News
Ukraine Program is Thriving
Partners for Adoption is thrilled that our Ukraine program continues to flourish! This month, we have many new families committing to the adoption of children in Ukraine. Families are signing up for our regular program as well as our older children program which has an unmatched waiting time of just 2 months! We will continue to update you with any news from Ukraine.
Russia Status Update From Partners for Adoption
Despite ongoing discussions between Russia and the U.S., all of our Russia regions are still processing adoptions. We continue to receive referrals, and our families continue to travel to Russia and bring their children home. The referrals we currently receive are as young as ten months old. Russian adoption continues to be one of the most popular options for Americans, and we are happy to continue to offer this wonderful program to our families.
Haiti Adoptions Current Status, April 2010
Adoption processing from Haiti has preliminarily resumed as of April 27, 2010. On that date, the US Department of State announced Haiti’s adoption authority, the Institut du Bien-être Social et de Recherches (IBESR), has informed the U.S. Government that they are now accepting new adoption applications for Haitian children who were either documented as orphans before January 12, 2010, or relinquished by their birth parent(s) since the earthquake. We are currently evaluating the processing of these cases to determine if Partners for Adoption will accept new dossiers for submission to Haiti. Please contact our offices if you would like more information on the status of our program.
Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Increased!
We are excited to announce that on March 22nd, the Adoption Tax Credit (ATC) was extended to all adoptive families through December of 2011. It has also been increased by $1000! This applies to all adoptions completed after January 2010. The extended law allows adoptive parents to apply as much as $13,170 to their taxes owed. Not only was the ATC increased, but it is now refundable, meaning families may receive a refund from the IRS for documented adoption expenses. There are so many children in need of loving forever families. We want to share the good news of the Adoption Credit with you. We are thrilled for adoptive families and hope this helps make your dream of adopting a child in need even more attainable!
Ukraine Program Update 2010
Partners for Adoption's Ukraine program was closed temporarily due to political changes and a long and painful election. We are excited to announce that we are re-opening this program and are looking forward to helping more Ukrainian orphans find wonderful families!
Haiti Earthquake Information
On Tuesday, January 12, 2009 Haiti was rocked by a 7.3 earthquake followed by five aftershocks rating above a 5.1. The devastation has been catastrophic for an already struggling nation.
The days following this kind of disaster are critical. Although the U.S. has pledged a swift and coordinated effort, the reality is that the children in the orphanages are often the last to receive notice, and therefore the essential things like food and water. We need to ensure that the intense aid efforts extend to those in these situations whose voice is sometimes not heard.
Partners for Adoption Haiti adoption program needs your help to respond to this tremendous disaster and needs of the children of the Foyer De Sion orphanage in Haiti.
Your kindness at this most challenging time is greatly appreciated. A donation of any amount will be helpful in getting food, water and shelter to the children in Foyer De Sion orphanage as the relief efforts begin. We do not want these vulnerable children forgotten.
Please click on this link and donate to the orphanage so we can help these children.
Russia Program Update
In early 2008, Partners for Adoption took over the Russia program of Adoptions & Aid International, one of the oldest and most established Russia programs in the United States. This program remains strong and steady, with families bringing their children home every month. Current wait time from dossier submission to referral is 4-8 months. Numerous families are choosing to adopt two children at once, as Russia allows adoption of both sibling sets and two non-related children at the same time. We are pleased to report that a majority of our referrals continue to be young babies from 9-14 months old. A vast majority of these babies are boys. In addition to our standard Russian adoption program, we have added a special needs and older child adoption program from one of our regions. We feel extremely honored to have been chosen to place these children, and are working hard to find forever families for each and every one. To learn more about our Russia program take a look at our Russia and Older Child Programs pages.
Partners For Adoption serves Drawn From Water Organization
Partners For Adoption is excited to announce that we are the official homestudy agency for the Drawn From Water organization. Drawn From Water is a non-profit organization based in the United States, that is helping to save the children of several tribes in Rural Ethiopia. Please visit their website to hear the truly dramatic story of the children of Drawn From Water.
International Surrogacy Program Details
Partners for Adoption is the first agency in the United States to have the exclusive right to work with the most well renown surrogacy clinic in Eastern Europe. Our international surrogacy program in Ukraine is a wonderful choice for couples or single men who cannot adopt for a variety of different reasons. The cost of our surrogacy program is similar to that of an adoption from Russia, and is 50% less expensive than domestic surrogacy. Please see our surrogacy website for more information.
Haiti Program Growing
Partners for Adoption’s Haiti program is unusual in that families who have received their child referral are able to visit their children every six months on one of our orphanage sponsored parent trips. These trips are designed to allow the families to bond with their adoptive children during the time that the adoption is being processed in Haiti. One of our families has already gone on two parent trips, October 2008 and January 2009, and our newest family to receive a referral will be traveling on the upcoming parent trip in April. We currently have several sibling sets (including one set of 5 year old triplets) waiting in Haiti for their forever families. Please see our Waiting Children page for pictures of these lovely children.
Russian adoption program raising scholarship fund for families in need
Partners for Adoption is working on raising a small fund for grants to adoptive parents wanting to adopt from Russia. The fund, which will be named the Lucy Revutsky Grant fund, is intended to offer a $1,000 grant to eligible families who wish to adopt from Russia. Named after Diana Revutsky's mother, the fund is meant to aid families and commemorate Lucy Revutsky's life-long commitment to helping those less fortunate.
"My mother was an extremely kind person," said Diana Revutsky, PFA International Director. "Many times, when she had very little money, she would give all her savings to help a friend's child have an operation, or provide clothes for a family acquaintance." Please contact Diana Revutsky directly if you would like to make a donation: diana@partnersforadoption.org.
Convert your international homestudy to a domestic one
In the changing world of adoption some families are finding themselves once again looking towards domestic adoption as the choice for them. For those families who have a completed international homestudy and wish to convert it to one that is appropriate for a domestic adoption, Partners for Adoption is happy to help. We are able to work with families throughout the State of CA, whether or not you completed your international homestudy with us. Our fees are reasonable and our turnaround is rapid. Contact our office directly for more information, 925-946-9658.