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CHOICES Adoption & Counselling Services
CHOICES is committed to providing a professional comphrehensive, client centered adoption service which best meets the needs of everyone in the adoption constellation with paramount consideration given to the best interests of the child.
Requirements
Single female applicants and married couples between the ages 25-50 years old are eligible to adopt from Zambia. There are no requirements regarding the length of marriage. Same-sex couples and common-law couples are not eligible. Prospective adoptive parents may or may not already have children, either biological or adopted.
The Children
Children awaiting adoption from Zambia typically range in age from young infants to 4 years old. Sibling groups are also awaiting adoption, although it is hard to say how a request for a sibling group may affect the timelines. The children are generally brought into the orphanage because of reasons common across Africa: poverty or disease. All children are tested for HIV, Hepatitis B & STDs. All children are vaccinated for TB & Measles as well as receiving their first dose of Polio & DPT (Diptheria, Pertussis [Whooping Cough] and Tetanus). There is a high probability that children who are a little older will have struggled with malnutrition before they are brought into the orphanage. Once the children are in Imagine's Transition Home, they are given excellent medical and nutritional care.
Estimated Cost
Please contact CHOICES to discuss fees for this program.
Timeframe
The wait times for a proposal and for travel are not clear right now as this is a new program. We are waiting to receive updated information from Imagine Adoption.
Process
All prospective adoptive parents must register with a licensed adoption agency, such as CHOICES, to complete a home study and BC adoption requirements. Applicants are also required to apply to our facilitator, Imagine Adoption, to adopt from Zambia. Imagine will work with the Zambia portion of the adoption. A dossier will be prepared and sent to the country. The wait time for a proposal is unknown at this time. One trip is required. Prospective adoptive parents are required to be in attendance for court and immigration processes, therefore the estimated stay is approximately 6 weeks in Zambia. This time frame, however, may change. It is recommended that the parents (at their own expense) have the child retested for HIV and Hepatitis B.