Honduras???? More adoption friendly???

I haven't made the first trip yet. I'm hoping to have my second trip and finalize in late Spring. It is hard to answer a question about how safe a country is without knowing what you compare it to. Different people have different definitions of safe and different comfort levels. I've been traveling down there for years doing volunteer work and never had any problems. But Honduras is a third world country and probably the 2nd poorest in the western hemisphere after Haiti. The poor economy has led to an increase in crime and less budget for police to deal with it. I know the bigger cities have some gang issues, but you are going to find that in US cities as well. Generally you are fine if you stay in a safe hotel, don't flash wealth, stay aware of your surroundings, avoid isolated places or walking alone at night, and generally use common sense. Like most places there are problems but also some great people.Honduras is a democracy with strong ties to the US and has been for a long time. There aren't any guerrilla fighters and probably haven't been for 20 years. Even then they weren't that prevelant compared to El Salvador or Nicaragua, countries that you may be confusing historically with Honduras.That being said, Honduras adoptions require two trips and several weeks in country so if you aren't comfortable making the trip and/or might not be comfortable making return trips to help your child maintain their heritage then it might not be the best option for you.

I am a Honduran American and visited Honduras this Summer. Without a doubt the children are beautiful and precious. They deserve to be adopted into a loving family. If you are blue eyed and blonde I would enocurage you to not wander off to far from civilization in Honduras. Unfortunatly in recent years due to the drug war (Mexico and the whole region and that corrupt government led by Zelaya that was ousted last year) the country has changed a lot. I went to school there for 6 years and had no safety issues at all but it is a different world we are living in. Thank you for considering Honduras for your adoptions. We adopted from Guatemala 5 years ago. At the time (after losing a baby due to preeclampsia) I did not even want to consider Honduras just because there was no adoption policies in place. It seems to be that in the 80's when lots of adoptions were going through people abused them... I hate how these things often just become a "buisness". Many blessings to all!

Anyone been involved or interested in Honduran adoption of late? I am also looking into Panama, have spent a lot of time in that part of the world, feel a connection, any info would be great!

I know a great agency ( cant say the name ) that has the Honduras program and their Honduras program only takes 6-8 months. I just checked the website. It seems like the program is definitely improving! I will PM you the agency.

Panama is a great program! It's only taking 6-9 months right now. I will PM you the agency that has it, they are great.

I'm sorrry but as someone who just adopted from Honduras I have to say that while there are many great children needing homes don't count on it only taking 6-8 months. I would be cautious of any agency making the promise right now. You might be able to get a referral in 6-8 months for an older child or special needs child. For me it took about 6 months just between referral and homecoming. BTW... all Honduras programs (all agencies) will take about the same amount of time because everything goes through the same system in Honduras. So an agency that is very "optimistic" in their time estimate isn't any faster then then the agency that is more "cautious".

stllc116, congrats! Are you home, now? I hope things are going well. I would also caution anyone considering adoption from Honduras. All agencies deal with INFHA, the country's government agency that is in charge of the adoption process, so the quoted timelines should all be the same. We have a wonderful agency in the U.S. who is reputable and got as caught up as everyone else in the promise of helping these children in a short period of time. They were told 6-12 months to referral (probably sooner) and that is what they, in turn, told all of us who expedited our dossiers to Honduras, expecting a referral quickly. Instead, INFHA is on strike with no end in sight and there are a lot of frustrated families on hold, not knowing whether to hang on or move on. Our dossier has been in-country and on an unknown desk at INFHA for 6 months without so much as a word, much less a waitlist number. This is not a Hague country, there is no established adoption program, and if you decide to move forward with a dossier submission PLEASE do not decide to believe the "best case scenario". Think about whether you can afford to wait a long time before you put all of your money and emotion into this big question mark. I am so sad we went this route and just want to warn others who may be in the researching stage.

Sorry about your wait and hope you hear something soon. It is really nice of you to let others know about what they can really expect. Although I would REALLY like to have adopted from south or central america, sadly all the countries require too extended of a stay in country for us.

Yes, I'm home now. I was one of the lucky ones who brought my daughter home this summer. We are doing great.I've been following everything going on in Honduras with IHNFA and I'm hoping referalls pick up again in the next month or two. I know it seems like this is going on forever but in the end it may just be about a 4 month delay more then normal. I really do feel bad for families who were told it would be a 6-12 month wait by 1 or 2 of the agencies. I don't want to get into a discussion on agencies but some of them are way to "optimistic" and really didn't give a realistic timelime.As you know everyone adopting from Honduras should have about the same wait time. Yet at least two agencies are quoting 2-4 year waits for children under 4 while I just saw another still claiming 6-7 months. I believe your adoptions will happen, it just might take a little longer then you expected. There haven't been any signs or reports of anyone wanting to shut down the program. Good luck to everyone waiting!

Hola! I have just begun searching for agencies partnered with Honduras and hope someone can send me a pm with any recommendations? I understand that the process may move slowly, but as a single mom who brought home a beautiful daughter from Guatemala a few years ago, I am not in a huge rush. Any advise would be appreciated!

Hi:Can you pm me and tell me what agency you used? How long your trip in the country was and did you feel safe while there? A lot of questions, but I'd really appreciate your answers.

Can anyone pm me agencies they have used for honduran adoptions? I need to find a licensed agency w the ihnfa. Also any feedback on post placement assessments would be greatly appreciated!

Would you mind sharing any recommendations you received for Honduras adoption agencies? I am exploring this option as well. Thanks, AV

Hello being there and done that, i'm honduras/US citizen and finalizing adoption in honduras thru IHNFA. Now I have a nice and honest local attorney that all he does is adoptions and naturalization. So he is good

Thinking of adopting from Honduras. PM me if anyone has a recommendation of a good agency. Also, has anyone had a recent experience with adoption from Honduras. Such as, the wait time for a referral?