Adoption in Zambia

I decided to update this thread with where we are at. There really is not much online about Zambian adoptions, so just want to try add to the info available out there.My husband and I, are South African, and we are currently living in Zambia as expats on work contract, and decided to adopt.For our application we needed to submit the following documents.NRCBank statement/payslipReference lettersPolice clearanceMarriage certificateMedical report (only at government hospital)In addition to this you have to have what is referred to has a home study, with your allocated social worker. We had ours via Zoom with the social workers at House of Moses in Lusaka, but because we live in Mazabuka, we then were referred to the Mazabuka social worker. The reason we went to House of Moses was because they were referred to us by many people.You also have to submit a letter addressed to your District Social Welfare Officer, explaining why you want to adopt, what gender and age you would like to adopt. I would suggest including your email and phone number in case you are not able to receive your post at home, such as in our case. Maybe they would not use email/phone, but worth a try.We submitted our application on the 21 June and miraculously it was approved on the 24 June, although we only discovered this on the 6th August! Even though we had chased things up. You also have to attend a 4 day workshop in Lusaka which is run by Embrace Zambia (part of Christian Alliance for Children in Zambia/House of Moses). This is now a government requirement. The first two days cover the spiritual foundations of adoption/fostering. The second two are referred to as Parenting to Heal and cover issues of attachment, trauma, grief & loss, neglect & abuse. A representative of DSWO and Child Protection Unit were also there and explained their roles. Very useful and a great opportunity to ask questions. We are now in the stage of waiting to be matched. This I must say is the hardest part of the process for me. Trying to find that balance of being patient and fully trusting in God, but also trying to keep in touch with our social workers without being a complete pest!I was referred to an adoption group run on Whatsapp, with most residents based in Lusaka. This has been helpful, just to hear other peoples processes, and although much is not always discussed regularly in the group, it is invaluable to know you are not alone! There are many Zambian families in the adoption process as well as foreigners.I also discovered to groups on Facebook, which may be of support. One was started by ladies locally (Adoption is Beautiful Zambia, and other (Adopting from Zambia) was started by American lady who adopted from Zambia. I can't share the links here but if you search they should come up.