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Program on hold
Updated information can be found on the Guatemala blog.
The following is information based on the current system of intercountry adoption in Guatemala. Changes are being planned for 2008 and these details are yet unknown.
Advantages:
Children are cared for in foster homes while the adoption process is completed. Parents travel to Guatemala to finish the process for a relatively short stay of 5-7 days.
Program Overview:
 supportive staff in Guatemala
children typically placed in foster care shortly after birth
short travel time allows families to visit during process
Location:
Guatemala City
Children Available:
healthy and children with special needs (birth-5 years) at referral
infants referred will be around one year of age at time of placement
mostly infants available
occasionally toddlers and older sibling groups are available
Children's Situation:
Foster Care
Eligibility for Families:
marriage length varies
parent's age varies
 Waiting Time for Referral:
infant boys - 2-4 months
infant girls - 6-8 months
Waiting Time after Referral:
5-12 months
Travel:
required; 5-7 days in country, only one parent needs to travel
Country fees:
$19,285
Adoption Finalized:
Guatemala
Dossier Required:
yes
Post-Placement Reports:
arrival, 3 and 6 months
photos required with each report
Guatemala completes the adoption before you travel so that much of the wait comes after a referral. A referral can come at birth although we try to wait to receive a medical exam, lab results, and a photo before releasing information to the family. The country fee usually covers everything but the U.S. visa fee, DNA testing, travel, and lodging. The stay in the country is usually 5-7 days. Since the adoption is finalized in Guatemala, check with your social worker about the need for re-adoption in the United States. Though the fees in Guatemala are higher than in may programs, this differences is diminished by the shorter stay in the country and the often more affordable airline tickets.
MEDICAL UPDATES
One of our early goals in the Guatemala Program was to standardize dossiers and procedures between the various attorneys we work with. We have accomplished this goal to a great extent.
 Most of the attorneys or foster care coordinators we work with have all of the foster parents go to one doctor, and we have an established routine for getting those updates. Some of our newer sources, however, use various doctors, depending on the location of the foster home. These doctors have not worked with adoptive families in the past and it has been extremely difficult to get updates from them. We have it a priority this year to standardize the medical updates as much as possible (with a family receiving an update at least every two months). We realize that the adoptive parents have a right to medical information and that in order to ensure the health of every child in the program we need to have access to medical updates.
OVERVIEW
 As adoption in other parts of the world become more difficult, Guatemala adoptions have grown in popularity. In 1998 Guatemala placed 911 children with US families. In 2002 Guatemala placed about 2300. Families returning for their second adoption find that the process has changed and that it is taking longer.
Bethany Christian Services completed 92 placements in 2005 and 99 placements in 2006 of children to loving homes. Bethany continues to have a good reputation in Guatemala. We guard that reputation by acting ethically in the country. Within those boundaries we are doing what we can to make the process for each family as smooth as possible.
For more information on Bethany's Guatemala program, please call 1.877.64.ADOPT or email bcsinternational@bethany.org (please specify if you are interested in a certain country or program)
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