Children's House International (CHI) is excited to announce that we now facilitating adoptions from Kazakhstan! Kazahkstan has been a leader in international adoptions since 2000. This program is very quick in terms of referral and travel and we have infants and older children ready now for their adoptive families.

Hi! I'm Erin Tucker the Program Coordinator for Kazakhstan. I am a Masters level Social Worker and with 2 young boys. I am pleased to say that I've been placing children from Kazakhstan in their forever families for over 3 years. Our team of coordinators in Kazakhstan has been working together in the Kazakh adoption field since before its inception in 1995. We believe that Kazakhstan provides a unique adoption opportunity for many families!

"Come and get me!"
And her proud parents did just that!
She is now home in her forever family!

CHILDREN WAITING FOR FAMILIES

The CHILDREN WAITING FOR FAMILIES from Kazakhstan range in age from approximately 6 months to 15 years. Families may adopt not adopt more than 1 unrelated children, however biological siblings are available. There is a range of ethnicities to be found among the children of Kazakhstan, ranging from Caucasian to Eurasian to Asian. Children may be considered to have minor correctable health conditions due to their stay in the orphanage. We also hope you may consider opening your heart to one of our children with special needs from Kazakhstan.

WHY ARE CHILDREN IN ORPHANAGES?

Poverty is one of the biggest reasons that children all over the world are living in orphanages and it is no different in Kazakhstan. Simply their birth families cannot adequately care for them and hope relinquishing them to an orphanage will offer them a better life than what they can provide.

Other reasons include:

• Teenage and unwed pregnancy
• Unwanted pregnancy due to the scarcity or expense of contraceptives
• Death of birth parents
• Abandonment Termination of parental rights by children's services
• Medical issues involved with the child

Most of the waiting children in orphanages are of Kazakh or Eurasian descent but there are also children of Russian or European descent needing families. Orphanages in Kazakhstan have a good reputation for providing a safe, warm, clean environment for their children. Parents do need to be aware that most of these children have been raised in the institution and will likely show developmental delays evident in most institutionalized children (i.e. delay in motor development, speech, language, etc.) A good rule of thumb is to assume a one month delay for each 3 months a child is in the institution. The vast majority of children catch up very quickly when placed in a stable family environment.

WHAT ARE ADOPTIVE FAMILY REQUIREMENTS?

Kazakhstan is quite flexible with adoptive families in what they require. Kazakh officials have proven to be consistent supporters of the international adoption process. Couples that have a strong and long-term relationship, whether legally married or partnered, are able to pursue adoption in Kazakhstan.

We are often able to work with U.S. Citizens living overseas, and non-U.S. Citizens. Kazakhstan will no longer allow adoptions by families of dual citizenship.

Generally the adoptive family criteria is as follows:

• Adoptive women must be between 25-55 years old and not more than 46 years older than the child they wish to adopt- though there is some flexibility to this rule. The age of the adoptive father generally is not a factor.
• Single woman are WELCOME
• There is not a family size limit in most regions
• Parents must be in reasonable health
• Parents must have an approved home study conducted by a licensed agency
• Parents must meet US Immigration requirements
• Parents are not required to have a minimum income other than CIS requirements and the adoptive parents can prove their financial ability to raise a child.
• Both parents must travel to Kazakhstan and appear in court to complete the adoption

Please note that international adoption is not completely centralized and that each region has its own specific requirements that may differ from those of other regions in Kazakhstan.

HOW LONG IS THE WAITING TIME FOR REFERRAL?

The wait for referral is dependent upon the Kazakhstan government's timeline. This can be due to many factors including case loads, time of year, government official's vacations and many other factors. There are children ready for adoption now and waiting for a family, but we must be patient. We will do everything possible to keep the family informed of the current time table for a referral. Once a referral has been confirmed and the dossier has been completed and received by Children's House International, travel to Kazakhstan should be granted in approximately six to eight weeks. It may be a little quicker or slower than the estimate but it will depend on the number of cases the courts in Kazakhstan are hearing.

WHERE WILL FAMILIES BE TRAVELING TO?

Families will need to travel to Kazakhstan through Almaty. It is located in southern Kazakhstan. From there families will be sent to the city in which their child resides. Families will then need to return to Almaty after the adoption is completed as they will need to complete their US Embassy paperwork.

