Race always matters, right?
African, Caucasian, Chinese, Guatemalan, Vietnamese, Korean, Ethiopian, Nepalese, Russian, Ukrainian, Haitian, Kazak, and more…
Race always matters, right?

Number of Adoptions in 2006: 4093
US State Department
GUATEMALAN ADOPTION AUTHORITY: The Social Services Agency Bienestar Social has been named Hague Convention Central Authority for Guatemala.  The Guatemalan Solicitor General’s Office (Procuradoría General de la Nación, PGN) is also an adoption authority in Guatemala.  Adoptions must be finalized through the PGN.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTIVE PARENTS:   Under Guatemalan law, prospective adoptive parents may be married or single and must be at least 18 years old.  There are no requirements for an age-difference between the prospective adoptive parent and the child.  There are also no disqualifying medical ineligibilities.

RESIDENCY REQUIREMENTS:  The Government of Guatemala …read more

Back in October, just days after we turned in our Dossier our agency told us that Oscar Berger had just put adoptions on hold. But it was not like we couldn’t see the writing on the wall, as it was ALL over the news.
Instead of completely pulling out of the process we decided to put our names into domestic adoption as well (along with some of our money) and keep our name on the list with our agency just in case. Several weeks ago we received an email from our agency stating that although the Guatemalan congress had passed the …read more

You all have distinctive tastes…and it gears towards shopping. It’s okay, it is what I like too. But you also liked reading about charities and news too. In only three months here is what you liked best.
1. Pajama Program 
2.  Hallmark Ornament, It’s Back!
3.  How Much is Too Much?
4. The Out of Sync Child Podcast 
5.  Disruption and Dissolution?
6. Adoption Do’s and Dont’s 
7.  Guatemalan Congress Proposal
8.  New York Times’ Relative Choices
9.  The Truth, I Feel Like a Horrible Mom
10.  How to Write a Birth Parent Letter

Several members of the Guatemalan Congress has submitted a new proposal which will be submitted to congress early next week. We have been informed by our agency that although this means that prospective families will be allowed to continue through the process it may not mean that new cases will be allowed to finish, as the grandfather date is only through April (US has not implemented the Hague).
Here are the specifics:
- Includes a strong ‘grandfather’ clause,
- Designates April 30, 2008 as the effective implementation date of the Convention,
- Allocates $5 million Quetzales ($650,000 USD) for the creation of the Central …read more

The Washington Post reported Sunday that the Guatemalan shutdown that seemed temporary will most likely take a lot longer than expected.
It also seems that our fine State Department has also been behind the shut down and for a reform not necessarily for bringing our children home in an expedited manner like we have always been told.

“I have never said that I want to stop the adoptions,” Berger said. “All my government wants is for the adoption law that is about to pass to be respected and for Guatemala to comply with the Hague Convention.”
Unfortunately, that is what is going to happen for between 3,000 and 5,000 families in the United States. If their adoptions are not finalized before January 1, 2008 their adoption process will officially halt.
Guatemala will be attempting to comply with international standards, or the Hague Convention treaty, which they ratified four years ago but they have not enacted. Additionally, UNICEF has …read more