WE'VE MOVED!!!

Our blog has been retired, but all of our waiting children are now on our website:

http://wiaa.org/galleries/waiting-children-international/

See you there!

Consider a boy!

DID YOU KNOW?  There are significantly more boys who are waiting children in China than girls. Many people do not know this and may not not realize how many boys are waiting in orphanages for a family to choose them.  These are just 4 of our waiting boys from China who are looking for their forever families.  Please watch the video below to learn more about why YOU should adopt a boy! (have a tissue ready)

"Adopting a Boy" by Love Without Boundaries: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ijggNs2Ask

For more information, read this blog series from Love Without Boundaries on the Changing Face of China's Orphans:
http://www.lovewithoutboundaries.com/adoption/changing-face/

2 sisters from Taiwan

These 2 darling girls were able to visit the US for a summer tour in August 2014.  We can get you in touch with the host family the sisters stayed with for more information!

Shan and her sister Liang are in different foster homes, but they arrange to meet
every month for an hour. Adoption social worker indicated that the two children were
closely attached. They never seemed to run out of things to talk about each time they met.
They also played games and chatted with each other.

Shan is able to walk, run, jump, climb up the stairs quickly from 1st to 4th floor. She could also draw princesses with different facial features, statures, hair styles, and dresses as well as paint a picture of underwater sea world using just dots. She could use complete sentences to express herself and describe
things. For example, “I want to draw a picture for the teacher.” “We have the most class
sessions for Mandarin in school.” Her motor and speech development are
age-appropriate. Shan is active, outgoing, and innocent. She smiles
to everything.

Liang is in 2nd grade. As indicated by foster mother, she has good learning ability
especially in math. She can focus in class and has an average of 80-90 on every subject.
She loves reading.

For more information about these cute sisters, please contact: kathy@wiaa.org

Grant funding up to $2500 available to qualifying families

Orphanage partnership

Wasatch is pleased to announce our new orphanage partnership in Liaoning province! Staff members Kathy Junk and Jessica Wilson will be traveling next month to China to visit the orphanage, and will take video and photos of the children available for adoption. We have been told there will be some non-special focus children. Families interested in a non-special focus child should sign up with Wasatch soon to be one of the first families matched with one of these children!

(Liaoning province: china.org.cn)

Home study FAQs

HAVE YOU BEGUN YOUR HOME STUDY??  This is one of the first questions anyone considering adoption will most likely be asked.  Some adoptive parents don't know what a home study is, others may have questions on how to find a social worker to complete their study while others may have begun the process and are excited to be matched with a child. No matter which category you fall into, a home study is a very important first step to beginning an adoption. 

1.  What is a home study?  Although every state has slightly different requirements for a home study the overall purpose is the same.  A home study ensures that an adoptive home is a safe physical and emotional environment for a child.  The adoption home study is a detailed written report of your family. compiled and prepared by a social worker.  This can take three to six months to finish.  The home study requires adoptive parents to gather different documents, answer several questions and explore their reasons for adopting.  Through a series of visits and interviews the social worker can get a complete picture of who you are and what life is like in your family.  The adoption home study is a part of the decision making process for both the prospective family and the workers and therefore a very important first step in the adoption process.

2.  Where can I find a social worker in my state?  A home study for adoption must be completed by a social worker licensed in his or her state and also must be working for a Hague accredited adoption agency.  A list of these agencies can be found through this link (listed by state):

http://adoption.state.gov/hague_convention/agency_accreditation/agency_search.php

3.  Why is a home study an important first step?  Many families see a child on our blog or other advocacy site, fall in love and want to adopt them immediately.  They want to do everything as fast as possible to ensure this child is matched with them.  It is a good desire to want to bring a child home as quickly as possible so they are not in an orphanage any longer than they need to be.  However, what families need to know is that if they do not receive a favorable home study, they cannot adopt.  By falling in love with a child, having them matched to you and proceeding without having even talked to a social worker about the child you envision for your family, you are putting the "cart before the horse."  A social worker will help you explore the age, gender, special needs if any of a child and also prepares the parents for realistic expectations regarding their adoptive child. 

We at Wasatch put the child first.  It is not in the child's best interest to have a family make a quick, uninformed decision with regard to a child that will come to live with them forever.  There are times a decision may need to be made fairly quickly and steps taken to match the child but at the very least Wasatch wants the family to have communicated with a social worker and shared with them their plans, any issues that could be a problem and feel confident the social worker will approve them and have started the application process with them. 

A home study is not meant to be scary.  It is meant to be a helpful process to ensure both the parent and child have the best outcome possible.

Journey of Hope

We are excited to announce our involvement with CCCWA's Journey of Hope Camp.  This is a camp to bring attention to many of the waiting children that are often overlooked. Our China representative was able to travel to Jiangsu province and found 5 special boys for our agency.    She was able to video and interview these children and while they are older, they all seem like wonderful children. You can read more about these great kids on our China Waiting Children page.

IVAN - Child of the Month from Europe

Look at this handsome guy!!  He has been waiting for a family for a very, very long time.  He is 11 years old, soon to be 12 and is considered "clinically healthy".  Our country staff (including a therapist) visited him personally and shared that sadly Ivan is in "one of the worst" orphanages for older children.  However the orphanage director says Ivan is one of the "good" children in the home and he listens to the staff and keeps the rules. There is fear however that very soon other children will begin to influence him in a negative way. He is currently in 5th grade. Literature is one of Ivan's favorite subjects. He was able to repeat the story of Little Red Riding Hood adding many details and telling the story correctly to our country staff. He has the sweetest, soft voice. (See video link below) They noted that he was one of the few children that they were able to lead a dialogue with.  They said it was impossible with some of the other children because they did not even understand what they were being asked.  Ivan is a friendly and calm child.  He was able to share his experience and history events from the day and past.  He loves soccer and wants to be a "soccer player" when he is older.   

The final personal observation from our in-country staff was that Ivan is a naturally good child who needs personal care and attention to be distant from the unfavorable environment in order to have higher marks at school and to have better skills. Ivan is a respectful child. He has a positive emotional tone and attitude about everything. Ivan has a very beautiful and charming smile and we hope that he will has his chance to have a family of his own.

  

I am in love with this child and my plea is for a family to get him out of that orphanage now!!  Agency fees are reduced, foreign fees are reduced and there is also a $2500 grant for qualifying families.

His video can be seen on the following link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbzmwqIkRQA

Please contact kathy@wiaa.org for more information about this wonderful child who needs a family fast!!!