Madison Adoption Associates is thrilled to inform you that we have earned accreditation to place children from Colombia!
MAA is now accepting applications to adopt through Colombia. This is currently a pilot program and we are seeking 5 flexible and patient pioneer families as we learn the ropes! New families will automatically receive $1,000 off MAA’s agency fee in addition to MAA’s standard child and family grants!
Although new for MAA, Colombia is a stable and well-established Hague adoption program. Children ages 2 months to 16 years are available for adoption.  There are many beautiful sibling groups with no medical conditions also waiting for families. The children reside in public or private facilities called “iapas” throughout the country. The country has a beautifully diverse culture and the children are of Hispanic, African, Indian, or mixed-race heritage. The children generally receive excellent medical care, but need a forever family to give them the individual love and attention they deserve.

MAA works in cooperation with the Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar (ICBF), the Central Authority of Colombia, to identify children who are legally available for adoption and to find appropriate families for these children.  

The children are:
  • Children 2 months to 16 years with minor to severe medical conditions (cleft lip/palate, sight impaired, hearing impaired, mild cerebral palsy, etc.) or developmental delays (language/speech, motor skills, etc.)
  • Older healthy children ages 7-16 years old
  • Children belonging to a sibling group of 3 or more, or where one sibling is older than 8 years old

Families of Colombian descent (including adoptees) are eligible to adopt healthy children ages 2 months and up.
Adoption Requirements
It is a requirement of Colombia that the adoptive applicants should be at least twenty-five (25) years old and at least fifteen (15) years older than the child to be adopted at the time of application. The mother should be no more than 45 years older than the child she adopts, though some exceptions may be made for children with more moderate special needs. The family must be financially stable and able to provide for the needs of a child. There is no family size limit, but family must prove that they can meet the individual needs of the child.
 
Families adopting from Colombia must be mentally and physically fit to parent. Applicants who have had cancer must be at least 5 years in remission. Psychological evaluations are required of each parent and mild anxiety and depression will be considered with a favorable psychological report. If any household member has a criminal history, this must be thoroughly discussed with an MAA staff member before moving forward.

Travel
Colombia supports the belief that an adoptive family should be familiar with the child's heritage, thus both parents are required to travel to the country. It is also encouraged the entire family travel together to meet the new child, if possible. The stay in country ranges from three (3) to seven (7) weeks, depending on the duration of the administrative process. If one parent is unable to stay, he or she may leave after the “integration” period, which is usually about ten (10) days. Families can stay in hotels or in apartments arranged with the help of the agency and our support team in Colombia. Madison Adoption Associates works with an experienced legal representative in Colombia who will personally arrange all travel in Colombia and stay with our families as much as possible. Families find the trip to be a culturally rich, wonderful experience.
 
Timeframe
The time frame to adopt from Colombia varies greatly, and depends mainly on the family's child preferences. If a family is matched quickly or is matched with a waiting child, the process can be completed in as little as 12 months.  Most families that apply to adopt from Colombia will bring a child home between 1-2 years. We encourage interested families to prepare their dossier and send to Colombia before a child is identified. Families with dossiers already in country are given enormous priority over families without dossiers, as families with dossiers can get the child home much sooner.
 
Fees
The total cost of an adoption from Colombia is approximately $28,000-$40,000. This is a complete price, including USCIS fees, home study, documentation & courier fees, visa and Embassy fees, agency fees, International fees, and an estimate of an apartment and airline fees for two people. Please contact us for a fee schedule and fee explanations. MAA provides agency grants dependent upon the situation of the child and family.

An additional $1,000 grant is being given to our first 5 families to contract with us to adopt through Colombia.
For more details on the program please reach out to
Shelly Connor or Misty Lucas, , and visit our website here . Please also check back next week for Waiting Child listings! We welcome you to join our Facebook Advocacy group to ‘meet’ waiting children from all of our programs! 

WE CANNOT WAIT TO SEE THESE BEAUTIFUL CHILDREN IN YOUR LOVING ARMS !