Adoption Without An Agency

August 13, 2001

Originally Posted By Neil

This is not intended to be the definitive word on the subject (and obviously, it's not.)

I was just in Cambodia the beginning of this month, accompanying an adoptive mom on her second trip (for second baby) this year. Everything was smooth as silk. We were there for 8 days. Her first trip was similar. Both adoptions (and two others among our group of friends) were through Brener-Sam.

One night at dinner we met someone who had been in Cambodia for almost two MONTHS and had just gotten through all the paperwork hurdles and was waiting until she could get seats on a plane home. Her comment, not mine, was that she ended up spending as much money trying to do it independently as it would have cost to work through an agency.

I'm not saying it's not possible, but it appears to me (easy for me to say) worth it to be to have someone working with you who really knows the system both in the U.S. and in Cambodia.