Hands Across the Water - new Pilot Programme Rwanda

Who Is Eligible To Adopt From Rwanda?
Married couples and single woman are able to adopt from Rwanda. Couples must be married at least 1 year. Adoptive parents can be no older than 50 but this is often waived in court.

Rwanda - The Country
Rwanda is a small land-locked country located in east-central Africa. The population of this small country is 9 million. The climate of the country is tropical with an average temperature of 73 degrees. Rwanda is a rural country where 90% of the population works in agriculture. The country has a turbulent history including the 1994 genocide.

Children Available
Children can be as young as a few months of age up to 4 years of age at time of referral. Boys are most available for adoption because more families request girls. Children are generally in good health. Occasionally there will be siblings.

To Begin The Process

1. Apply to Hands Across The Water for services.
2. Complete your Home Study with Hands Across The Water or an appropriate agency in your state. Please contact HATW for assistance if you live outside of Michigan.
3. File your I-600A with the U.S. CIS (INS).
4. Prepare your dossier for Rwanda. HATW can do this for you or you can take this on yourself with our assistance.
5. Hands Across The Water will forward your completed dossier to Rwanda.
6. After a referral is received and accepted, you will need to prepare to travel within 2-3 months to bring your child home. You will stay in Rwanda about 4 days with the final 7-10 days in Nairobi, Kenya. This is a very valuable time to learn about the country, people and culture of your child's birth.

Post-Placement Supervision
Your child’s adoption is finalized in Rwanda, but three post placement reports and photos of your child over a period of time are required. The number of reports and frequency may change, but currently they are required at 6 months, 12 months, and 18 months.

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