Age requirements:
Singles must be 35 years old; Couple maximum age is 50
Hague: Yes
Characteristics of Child:
One to Five years old
Fees:
$25,000 (Estimate and assumes one adult traveling -
airline tickets can vary)
Length of Trip:
One trip that presently requires an extra “leg” at the
end for several days to Dakar, Senegal, where the
child’s U.S. immigrant visa is issued.Total length of trip should be 2 to 3 weeks
Wait Time (Varies) :
Several
months to be matched, 4-6 months to finalize after match
is made.
Eligibility :
Must have a doctors statement
documenting infertility. Families with
biological children, living in or
outside of the household, are not
eligible to adopt.
Overview:
Journeys of the Heart has a new adoption program in the
Republic of Mali (Mali), a country in West Africa.
The Sahara desert reaches into landlocked Mali from the
North towards the ancient central city of Timbuktu. The
fairly arid south including the capital of Bamako is
nourished by the Niger River. The official
national language of Mali is French although over 40
other local languages are spoken.
Mali is considered to be one of the most politically and
socially stable countries in Africa, having had a
democratic government since 1991. Mali is among
the poorest countries in the world and has hundreds of
thousands of orphans (children living in poverty who
have lost one or both parents). Sadly, similar to
many of the poor countries in Africa, at least 12% of
children under 15 are orphans. An estimated 1.9% of
children and adults are afflicted with HIV-AIDS - one of
the lowest rates in Africa.
Mali has signed and implemented the Hague Convention on
the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of
Inter-Country Adoption. It has a professional and
effective central adoption authority.
The children available for adoption in Mali are under
five years old.
Families requesting an infant will be able to
adopt a child who will be around one year old at the
time the adoption is final.
We expect to place children from one or
the other of two government run
orphanages in the country’s capital
city. The orphanages are excellent
facilities with compassionate
caregivers, good nutrition, and a
pediatrician who visits weekly and as
needed
· Parents or the younger of a couple should be no more than 45
years older than the child to be adopted and in good
health - older parents (within reason) may be considered
on a case by case basis
· Single
women must be 35 years or older (single men cannot
adopt)
Since Mali adoptions are “Hague adoptions”, families
wishing to adopt from Mali must complete a home study
and obtain the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services
(CIS) approval of the their I-800A application before
they can be matched with a child. As in all
“Hague” adoptions, families wishing to adopt from a
Hague country should start the home study as soon as
possible. Journeys of the Heart is approved to
complete “Hague” home studies in the states of Oregon,
Washington, and Illinois. Journeys of the Heart can
place children from Mali with families in all states.
Dossier requirements are straight forward.Once the dossier is completed (home study, CIS
I-800A approval, infertility documentation, and another
10 or so documents) and submitted by Journeys of the
Heart to Mali, the family should be matched fairly
quickly. The time between being matched and
finalizing the adoption in Mali will take about 6
months. At that time the family travels to Mali to
complete the paperwork necessary to bring the child
home.
At least one parent must travel to Mali
and the trip will require approximately 15 days in Mali
including several days at the end in neighboring Senegal
where the U.S. Consulate in Dakar will issue the adopted
child’s immigrant visa (IH-3) to enter the U.S.
Bilingual staff will assist families while they are in
Mali.
Referral information will consist of a photo,
measurements upon entering the orphanage, notes on
development, and reference to documents that establish
the circumstances of the child’s abandonment. Only
children whose parents are unknown can be adopted.There will be no birth family medical or
social information.Children are tested for HIV and Hepatitis B and
C. We anticipate that we will be able to get monthly
updates during the six months or so that families will
wait between being matched and traveling to Mali to
receive their adopted child.
Links
For
more information please email info@journeysoftheheart.net For answers to your questions for all adoption programs
including fees please click
here
Journeys
of the Heart Adoption Services is an
adoption agency specializing in
International and Domestic adoptions.
Journeys of the Heart has been building
families through adoption for more than
18 years. Journeys of the Heart has
offices in Illinois, Oregon, and
Washington. Journeys of the Heart has
adoption programs in the US (Domestic),
Bulgaria, Colombia, China, India, Mali,
and Uganda. Journeys of the Heart places
children in need of a family from
newborns to teenagers, healthy to
special needs. Journeys of the Heart
Adoption Services finds forever families
for orphaned children.
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