technical stuff

So I thought I'd talk about the adoption process, since it is such an important part of life at Door of Hope. All adoptions are run through an organization called ABBA Adoptions, which currently (unfortunately) is not able to send kids to the US, Canada, or the UK. Most kids go to Scandinavian countries (Holland and Denmark mostly), although DOH always tries to send kids out locally. Usually, the only kids adopted locally are either very fair skinned or twins. When a family wants to adopt from DOH, they send an application in, along with a scrapbook of their family. All families that adopt a kid have to 'certify' that the child will be raised in a Christian home, which is awesome. Then, the kids who are eligible for adoption (more on that later) are matched to the families, who then receive a scrapbook of their future child. When the parents come to pick up their child, they have to stay in Joburg for 2 weeks, to ensure that both sides transition in smoothly. After 2 weeks are up, the family comes back--usually with the child--to tour DOH, ask questions, and affirm that everything is going well. I recently got to meet the families of two recently adopted children. That was so rewarding. It was amazing to see how quickly the children became attached to their new parents and siblings. It was such a blessing to know that those little ones are in good hands, and that the older one still recognized me! I absolutely cried a little. God is actively redeeming hopeless situations in the lives of these kids and their new families

In order to be eligible for adoption, a lot of things have to happen
1) the child has to be physically ready for changes, and must obtain written permission from a doctor that he/she is healthy enough
2) either the closest relative has signed away the kid for adoption, or
3) the South African court has deemed it necessary to become the legal guardian, starting the process
After the mother gives permission to put the child up for adoption, DOH gives her 2 months to change her mind before starting the process. If a relative visits the child, the process is delayed by up to 6 months. Although this is a fairly good system, there are parents who refuse to take their child back, but visit every six months so he/she can't be adopted. If this happens and the court doesn't (or can't, if the parents are not South African) take over, the child goes to foster care until his/her 18th birthday, which is so sad

In general, though, this system works quite well. Since coming here, 6 children have been adopted, with another leaving Monday and 6 more already matched, to be adopted soon! Hopefully this was helpful to you guys. I'll write again next week. Oh, and if there's anything specific you wanna know about, feel free to let me know =)