adopt. At least one short trip to Ghana is required (by at least one parent). The process from referral to homecoming in Ghana is typically 5-8 months. For more information, please contact Anita Gillispie at anita@adoptionadvocates.org or 918-960-2676.

International Adoption from UKRAINE

by Bethany, posted in Country Programs

There are many HIV positive children aged 5 and older waiting to be adopted in Ukraine. Here is one adoption story.

Adoptions can be processed with an agency or independently although independent adoption with a facilitator seems to be the popular route for HIV+ adoptions.

Reece’s Rainbow has some adoption photolistings.

Here is the link to the Adoption From Ukraine support group. You will also find lots of great information at FRUA.org.

Requirements according to Adoption.State.Gov, FRUA and Reece’s Rainbow:

Age Requirements: Applicants must be at least 21 years of age (according to US State Dept) OR 23 years of age (according to FRUA) and there is no upper age limit. If only one of the adoptive parents complies with these age requirements, the adoption can be completed in the eligible parent’s name only. Prior divorce is acceptable and there are no restrictions on the number of children already living in the home.

Marriage Requirements: Heterosexual married couples only.

Other Requirements: According to Reece’s Rainbow, adoptive parents must have no history of mental health conditions or infectious diseases and no criminal history.

Travel: Both parents travel for 2 1/2 weeks to attend court, then both parents return home for 3 weeks. Only one parent must return to complete the adoption, approximately 14 days.  Or, you can do 1-trip option and expect to be in Ukraine about 31 days. If desired, one parent can come home early.

The Children: For HIV adoptions, children are aged 5 to 15 years at time of referral. Younger child adoptions are not currently allowed for children with HIV. Multiple unrelated children can be adopted at the same time.

Timeline: This is one of the faster international adoption programs, ranging from 6-12 months depending how quickly you complete your dossier.

Adopting Haitian Orphans

by Bethany, posted in Children Waiting for Families

*UPDATE: As of April 2010, the Haitian international adoption program has re-opened.

I do not know if these children survived the earthquake. Contact the agencies directly for more information.

Chances By Choice has the following adoption photolistings:

Clarens Haiti DOB 5/27/09 Clarens is a sweet baby boy who is HIV+. He has big, beautiful eyes and is described as always being in a good mood. Photo available upon request
Deborah Haiti DOB 1/10/09 Deborah is a beautiful baby girl who is HIV+. She is described as having bright eyes, always smiling and is very social. Photo available upon request
James Haiti DOB 12/20/08 James is an adorable baby who is described by his caregivers as always being in a good mood. He is HIV+ and Hepatitis C+ and needs a family to care for him. Photo available upon request
Darline Haiti 5 This little girl is part of our sibiling group. She is healthy (HIV-) and has acted as the mother to her two younger siblings. She would be heartbroken to be separated from them. Photo available upon request
Riccardo Haiti 2 This little guy is the youngest in the sibling group. He is healthy (HIV-) and would benefit from staying with his older sisters.
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Farah Haiti 3 1/2 This little dolly is part of a sibling group and is HIV+. Healthwise she is doing well. We would love her to stay with her younger brother Riccardo and older sister Darline.
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As I previously reported a few hours before the earthquake, Bethany Christian Services has 2 sisters waiting. I have pictures if you’d like. They were born in 1999 and 1997 and one of them is HIV+.

Also, the two babies were also being advocated for by Chances by Choice.

International Adoption from THAILAND

by Bethany, posted in Children Waiting for Families, Country Programs

special needs adoption from thailand

Adoption Advocates International (AAI) has placed HIV positive children from Thailand.  Children’s Home Society and Family Services (CHSFS) is also placing HIV+ children from Thailand (see this blog post). Try contacting Lisa.

Here is the link to the Yahoo Thailand Adoption support group.

Requirements according to Adoption.State.Gov and Rainbow Kids:

Age Requirements: Applicants must be at least 25 years of age and not encouraged older than 55.

Marriage Requirements: Married couples with no more than 2 divorces between them who have been married 3 years or longer. Single people may apply and will be considered on a case by case basis.

Travel: Both parents must travel to complete the adoption process. Parents must be prepared to stay approximately 10 days.

The Children: Aged 18 months – 12 years. It is not possible to apply for more than one child at a time, except for twins and siblings.

The Orphanages: Nikki’s Place / Agape Home and Home of the Open Heart

International Adoption from GHANA

by Bethany, posted in Country Programs

Special needs adoption from Ghana

Adoption Advocates International (AAI) has placed HIV positive children from Ghana. Anita is the Ghana coordinator for AAI and her daughter has recently come home. She can be reached at: anita@adoptionadoptive.org. She may be able to provide you with adoption photolistings and costs involved.

Independent adoptions are also possible. You can contact the Beacon House orphanage: hislittlebeacons@yahoo.com, as this orphanage has HIV+ children in need of adoptive families. The fees for an independent adoption with Beacon House range from $6700-$7800 (as of 2010 –  includes orphanage donation, attorney’s fees, visa medical) plus the costs of homestudy, USCIS, documents, travel and accommodation.

Requirements according to Adoption.State.Gov and Rainbow Kids:

Age Requirements: Applicants must be at least 25 years of age and at least 21 years older than the child. Couples over 50 cannot adopt from Ghana.

