Country Decisions

Adam and I are currently in the process of deciding which country to adopt from. While we did feel called to adopt from Africa, we never really knew if we had a direct sign of where to adopt from. When we started the process with IAG, they worked only in Ethiopia. So that made things easier. However, now that we're working with Bethany, and got approved for Ethiopia, Uganda, and South Africa, things are a little tougher.

How are we supposed to just decide which country we adopt from. It seems so much harder than that. We got more information on each country from Bethany:

Ethiopia:
Bethany has employed partners in Ethiopia that work to make sure children that they receive referrals from orphanages in each region have either had both parents die, or both parents have knowingly given up their rights to the child. The orphanage then makes a 'life book' of the child that is given to the adoptive family. Ethiopia is a very well-established program. Wait times are 32–37 months for a child under 3; 31–32 months for a child 4–7, and a short wait time is estimated for children 8+ or a sibling group where one of the children is a teenager.

Uganda:
Bethany has employees in Uganda that work in different orphanages including:

• Sanyu
• Nsambya
• God's Mercy
• Peace Transitional Center
• Heart of a Child

They employee third-party investigators working in Uganda to determine the history of the child and to locate any living relatives. If the child has one or more living relatives, the investigator ensures that they have given up their rights legally. A life book is also provided to the adoptive family. Wait times are 3–12 months, but Uganda is a pilot program, so there could be changes and we are told we would need to be open to a changing estimated wait time.

South Africa:

Bethany has a strong partnership with Wandisa in South Africa that refers children from orphanages and works with Wybrow-Oliver Attorneys to ensure the adoption process is ethical. Wait times are 12–18 months.

We have full faith that God will show us where our child is. We firmly believe that God has a child already out there waiting for us, and we just need to be patient in waiting for Him to show us. As for the age of the child, we've determined that we would be okay with adopting a child six and under. We feel that because of our age, we wouldn't feel as comfortable adopting an older child. 

We have another meeting next week with Bethany to speak with the Branch Director before we more forward.