Program gives parties adoption preview

Program gives parties adoption previewBY TIM KEITH
TimKeith@coloradoan.com

A unique exchange program will give Colorado parents and Filipino children a preview of adoption.

Hand in Hand International Adoptions' Philippine Summer hosting program allows parents a chance to get to know the children they are considering adopting, said Kimberly Morgan, who works for Hand in Hand in Fort Collins.

That's especially important to improve the chances of school-aged children getting adopted, Morgan said.

"Once a child reaches the age of 5, their likelihood to be adopted drops drastically," she said.

The eight children involved with the program in Colorado are 9 to 14, she said.

This is the second year of the month-long summer program with children from the Philippines, Morgan said.

Last summer nine children came to Indiana. All nine were adopted by their host families, she said. There has been similar success with a program involving Russian children.

Even in the case of a child who is not adopted, the break from the orphanage is beneficial, Morgan said.

"Orphanage life is never ideal for a child," she said. "They need one-on-one attention."

The success of the program has encouraged the national governments involved to be more supportive of the program, easing the difficulties involved, Morgan said.

Even with the help of foreign governments, foreign adoptions can still be difficult.

Because of Philippine law, adoptive parents must be practicing Christians, married for at least three years, or more than one year with a long period of cohabitation, Morgan said.

Parents generally cannot be more than 43 years older than the child they are adopting, she said. This requirement is sometimes waived for older children.

Despite any of the difficulties, international adoption is more than worthwhile for parents, said Morgan, who has two adopted children through the Hand in Hand agency.

"(With) the joy that adoption brings to lives and the joy of parenting, I really think we are the lucky ones," she said.