Guatemala Adoption - International Child Foundation, Inc.

Guatemala Adoption &
International Child Foundation

January 22, 2009 ~ see Lic. Susana Luarca's post at www.adaguatelama.org; we are unaware of specific progress toward resumption of adoption, but we are monitoring the situation closely.

September 25, 2008 ~ ICF is not accepting applications for Guatemala Adoption until the Central Authority (CA) announces resumption of processing new adoption cases and the US Dept of State accepts I800a applications for Guatemala. As many of you know, we have been monitoring the situation closely. In August, despite previous conversations, the CA published a letter stating they did not expect to resume adoptions with the US until 2009. Please do not hesitate to call for information or request to receive our weekly adoption updates.

Guatemala continues to complete cases from 2007 and also reports working toward domestic adoptions. The US Dept of State (DOS) suspended accepting applications for Guatemala adoption as of April 1, 2008. The DOS will resume taking applications under the I800 process when Guatemala becomes fully complaint with the Hague Convention.

Prior to the Central Authority becoming engrossed in reviewing cases already approved by the PGN, they indicated that they would be prepared to take new cases in May. Obviously, this did not occur.

We hope that Hague compliant procedures will be announced this fall or winter. We know progress is being made, it is not certain when the Central Authority will be poised to open new cases.

A recent email to ICF from the DOS re-iterated that they cannot predict the re-opening of adoption, as it is in the hands of the Guatemala government. We do advise families of any news every week in our ICF Adoption Updates. We will be happy to include you on our email list; send us an email request to info@childfound.org.

Please feel free to contact us if you have specific questions. We are happy to talk with families and anxious, like you, to see the orphaned children of Guatemala have an opportunity to be placed with loving and secure families. Needless to say, the situation for children in Guatemala has worsened, exacerbated by the suspension of adoption placements and the economic downturn. Birthmothers with marginal means of survival are hard pressed to keep their babies, and the availability of orphanage care is stretched thin. There are reports of babies and children being abandoned in Guatemala City.

In many countries, the world economy is causing grave need for assistance. Where there was malnourishment, there are now fatalities. Where there was little work, there is now no work. Where incomes barely met survival needs, now they do not.

We encourage you to consider donating to your favorite child-focused charity, or Heifer International, or to one of ICF's humanitarian programs. There is no end of need.

Program overview from 2006-2007; this may change significantly when Guatemala accepts new applications from US families after completing their Hague transition

In 2007, 4,728 children from Guatemala found homes with loving US families. One of the reasons Guatemala has become popular with adoptive families is that the children are most often cared for by foster mothers or in very small foster homes. The benefits of this personal and affectionate environment shows -- Guatemalan babies are typically bright-eyed and well developed.

Families who wish to adopt infants and those wishing to adopt toddlers and older children can find their son or daughter in Guatemala.

ICF assists families across the US with Guatemala adoptions. We have several attorney/facilitators in Guatemala who provide referrals. They are experienced, compassionate and happy to meet with families.

Guatemala Adoption program Children may be as young as a few days old at the time of referral. The referral time can be anywhere from three days to three months. Baby boys are often referred more quickly than baby girls. Upon acceptance of your child referral, a Power of Attorney is prepared for the Guatemalan attorney to represent your case, DNA testing is done and the birth mother is interviewed to confirm her decision. Your documents are then reviewed by the US Embassy and the PGN.
Young Girl From Guatemala
Overall, the time frame can be between five to seven months from acceptance of your referral and submission of all your documents to bringing your child home. Most families choose to visit with their child while waiting for their adoption to be approved. It is usually possible for the baby or child to stay with you at your hotel for a few days. Families also receive updates and monthly photos.

Both married couples and singles are welcome to adopt. Parents may be up to age 50 to adopt an infant. Three post placement reports are required.

For families who wish to adopt older children, we will contact Guatemala immediately with this request. We work with a facilitator and doctor who provide both foster mothers and group foster care for children. They have a sincere dedication to helping older children find their forever families.

Despite the challenges of 2007, ICF remained steadfast helping children find their forever families. Those who received their referrals in the fall and winter are now in PGN and we hope they bring their children home by Easter.

Our attorney has already met with the new Central Authority and we expect adoptions to resume later this year (2008).

Please contact us to request more adoption information. We have adoption guides that detail fees, estimated costs, the adoption process and travel. An overview of fees and estimated expenses is below. Thank you for visiting our website! We look forward to helping with your adoption.