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Hi there! My name is Jen, and I am considering international adoption as a single parent. I am looking for others in my position to talk with about the process. I live in Northern Va (Alexandria), but would be happy to email or chat on this board.
I have been researching, and am planning to attend an informational session with the ASIA agency in a couple of weeks. One specific question I have concerns the countries who will allow singles to adopt. I have not seen a comprehensive list, but I do hear that China just discontinued its single parent program. Can anyone verify this? And what happens, at that point, to single adoptive parents in the pipeline awaiting children?
Thanks! And its great to virtually meet you all through this board - Jen
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Hi, Jen. I am not in your situation, but thought I would introduce myself. I live in NOVA, too, and have a 4 year old adopted son. You posted that you are using the agency ASIA. We used the Barker foundation, whose exec. director and direcor of post adoption services used to be with ASIA. You may want to call Barker. Their number is 301-229-8300.
Please post if you want to talk more.
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Hi Jen - China has imposed a "quota" on the number of single parents they will accept each year. Singles are on agency waiting lists, some more than 2 years out. However, some agencies open their single wait lists each year in early December, and if you do your homework and are quick, you can get on the list and adopt in 2004. You do not have to go with an agency in your state/region. Please let me know if you have any more questions.
Mary
(Dossier to China October 2003! Should be a mom by this time next year!).
Hi Jen
I am single and adopting from China. (Just sent my dossier to the agency in VA 5 days ago.) I had a hard time finding an agency taking singles since China is only allowing 8% of the adoptions to be by single parents now. (Last year it was only 5% so it could change again for next year. I don't know.) I was able to get on a waiting list with AWAA (America World Adoption Association) in McLean, VA. They had told me that the earliest my name would come up would be the end of this year but it came up 6 months earlier than expected. I only had to wait 6 months. I am now finished the paperwork, when I didn't even think my name would have come up by now. Many agencies I called did not even have waiting lists for singles. I have been very happy with AWAA. They are a little less expensive than some of the other agencies too. I hope this helps. Good luck.
Hi Jen-
I am a single parent of a beautiful little girl I adopted from Ethiopia. She was nine months old when she arrives home and now she is six years old. I am about to adopt a second little girl through the Norfolk foster care system. There are several countries that accept singles and some even quicker if you are up for some special needs. They can be very minor to you or me but for the country the child lives in the special need may be more of a big deal. It's all possible and it will work out for you.