When I am looking for information or updates on Ukrainian adoption I normally look at these web sites first. These are official sources of information… I prefer them to the rumor mill.

Consulate General of Ukraine in Chicago

There are 4 Ukrainian consulates in the United States. They all have pages on... more

Question: Can you adopt an infant from Ukraine?

Answer: Healthy infant under 14 months? No.

If you are open to adopting a child with serious health issues, then it is possible.

And by serious health issues I mean cancer, missing limbs (hand, fingers, arms, legs) or arthrogryposis.

Question: How does a child become available for international adoption?

Answer: To be adoptable in Ukraine, a child must be registered... more

Part 1 was the back story on why and how a 128 page assessment on Ukrainian adoption was produced. This assessment document can be found here.

Part 2 was an introduction... more

There is going to be a press conference tomorrow June 29 July 3 with the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports. Topic is the opening of the SDA to the public.

For anyone new to Ukrainian adoption.

All Ukrainian adoption has been shutdown for the last few months (April, May and June). This is to allow Ukraine to transition their adoption processing from the Education Ministry to the Family, Youth and Sports Ministry. Child protective services are already under the Family, Youth and Sports Ministry. The new adoption... more

Part 1 is here. In part 1 I was looking for unbiased sources of adoption information that would help me decide what country to adopt from. By this point in my research I had already decided against foster care adoption and private adoption within the US.

After I discovered the NAIC, I found the US State Department's adoption site. They have fact... more

Massage first then statistics.

I have known Karmelle Chaise since 2002 (mainly via email). I am so please for her that this got off the ground.

Published: 6 March 2006

Five years ago on a humanitarian mission to Ukraine, Karmelle Chaise saw something she still can't get out of her aid worker's mind or her mother's heart: a lone child in a squalid orphanage silently rocking back and forth like a metronome.

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Several weeks later, Chaise returned to the former Soviet state with her husband, Keith, and adopted... more

I have an email friend who gave me permission to share her story about adopting an older child from Ukraine. She went to Ukraine to adopt a child over 10 years of age.

Friday, Feb 24, 2006

There were several couples in NAC on Thursday. Today (Friday) we went to pick up the referral (at 12 instead of 3) and it was a ghost town. [Translator] says the director is "on vacation".

My friend and her husband received a referral for a 13 year old "gentlemen". They traveled on Sunday so they could visit the orphanage on Monday.

Wednesday,... more

Recently a study was published and the results were as expected. Children do better in foster care environments compared to orphanages.

[Dr Dana Johnson and colleagues] did the first scientific comparison of what happens to children raised in orphanages versus those raised in foster care and children raised in normal families.

from: Orphanages stunt growth, foster care better-study

This study took place in Romania.... more