Connecting Hearts Ukraine Program

See attachment

Dear Prospective Adoptive Parents:

Thank you so much for inquiring about our Ukraine adoption program. Connecting Hearts has been a licensed adoption agency in the state of Wyoming for 15

years and has placed hundreds of international and domestic children with families across America. All of our staff are experienced adoption personnel and most are

adoptive parents themselves. CH (Connecting Hearts) works in Ukraine adoptions with Yuri Safonov of Kiev, Ukraine.

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Both boys and girls are available for adoption. To be eligible for adoption in Ukraine, a child is usually at least 15 months of age. Prior to this age, children are registered with the government and available only for adoption by Ukraine citizens. These waiting requirements may be waived if the child has been diagnosed with a special need listed by the Ministry for Public Health.

Occasionally families may adopt more than one child at a time; usually these children are siblings. It is not necessary that a child have medical or developmental disabilities to be eligible for international adoption, but because of institutionalization and the different medical system in the Ukraine, all the children will have a variety of challenging medical diagnoses in their medical history. In general, limited information is available regarding the child's birth parents.

Married couples are eligible to adopt from Ukraine. There should be no more than a 45 year age difference between parent and child.

Adopting parents must complete a Home Study by an agency licensed for international adoption. It is important to utilize a good Home Study agency to be thoroughly prepared for international adoption. We assist our clients in choosing the local service provider suited to their needs. All home studies must be reviewed and approved by CH.

Both adopting parents need to travel to Ukraine for the adoption, although both do not have to remain during the entire adoption process. The presence of both parents is

absolutely required for the appearance in the adoption center and the court procedure. Then, one or both of the parents may leave and return when the paperwork is finished to take the child home. The travel date is determined by the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC), which will issue a letter of invitation.

You will make a decision on adopting a specific child only after traveling to Ukraine, seeing the child in person, and reviewing medical and developmental information. Pretravel videos and photographs of waiting children are not available for adoptions from Ukraine. The official referral is made in Kiev by the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC). From there, the family travels with Yuri or an escort/translator to the town/city where the child resides. If you decline to adopt the first child you meet, you may return once to the SDAPRC for permission to meet a different child. If you decline to adopt the 2nd child, you must return home, but may reapply 6 months later.

After committing to adopt a child, it takes from 1-2 weeks to appear in the court for a hearing. All the paperwork will be completed by attorneys working in Ukraine. At your

court appearance, the judge will determine whether or not to waive the 30-day appeal period. There is no way to predict this decision, as it depends on the judge, region and individual circumstances of a child or family, so parents should be prepared for the 30- day appeal period to be in effect. If the 30-day appeal period is waived, then the

adoption will be completed in one trip.

The above information is based on how adoptions have been proceeding in Ukraine and is subject to change based on operating procedures of the new State Department for Adoption and Protection of Rights of the Child (SDAPRC).

After the completion of the legal process, the US Embassy in Kiev will review the set of legal documents for the child. When approved, an appointment will be made with the Consular Section of the US Embassy in Kiev. The medical exam for the orphan visa will be done in Kiev at the Medical Center of International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Flight arrangements from the US should be changeable (or open-ended). The following airlines are the most frequently used: KLM/Northwest, United/Lufthansa, Air France, and British Airways. This list is not exhaustive and other airlines can be used if convenient.

Upon returning back to the US, adoptive parents must have their child registered with the Ukrainian Consulate in the US (either in Washington, DC, New York or Chicago)

within one month of their return home. In addition to the registration, families must annually submit post-placement reports, providing information about their child's health,

development, adjustment and educational process, to the Ukrainian Consulate in the US with a copy of this report submitted to Connecting Hearts. Also, you will sign an

agreement with CH to submit photos and post placement reports 6, 12, and 24 months after your adoption. These reports are prepared after a home visit by a social worker from an agency licensed in your state, usually the same agency who prepared your home study.

AGENCY FEES AMOUNT PAYMENT SCHEDULE

Application $500 with application

Home Study Review $100 for home study not done by CH

Program fee, 1st child $3,000 with dossier

Program fees, 2nd child No charge with dossier

First payment (first child) $2,000 with dossier

Second payment $2,000 travel invitation received

Third payment $10,000 in country

Second child By contract

CIS fee: married couple $830 Submit with I-600A

Home study Varies by state Local service provider

Dossier preparation Variable

Travel Variable Airfare + in country

Orphanage Aid donation and staff gifts

$1,800 1st child, $1,000

additional child

Paid in country

Stay in Ukraine About $200-$300 per day Paid in country

Immigrant Child Visa $400 per child Paid in country

Child's Medical Exam $100 per child Paid in country

Ukrainian program fees cover all of the following: Legal costs, translators and translations services, all auto transportation services within Kiev or within the region

where the adoption will take place, transportation from and to the airports, notary services, document preparations, issuance of passports, guide services, obtaining of

birth certificates, authentication of documents for Ministries of Justice and Foreign Affairs, and preparation of all materials required for obtaining the child's US immigration

visa at the Kiev Embassy.

Additional Expenses not included in the program fee are: Travel expenses (international and in-country airfares, accommodation, meals, telephone and faxes home, etc.),

medical examination of the child/children

REFERENCES

Clint and Tracie Johnson cdtpj@msn.com 801.599.1221

Laura and Robert Passanita passanita@cox.net 757-8767082

Lori and Trevor Wright lori@ourjourneycommunity.org 419.427.2670

Teka and Todd Wade twadet@charter.net 626-2968330

Tim and Pam Buckheit tim_buckheit@yahoo.com 406-727-9746

Tasha Pravecek tasha_pravecek@mac.com work: 937-255-7393 home: 937-429-3171

If you are interested in our Ukraine adoption program and have further questions, please feel free to contact:

Danalee Thornock 435.881.8051 thorns@allwest.net

Yuri Safonov yuri_home@ukr.net