INTERNATIONAL:
Uganda Program
Uganda is a beautiful country located in East Africa, and many believe it to be the home to the Garden of Eden. Uganda is known as "The Pearl" of Africa due to its gorgeous countryside and beautiful people. The capital of Uganda is the city of Kampala, where the majority of the population resides. The average life expectancy in Uganda is around 50 due to Malaria and AIDS. This becomes very evident when traveling to villages where most of the residents are either very old or very young. It is no wonder then that over half of the country is under the age of 15. Uganda has over 2.5 million orphans and the orphanages struggle to provide for their basic needs. There are millions of beautiful children in the country of Uganda who are in need of a loving family to provide for their basic needs, show them love while raising them to love the Lord.
Amazing Grace Adoptions is blessed to have been supporting and helping to meet the needs of orphan children in Uganda since 2008. It is our desire to work with Christian staff and child welfare providers to better meet the needs of these orphaned children, be it through family preservation, family reunification, in-country adoption or international adoption.
Amazing Grace Adoptions is excited to be opening a formalized adoption program of orphans from Uganda. Our heart's desire is to find loving homes in Uganda or the USA for children who long for the love and care of a family. Our prayer is that you will partner with us as we seek to meet the needs of the "least of these" in Uganda. For more information contact Hedda Forquer, Uganda Program Coordinator at hedda@agadoptions.org or uganda@agadoptions.org
Uganda Adoption Requirements
Uganda is not a Hague Convention country. Uganda does allow foreign citizens to adopt a Ugandan child if the foreigner has fostered the child for 36 months and if the foreigners have resided in Uganda for at least 3 years. The court has waived this requirement in exceptional cases if they find it is in the child's best interest. In most cases the family is granted legal guardianship instead of adoption. The adoption would then need to be finalized in the United States.
Requirements for Adoptive Parents:
Residency or fostering in Uganda (can be waived and given guardianship)
Age: One applicant must be at least 25 years old and be 21 years older than the child they are adopting.
Married couples must adopt jointly.
There are some restrictions on family size made by various homes and court jurisdictions.
Applicants must be able to prove financial stability but there is no set income requirement.
Both parents must attend court (limited exceptions)
* In addition to the above country requirements AGA requires that families be Christian and be able to sign our Statement of Faith form, and must have been married for at least 3 years.
Adoption Process
1. To get started contact Hedda Forquer, Uganda Program Coordinator at hedda@agadoptions.org or uganda@agadoptions.org.
2. AGA will mail or e-mail you the Uganda Adoptive Family Application packet.
3. Return the Uganda Adoptive Family Application packet and $250.00 to AGA to be processed.
4. Once Application has been approved by AGA, start assembling your dossier. We will give you detailed instructions.
5. Start Home Study Process with AGA or AGA approved agency in your area.
6. Once your home study has been completed and approved you will file the I-600A with USCIS
7. Once the I-171H approval has been issued from USCIS, you will be ready to submit documents to Uganda.
8. AGA makes a referral of a child to you when a child becomes available for adoption.
9. Dossier and child's paperwork is filed with the court and a court date is assigned.
10. Travel to Uganda to meet your child and attend the court hearing.
11. Receive court ruling; this may take up to 2 weeks or longer.
12. Complete Embassy paperwork and medical paperwork for the child's visa.
13. Receive Visa and return home.
14. Post Placement Visits in the United States.
15. Adoption Finalization in the United States.
Health and Availability of Children
This is a wonderful program for those feeling led to adopt a boy or girl between 12 months and 5 years of age. AGA will sometimes have children become available that are under 12 months and over the age of 5 years though the majority of children in AGA's Uganda program will be between 12 months and 5 years of age. There are many healthy children available, however most institutionalized children will often have developmental delays, physical and emotional needs. AGA encourages siblings to be adopted together but will only consider the adoption of 2 unrelated children at the same time if the children have a strong emotional attachment with each other.
There are also many children that are HIV+ or with minor special needs that are available for adoption from Uganda. AGA currently has several children waiting for a family to call their own.
Travel
The process in Uganda is approximately 3-6 weeks depending on how long the court and embassy process takes to complete, or it is possible to take two trips: the first approximately 7 days where both parents met their child and attend court and the second approximately 14 days for U.S. Embassy appointment.Travel times are unpredictable and dependent on court ruling and embassy availability.
Cost
The cost for the Uganda program varies depending on the region, the type of Children's Home and what the home's care model looks like. The Ugandan Program Fee covers the applications, US program fee, Ugandan legal and facilitation fees, child's passport and birth certificate, humanitarian donation, independent background verification of child's orphan status and medical history, and document preparation and shipping to Uganda. This fee does not cover home study, USCIS fees and requirements, travel expenses, embassy fees and other costs.
Some Financing Options
Federal Adoption Tax Credit of $13,170 (Tax Year 2011)
Most families qualify to take a tax refund of $13,170 for qualifying expenses paid to adopt an eligible child. The adoption credit is an amount that you subtract from your tax liability. For more information please visit the IRS website and download the IRS publication - Adoption Tax Benefits.
Gift of Adoption Fund
The Gift of Adoption Fund (formerly JSW Foundation) is a private, non-profit foundation funded by donations and fundraising events. JSW was established to assist potential adoptive parents by providing cash grants to subsidize a portion of the costs of adoption. For further information, please visit their website - www.giftofadoption.org
Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries
Kingdom Kids focuses on two primary areas of ministry. First, they present large Christ-centered adoption conferences. Second, they help families raise finances for adoption by developing a support team committed to praying for and contributing to the family's adoption. The way it works is that interested people can make tax-deductible donations to a particular families adoption fund through Kingdom Kids. Please visit their website to gather further information on their ministry and guidelines for participation and how to go about raising funds - http://www.kingdomkidsadoption.org/
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