Tag: HIV Adoption
Protected: Waiting Child Photolistings
Waiting Children in Africa
Illien Adoptions International is advocating for HIV+ children in Africa. Log in to RainbowKids.com before clicking on the links below.
Sibling group of five including the oldest child, an HIV+ girl born 5/10/1997
International Adoption from LESOTHO
This is a continuation of a series of posts regarding international adoption country programs which have HIV positive children waiting for families. Lesotho is a tiny country in the middle of South Africa. The HIV/AIDS rates are among the highest in the world. If you are in the United States, Canada, Sweden or the Netherlands, you can adopt from Lesotho. Each of those countries has one adoption agency – in America it’s Americans for African Adoptions.
Single women and married couples may adopt (I don’t know if single men are welcome to apply). Adopting parents should be at least 25 years old and there are no upper age limits. Approximately 2 weeks of travel required. I have not seen any restrictions on family size. A medical form is required, but I’m not sure if an HIV test is required for adopting parents.
In US contact AfAA for costs, timelines, eligibility and current waiting children. In Canada contact Sunrise Adoption Services, in the Netherlands, contact Stichting Kind en Toekomost: skt@xs4all.nl and in Sweden contact Adoption Centrum: birgitta.l@adoptionscentrum.se
As of July 24, 2010, AfAA was advocating for a 20 month old boy who is HIV+ and waiting for a family.
Further Research:
YouTube: Lesotho HIV Orphanage
Attention Canadian Families
This little boy is available for international adoption to families in Canada. His date of birth is January 1, 2008. A New Year Baby! He has a confirmed HIV positive diagnosis. He is cheerful. He can feed himself. He loves to play with children and toys. Contact me for more info.
Siblings – Waiting Children in Uganda
The Shepherd’s Crook is looking for a family for siblings in Uganda.
Birthdate: 2007 & 2005
Gender: Siblings
Special need(s):
Boy, HIV positive
Girl, HIV negative
International Adoption from ESTONIA
Estonia is a small country in Eastern Europe on the Baltic Sea, bordered by Russia and Latvia. So far, only a few children with HIV have been adopted from this country. According to Adoption.State.gov and Rainbow Kids:
Age Requirements: Potential adoptive parents must be at least 25 years old. There are no stated upper age limits.
Marriage Requirements: Single men and single women can adopt. There is no length of marriage requirement for married couples.
The Children: Unrelated children may be adopted at the same time. Children are very well taken care of at the orphanages with good nutrition, stimulating toys and high caregiver to child ratio.
Travel Requirements: One 3-4 day preview trip is recommended and sometimes required. Only one parent needs to travel. Trip length is 7-10 business days.
Timeline: The process from dossier submission to travel to adopt the child averages 4-12 months.
Agency: The agency which has placed children with HIV is Adoption Hope International.
The Yahoo group is AdoptingFromEstonia
Further info from a recent adoptive parent: “Adopting a child with HIV from Estonia was affordable and the travel was easy. The airport is clean and modern and many people speak English. Estonia has one of the highest levels of college graduates in the European Union. The transportation is great and it’s easy to take the bus although taxis are cheap. The preview trip is rarely waived, but it’s only 3-4 days. As soon as court is over, you pick up your child from the orphanage. Our experience with the facilitator in-country was excellent in every way and he helped make our time in Estonia very efficient, comfortable and affordable. He even lent us a phone without charging us. We were very impressed with the level of care the children receive. Our child was in a family type setting with 8 children and 2 caregivers. They also receive good medical care. They are fed well and provided for and they go on field trips and do athletics.”
Amid Recession, Children with HIV Worldwide are in Need of Homes
Although few prospective parents consider adopting a child with HIV, there are many such children in need, and the experience of adopting HIV-positive children can change the lives of all of those involved. With the lifting of the HIV travel ban, bringing HIV-positive children to the United States from other countries has become easier, and there are also HIV-positive children in the U.S. waiting to be adopted.
By the end of this year, an estimated 25 million children around the world will have lost one or both parents to AIDS, including thousands of children in the U.S. At the end of 2008, nearly 2.1 million children were living with HIV worldwide. With the current economic recession, children affected by HIV now need more help than ever.
International Adoption Rates Are Dropping
Although there is little data available on adoption of HIV-positive children, comparisons of overall international adoption numbers suggest rates are dropping.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the number of international adoptions into the U.S. has been decreasing steadily since 2004, with a total of 12,753 adoptions occurring in 2009 compared to a high of 22,990 in 2004.
From 2005 to 2009, the top four countries from which children were adopted were China, Russia, Guatemala, and Ethiopia, three of which have relatively low adult prevalence rates for HIV/AIDS. Ethiopia’s prevalence rate, the highest of the four at 2 percent, is still fairly low compared to many African nations.
In India, recent reports have claimed that adoption centers were unable to find families willing to adopt HIV-positive children, and as a result, no HIV-positive children were adopted in India from 2008 to 2009.
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HIV/AIDS Orphanage Video
This video is from the Spring when I visited an HIV/AIDS orphanage. Some of these children are still waiting for families and sponsorship. Please inquire.
Waiting Baby Boy in India
The Shepherd’s Crook is looking for a family for a little boy in India who is HIV positive. Please contact the agency directly for the photolisting:
R-09
Birthdate: 1/8/2009
Gender: Male
Special need(s):
HIV positive
Here is an extremely cute 1 ½ year old who has tested positive for HIV. He was born on January 8, 2009. Despite his diagnosis this beautiful baby boy is healthy and progressing on target in all areas. This little charmer is full of big smiles and a winsome nature. He needs a family who understands his condition and is able to provide the health care he needs to lead a full and complete life.
Positively Orphaned 