Guatemala Questions Answered

We asked the agency if they had any other information about the boys in light of what we've been reading on the web re: Guatemala right now. We researched heavily before deciding on our Agency and chose them for their strong faith, their openness, and their flexibility. We wanted to share with you a clip from the email they sent today. I think for me, it was the confirmation I needed to feel more certain than ever, I'm ready to bring these boys home.
~ Kelli

I realized that Guatemalan Adoptions are getting a lot of press right now and the main concern is that private attorneys control adoptions, therefore it has come into questions where the children are coming from. I can't speak for all adoptions in Guatemala, as I am sure some attorney's practices are shady with the adoption system in Guatemala being so large right now. However, I can assure you that our attorneys and their staff only work with children whose families no longer want them and have chosen to give them up for adoption. They are not paid for relinquishing their rights nor given any other incentive to give their children up. My contact, Teo is the one who usually finds out about children who are available. He does not solicit women who are pregnant or have small children so they can be adopted. Most families come to him asking for his help. He makes them go through a rather extensive interviewing process before he accepts the children into his program, making sure that they are giving their children up for the right reasons. He also does this to ensure there will be no problems with the case in the future. We have talked to our contacts in Guatemala many times about this as well as the upcoming Hague Treaty. We have received many assurances that nothing is being done illegally and that Guatemala is working on becoming Hague compliant. We have completed over 60 adoptions in Guatemala and have not had any problems with investigations regarding the legalities of the children being classified as orphans.