HOW LONG WILL ADOPTION PROCESSING TAKE?

Kazakhstani law requires that adoptive parents have a minimum of two weeks of personal contact with the child they are hoping to adopt. The two week period begins at the time the parents register with the local government office, not from the day of landing in Kazakhstan. The adoptive families will be able to have daily contact with their child which will help considerably in the transition of the child to adoptive family. Families will be allowed to get to know the other children, tour the orphanage, ask questions of the caregivers and photograph/videotape the orphanage and their child there.

After the court has granted the adoption, the adoption does not become final for another 15 days. There may be some regions which will require a parent to stay in Kazakhstan for those 15 days and one parent must stay during the entire time. However, we have three travel options for our families to decide how they would like to tailor their adoption experience.

TRAVEL OPTIONS

Families have 3 travel options for Kazakhstan:

1. Traditional 1-Trip option: Adoptive parents will travel to Almaty, then on to the adoptive region, and stay for the entire adoptive process. Depending on the region, parents will be required to stay in country from 6 to 8 weeks. This time in country includes the 14-day bonding period and court, the 15-day wait and time required in Almaty to complete the adoption process.
2. 2-Trip option: Adoptive parents will travel to Almaty, then on to the adoptive region, and stay for the 14-day bonding period and court (approximately 21 days in-country). One or both parents may leave the region for the duration of the waiting period. One or both parents would return to Almaty to rejoin their child(ren), and complete the adoption process. The second trip would require approximately 5 days in country.
3. Escort option: Adoptive parents will travel to Almaty, then on to the adoptive region, and stay for the 14-day bonding period and court (approximately 21 days in-country). The adoptive parents would then leave the country. The regional coordinator will complete the adoption process, and escort the child(ren) to the US to meet the adoptive parents. *The escort option is available at the pleasure and discretion of the regional orphanage director, and the availability cannot be guaranteed.

WHERE IS KAZAKHSTAN?

Kazakhstan is a geographically large country in Central Asia and shares its northern border with Russia, its eastern border with China, and its southern border with Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. Its western border lies on the Caspian Sea. Kazakhstan was part of the Soviet Union until 1991 when it gained its independence. Its two official languages are Kazak and Russian with the standard language of business being Russian. Many ethnic groups make up the population. The most prominent being Kazakh 46%, and Russian 34.%. Other groups represented are Ukrainian 4.9%, German 3.1% Uzbek 2.3%, Tartar 1.9% and a combination of others 7.1%. As of July 2000, the estimated population was 16,733,227.

GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

• As the Program Coordinator I am committed to each and every family.
• I will work directly with you throughout your adoption process. I am available to answer your questions and help guide you through your adoption journey.
• ALL fees are stated clearly up front. Families sign a financial contract with CHI at the beginning of the process. Families know exactly what they are paying for, when, and why
• Our in country coordinators have been working together in adoption since its beginnings in KZ, and many have known one another for up to 30 years. They are a tight-knit, well-organized group.
• Coordinators for each region have worked in their own region for years, and have the expertise to make your adoption follow a smooth process. Each region has a team available to the families 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, consisting of the coordinator, interpreter and driver.
• Dossiers submitted to CHI, will be sent to Kazakhstan for translation within a week's time, and followed closely throughout the Kazakh approval process.
• Dossiers are not held to be processed in groups. Families will be kept apprised of their dossier's progress through the various steps of approval.
• Families make their own travel arrangements to Kazakhstan, but the coordinators handle all travel and accommodation arrangements for the family's time in country.
• Although families are not delayed in order to send them in a group of families, most will find themselves in region with 1 or more other CHI families. Such family groups often develop a close bond during the process which lasts a lifetime.

We are especially proud to be a part an organization that has placed over 800 orphans with their forever families and the establishment of the nonprofit foundation in Kazakhstan World Without Orphans, created to help orphans and children who remain without parental care.

If your heart is leading you to Kazakhstan please contact Erin Tucker!

TO GET MORE INFORMATION

Please contact Erin Tucker at 919-749-1087 or email Erin.T@chiadopt.com for further information regarding this program.