Is Ukraine worth trying for???

I appreciate the input. For me, adopting a child of another race is an option, and I did mention China to DH. I think the China program, and the trip itself, sound wonderful. Not to mention that I would love a daughter.DH may be open to another race, but it would be more difficult for him I believe. I honestly think that for him, he would me more comfortable with a causasian child. Not to mention that DH is the one in our relationship with the IF probs and he has taken it quite hard. He would love a son so much, so I would like to pursue that for him now. So China is out for now anyway.The race issue isnt the only reason I looked at Ukraine though. I dont know why, but something just grabbed my attention and I havent been able to shake it. BTW, I had ruled out Russia from the get go because we can not afford to travel 2xs. Ukraine and the one trip, even if its longer, would be better for us. We just cant do it twice.So tough.......

In regard to the question "Is the Ukarine work trying for", I second the feedback: "If we were to adopt again we would not get involve with Ukraine." One reason we went with the Ukraine is that we were told it is one trip. This is not true because there is a 30 day waiting period after you get approval to adopt an NAC identified child (This does not include the TOTAL time in contry). How did we get around the 30 day period? By the orphanage staff telling the judge the child was very sick and needed to come to the USA. Meanwhile they told us the child was healthy. Well guess what... The child was not healthy and we have no recourse because the official documentation says how sick the kid is. If we knew this kind of scam was involved we never would have gone with the Ukraine. If you do not care about race, go with China. For that matter, you're probably just as well off with an Africian American born in the USA as a caucasion kid from the Ukraine, plus you'll have finacial aid from US government agencies since no one wants these kids (what a shame). The USA kids may have had prenatal drug exposure, but I assure you any child available for international adoption from the Ukraine has at least alcohol exposure, maybe Heroine exposure, and who knows what else. Our adoption agency told us Ukraine children are available for adoption are due to economics. What they did not explain is that the bottom of their social economic group is the same as all the other western societies, i.e. full of prostitutes and theives on alcohol and drugs and others on the marginal fringes of society. Based on my personal experience with Urkaine adoption, I advise to stay away from the Urkaine.

...the adoption process is full of uncertainties.....In any adoption you are taking a chance on the child you choose....and you are literally at the mercy of the country's policy makers... Not all children given up for adoption have been exposed to alcohol/drugs....nor were their parents necessarily prostitutes and thieves.... :mad: ]I don't agree with this assessment!!! ....the issue(s) why children are given up by their parents is a complex one....each individual case is really different... I interpret the giving up of a child as an act of desparation.....and I hope I will never have to be in such a situation.... ...EE countries put adoptive parents thru a terribile stress process!!! Things are not done simply....nor sometimes honestly.... There have been many potentially adoptive parents that have come back home without children....from Ukr/Russia...this is heartbreaking..not to mention the time and cost involved...etc....etc.... I have looked at many countries....and have decided to stick with Ukr....the dossier process is a bit shorter...but then -I have the obstacle of being a single older parent...Ukr does not really favor singles. :( ...so I'm taking a chance....Things may be in my favor...or they may not...I'm hoping for the best....I foresee a bumpy road ahead....and essentially I'm expecting not to expect :rolleyes: ...for me this works....for others this philosophy may be completely out of kilter; but it takes a slight edge off my anxiety and stress.

Your best bet with any country you adopt from is to do a lot of research. Read all the books anout IA adoption. Be prepared for problems, be aware that your child may have one or many issues. When you adopt from Ukraine, you do not get a referral before you go. The best thing to do is to hire an independant doctor to look over the medical reports, examine the child and talk to the caregivers at the orphanage.I have heard very good things about Dr. Yuri, who is an independant doctor who will travel in Ukraine to examine your child. He will give you his report and will be honest about the child. As we all know there are no guarentees with any child, bio or adopted. Either way, we need to be well educated when it comes to mental and/or physical health.

I just wanted to add my two cents in. Admittedly I am adopting from Guatemala and our next one will be from China and I know zip about Ukraine adoptions. However, if you husband wants a boy and you both would consider a child of another race, you can adopt males from China (and no they do not have to be a waiting/special needs boy) and there are many male infants available in Korea. If yuo go with China, just ensure that you go with an agency that has an amazing relationship with China and has people stationed there so that you can choose to adopt a male child. Good luck with whatever you choose.

Depending on your age and length of marriage, Korea would be another excellent option if you are open to an Asian child. There are more boys than girls available for adoption, and while some programs do not permit you to select a gender if you have no other children, others will allow you to select a boy, because most Americans want girls. While travel would help you develop an appreciation of your child's birth culture, Korea does permit escort. While you will still have to pay escort fees, they are usually a little less than your own travel costs would be, and you would not have to spend as much time away from your job and loved ones. The process is extremely ethical, organized, and stable. Adoption from Korea by Americans has been going on for over 50 years, so both countries have the process down pat. You will have to be under about 42-45, married at least three years, and pretty healthy. Korea is also rather intolerant of past wrongdoings you might have committed, even if you can pass a homestudy and USCIS clearance. One great thing about Korean adoption is that most of the children receive care in excellent, well-supervised foster homes. The standard of medical care for orphans in Korea is higher than that in just about any country from which Americans adopt, and the medical records tend to be accurate. You will have fewer choices of agency than you would for another country. Korea requires you to use an agency that has a contract with the Korean government to place children with families in your state, unless you are willing to accept a child with special needs. (This is unique among country programs.) Most states have only 1-3 agencies able to place healthy infants. The good news is that most of the Korea agencies are long-established and extremely reputable; it is almost impossible to go wrong. The fees are a little higher than China's, but definitely lower than Russia's. Ukraine's fees would be lower than Korea's if you went independent (Korea does not allow independent adoption, but Ukraine does.) However, going without an agency can be pretty risky. Do be aware, of course, that not everyone should adopt transracially. There really has to be a huge commitment to developing the child's pride in his/her origins and to teaching strategies for coping with racism. You can't just "forget" that the child is not White; every time the child looks in the mirror, he/she will remember, and wonder what's wrong with him/her that his/her parents deny this reality. Most families have at least one bigot in them, and you may have to decide to keep that person out of your child's life, if he/she persists in making hurtful remarks or treating him/her differently from the way he/she would if your child was White. This can be very painful, especially if the bigot is your Mom or Dad or another close relative. Adopting transracially means being able to provide your children with appropriate same-race role models. If there are few Korean adults in your community, and if you have no local support groups for Korean adoptive families, this can be a difficult task. So it's OK if you decide that you cannot cope with the challenges of parenting transracially. It doesn't mean that you are a bigot or bad person. But if you feel that you CAN handle the challenges, Korean adoption might be an excellent way for you to form your family. Sharon