Marriage Requirements: Married couples preferred although single women are welcome to adopt HIV+ children. Previous divorce is allowed.

Other Requirements: Applicants must be of sound mind and must undergo a medical exam as part of the pre-approval process. Parents with health issues and disabilities may adopt as long as your doctor will support your decision to adopt. AAI is reporting that larger families can adopt children with HIV. Parents with more than 6 children may apply on a case by case basis for special permission from Social Welfare.

Travel: There are several travel options with this program. Families may either make two trips 4-6 weeks apart, one short trip with escort, or one longer (2-3 week) trip. Full escort is also available.

Timeline: The process generally takes about 7-12 months from the time a child is identified (for Americans adopting).

*Update – as of May 2013, the Ghana program closed temporarily. Check Adoption.State.gov for current information* 

International Adoption from COLOMBIA

by Bethany, posted in Children Waiting for Families, Country Programs

There are several HIV positive waiting children in Colombia (not Columbia) who are available for international adoption through CHLSS, Adopolis, La Vida and other agencies. This is a great program for people interested in adopting from Central America, South America, Latin America, etc. Requirements according to Adoption.State.Gov and the agency:

Age Requirements: Both parents are required to be 25 years old, and the agency recommends no older than 55.

Marriage Requirements: Colombian law allows adoptions by a married man and woman and common law spouses of more than three years. Single men and women are only allowed to adopt children over the age of seven, or who have special needs. No more than one divorce per applicant. [Update, as of April 2016, gay marriage is now legal in Colombia which may mean that LGBT individuals and couples will be able to adopt – ask an agency]

Other Requirements: No history of physical or mental diagnosis, and no history of criminal incidents.

See also AdoptColombia Yahoo Group

Helping Orphans in Haiti after Earthquake

by Bethany, posted in Non-Profit Organizations

If you would like to help the orphans in Haiti, as they try to recover from the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that struck near Port-Au-Prince yesterday, Bethany Christian Services has the following message:

We are thankful that all of the children and staff at both of our in-country partners, God’s Littlest Angels orphanage and The Creche Enfants Jesus, were not harmed.

Dixie Bickel, the director of God’s Littlest Angels,

 Haiti Earthquake
posted an update on her blog early this morning, describing the earthquake’s effects at the orphanage: “…The building stayed standing and John cannot find any cracks in the walls which is pretty amazing!… The nannies came in at 10 PM but we had two strong after shocks about midnight and the nannies and babies are sleeping outside on the ground on blankets!”  Read more on her blog

Dixie explains what it was like to survive the earthquake during an interview on
The Today Show on NBC.

If you can financially help the children in Haiti, Bethany Christian Services has set up a fund for earthquake recovery in Haiti. We will work with our partners on the ground in Haiti to use your donations to help ensure that children in Haiti are cared for and kept safe.

It is Bethany’s mission to both help many Haitian children stay in their families and also to help orphaned children be placed for adoption with families in the United States.

Please visit www.bethany.org/donate to donate to the Haiti-Earthquake Recovery fund.

Donate to the Haiti-Earthquake Recovery fund

We also hope to develop a special service trip to Haiti to help with the recovery. If you have any interest in learning more about this opportunity, please e-mail us athaitiearthquake@bethany.org.

Sisters Waiting in Haiti

by Bethany, posted in Children Waiting for Families

Bethany Christian Services adoption agency is advocating to find a family for two sisters in Haiti.

The older girl was born in Haiti on June 15, 1999. She has been in English school for two years and is doing well. She is described as an average student with a pleasant personality. She is a follower, not a leader, and she struggles with her studies.

The younger sister was born on December 23, 1997, and has also been in English school for two years. She is bright and helpful and loves to be part of any project. She is friendly but keeps her emotions close to her heart. She is HIV-positive, and her health is closely monitored. There is no need for HIV medications at this time.

These sisters want to be adopted together. Adoptive parents will need to make two trips to Haiti: one for two to three days and one for three to five days. Bethany’s fees for the Home Study, administrative work, and post-placement services vary from state to state. The Haiti fee for adopting two children is $20,000. There is a grant available from Brittany’s Hope for $7,500 to offset the costs of adoption. Applicants may also be eligible for a grant from Bethany’s Caring Connection Fund.

I can email you the current newsletter which contains pictures and names, or you can contact Bethany about adopting the girls.

South Africa to Treat All HIV Positive Babies

by Bethany, posted in HIV/AIDS News

According to this article, South Africa will begin ARV treatment for all babies born to HIV positive women. All pregnant women who seek treatment, will also receive anti-retroviral medication. This is very big news and will save hundreds of thousands of babies’ lives. Pregnant women and newborn babies receiving treatment brings down the chance of the child being infected to less than 2%. Under the new policy, which will take affect in April, all children under 1 year of age will receive treatment.

Kurt Firnhaber, who runs Right to Care, one of the largest private providers of AIDS treatment, counseling and testing in South Africa, said Zuma outlined “steps that aren’t rhetoric – if they’re implemented.”

He said the burden would now be on the government and foreign donors to find the money to meet Zuma’s ambitious goals.

On Tuesday, in response to a plea from Zuma, the United States announced it was giving South Africa $120 million over the next two years for AIDS treatment drugs. That is in addition to $560 million the U.S. has already pledged to give South Africa in 2010 for fighting AIDS.