Ugandan Adoption Program

In July 2016 the Children Amendment Act, 2016 was placed into effect. Among other changes, this new law requires that families stay in Uganda for 12 continuous months (confirmed and clarified in February 2017) before being able to proceed with the adoption process. As such, Agape Adoptions is only accepting applications from families who have a pre-identified child. Please contact us directly for current information regarding the Uganda adoption program. 

Agape Adoptions is honored to advocate for the children of Uganda. Uganda is a beautiful country located in the Nile basin in East Africa. Uganda is the second most populous landlocked country in Africa, home to 33.5 million people, including more than two million orphans. A formerly colonized country, Uganda gained its independence in 1962. Most Ugandans speak English. In the last three decades, Uganda has experienced tragic losses because of poverty and HIV/AIDS. Agape Adoptions works with several different children’s homes in the Kampala area, and most of the children available for adoption have been affected by extreme poverty or the death of one or both parents to HIV/AIDS.

Agape Adoptions keeps the Uganda program small so that we can offer extraordinary care to each of our families. Because Uganda's central adoption authority does not provide oversight to the international adoption process, adopting from this country is a difficult, unpredictable process, requiring an intense partnership between our agency and our families. The only predictable thing about the Uganda adoption process is its unpredictability. Agape Adoptions maintains close watch on developments in Uganda so that we can provide our families with the most up-to-date, accurate information on their adoption proceedings. We always count it a great joy to see families arrive home with their new child! Agape Adoptions completes all Uganda adoptions under the Universal Accreditation Act guidelines.

Age:

Parents must be at least 25 years old and at least 21 years older than the child.

Marriage Status: 

Both single female applicants and married couples are eligible.

Income:

Families must be financially stable.

Agape Adoptions places children who are already living in an orphanage or children’s home, therefore all children are already identified.

The children who are available for adoption have been abandoned or relinquished by impoverished birth parents or first families; occasionally children with medical special needs are available for adoption. 

Children are eligible for adoption due to having lost one or both parents from HIV/AIDS and/or having no other living relative. 

Boys, girls and siblings groups are available. 

Agape Adoptions primarily advocates for Ugandan children over the age of three, who do not have an identified special need.

Because of the complexity of adopting an older child, Agape Adoptions does not encourage the adoption of two unrelated children from Uganda at the same time.

1. Complete adoption application for preliminary approval by Agape Adoptions.
2. Complete adoption homestudy report which generally takes 3-4 months.
3. Assemble, notarize, and submit dossier documents to Agape Adoptions.
4. Submit immigration forms.
5. Upon completion, Agape Adoptions will send the dossier to our lawyer in Uganda.

Travel most often occurs four to six months after being matched with your child. Most families stay in a guest house, which provides private rooms and breakfast. Some guest houses offer private bathrooms and up to three meals per day. Families may also choose to stay in a hotel. Small grocery items and restaurants are readily available. Families adopting from Uganda must commit to a one or two-trip process to complete their adoption. 

Option 1: One Trip Process  A one-trip process includes a 2-3 month stay in Uganda to complete your adoption. In our experience, families have found extended stays in-country to be extremely difficult. While we know that a one-trip process is best for transitioning children, it often comes at a great emotional and psychological cost for families. Therefore, we recommend that families intending to travel do so using the two-trip process.  

Option 2: Two Trip Process  A two-trip process consists of two (2) two-week trips (approximately), spaced approximately one - two months apart. Both parents (in a two parent home) must travel for the first trip; only one parent needs travel for the second trip. An in-country representative of Agape Adoptions continues to process paperwork on parents' behalf, using a Power of Attorney between their two trips.

Post Adoption Requirements:

In most cases, families are granted legal guardianship. Families must comply with finalizing the adoption according to Ugandan law. In most cases, families can finalize the adoption in the U.S. courts; however it is possible that the judge may require that families return to Uganda after a period of three years to finalize the adoption in Uganda.

Three post placement reports are due within the first year. These reports must be completed by a social worker – 3, 6 and 12 months after arrival. These reports are sent to Agape Adoptions for processing and submission to the children's home in Uganda. 

Families may be required to provide two post placement reports twice yearly until the child is 18 years old, depending on the Ugandan court ruling.

Learn more about our Post Adoption support.

All fees are based on two parents and one adopted child

Total Agency Fees: $7000

Total application, adoption education, dossier and other paperwork processing fees: $2350

Total USCIS, Department of State, and IAAME fees: $1695 

Total Home Study and Post Placement Fees: $5850

 Additional mileage and travel fees may be incurred for families located more than 100 miles from the main office, or city center of Spokane or Portland

Home Study Review Fee, for a home study done by another agency: $550

Total Visa Fees: $50 per person per entry 

Total Lawyer fees in Uganda: $6750

Total Estimated Travel fees per trip, based on a one month stay in country: $5600-$8000 per trip 

Total in country fees for child’s adoption processing, including visa fee: $1125

Other in country costs (representative, lodging and transportation) per trip: $1400

Total estimated adoption & travel expenses (based on one trip): $ 32,420- $34,820