We just adopted a happy, healthy boy, 2 yrs old, from Russia. I have a friend struggling through the Ukraine program now. She is very frustrated. She went with UK on advice from her agency that the Russian program was unsteady at the time, and that UK was one trip. Now, she is waiting to get travel dates and is being told that they will have to wait at least 2 more months than expected, with possibly two trips involved rather than one. In the mean time, the Russian program seems to have smoothed out for now. The bottom line is to pick a country and move forward without second guessing. Pray a lot, and trust in God. I told my friend that all IA's are a roller coaster ride, but once you're home with your child, you forget about all the bumps in the road you encountered on the way to him. As for Russia, it is divided into regions. Some regions are one trip regions. If you prefer Russia, but don't want two trips, ask your agency if they work in any of Russia's one trip regions. Best of luck.

During the 15 months before recieving our registration letter from NAC, I have often been asked why continue with Ukraine. There really is no concrete answer to be found. It seems to be something deep in your heart which demands some faith that this is the best course to go. There are no guarantees or crystal balls with this. While this is true of most things in life, it is especially true for adoption. Last year, we attended a gathering of families with their UA children. One family adopted a healthy 20mo girl and said the process went fairly smooth. They spoke highly of the UA people and the good conditions at the ophanage. Eventually, as we became more familar with UA it might be said we adopted the country before ever adopting a child. This may be especially important to those families considering an inter-racial adoption. Adopting from the UA has had it's share of stories, good, bad and in-between. For us, we have our bio son to raise and there are NO signs in our house that another child is coming. In no way do we presume anything at this point. We still have not rec'd travel dates but hope to get it soon. And if we finally get to UA, we can only pray for God's help. Good luck to all.

I had given thoughts about Ukraine, but an opportunity opened to adopt an older child from Russia, so I jumped in with BOTH feet! I am now a proud MaMa to a beautiful and wonderful almost 9 year old. Anyway, I just read in the Moscow News paper that Ukraine has decided to STOP all International Adoptions right now. There are several investigations going on, and they want the Post Placement Reports on more then 60% of the children that have already been adopted from there. I know that Russia has CUT down on issuing new referrals and granting court dates for new adoptions of young and older children until the Post Placements come in! I was hounded for mine. I would have had it there prior to the due date, but the state of NJ had it for 4 weeks to Appostille the 2 pages!!!! Anyway, I hope you make the best decision for you and your family, just keep in mind, the Governments and Policies tend to change quickly!!!

Adoptions have NOT stopped in Ukraine. What they have done is to not accept any new dossiers right now. Anyone who has already had their dossier accepted at the NAC will be allowed to continue. It is very important for parents to make sure they register their kids with their regional consulate's office and to make sure they do the post placement reports. I don't understand why people don't comply with this. It is certainly not asking too much of us!

Hey, I'll use ANY excuse to brag about my son to whoever will listen. You can bet I send my reports in with probably more detail than they ever want to know. Seriously, I have always believed that it's a good thing that the consulate cares about what happens to the Ukrainian children, hopefully our children will look on it as an indication that their birth country has not forgotten them. We even get a Christmas card from them every year Jane

Wondering about Ukraine. All I can say is we came home without children this September. Called the US Embassy and at least three other couples had reported the same to them in the last three weeks of us leaving. Other families are spending 30-50 days in country.However we know a couple who arrived in Ukraine 2 days after we left and came home with a healthy six year old boy in 13 DAYS. Unbelievable.If you are using and agency your odds may be reduced of dufficulties due to the "foreign fees" you pay. We went independent and did not pay bribes for our refferal. Sometimes agency families have a hard time as well. Ask some serious questions to your agency, CLARIFY everything before you go, and of course PRAY. We believe we went for a purpose and God allowed us to help another American family while we were there (they came home this weekend with their six year old daughter). He has his plans. Trust in him, but be prepared if the system does not change before you leave that you may also come home to an empty room. I never wish that for another family. If you know of anyone who has a failed adoption I am trying to petition congress for the tax credit (like failed domestic adoptions) please contact me. God blessAlexandra

I am currently in the process of re-adoption for our Guatemalan baby boy. Our agency was very surprised that we had never been through with our Ukrainian daughter who we adopted in 2000. Does anyone else find that unusual? She came on an IR-4 visa.

Are things going to move smothly in Ukraine once January gets here?

There are some reports about what will happen early next year. As far as I can tell, some facilitators are being told that December and January appointments will go to people who traveled this year and went home without a child. They are expecting that it might be April before many other dates would given to families that currently have their dossiers registered.I also heard from the Embassy in Ukraine that as of Nov 23, NAC will start accepting dossiers for children older than 10, siblings of previously adopted children and handicapped children. So, things are still moving very slowly.