And whoever receives and accepts and welcomes one little child like this for My sake and in My name receives and accepts and welcomes Me. Matthew 18:5
CONGO PROGRAM
Compassionate Hearts is pleased to offer an international adoption program for the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the heart of Africa. This country is just beginning to open their doors for international adoption, but even though this program is new, our Congo representative, Julia Holtgrewe has been instrumental in bringing home seven children from this country.
THE CHILDREN
This is an exciting time for Compassionate Hearts. Our coordinator, Julia, has returned from her third trip to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The first thing Julia noticed was the happiness of the children. The orphanages where we work take very good care of them, and they are loved and fed. It may not be multiple times a day, but they get a meal at least once a day. The plight of the children in Congo is to have a roof over their head, education, a meal and loving families! Julie was surprised to find that some feeding centers only serve food three times a week, and that may be the only time some children eat.
The Congolese government has little restrictions as to who can be adopted, but we have made a commitment to helping children with no parents or at least no mothers. In Congo, it is customary for the women to take care of the child so if the mother has passed away then the father really does not have to care for the child. The child can be a true orphan (a child with no living relatives) or a social orphan (a child who has relatives not able to take care of them).
THE ORPHANAGES
While Julia was in Kinshasa, Congo, she visited seven orphanages. Out of those seven, we are working with three. We selected orphanages where children are taken care of as much as possible, and if the children are too old for adoption, there must be a program for them to go into so they can leave the orphanage at some point and be able to take care of themselves. Part of our adoption program costs is donating $1,000 back to the orphanage from where your child lived to help with the children who will remain in the Congo un-adopted.
THE GOVERNMENT OF DRC
Julia made many friends on her most recent trip, and as always the people are wonderful to be around. She was treated to two Congolese meals that were scrumptious. The Director General of Migration was gracious, and they had a long talk about his expectations for this program. He wants nothing but good things for the children. Julia also visited one of the mayors of a district to find out how he felt about adoptions, and he too sees good coming out of this program. Of course the US Embassy is on-board with our adoptions as long as we watch any money being paid outside of adoption cost. This is strongly frowned upon as it will be construed as child-buying. This is why we will keep this program completely transparent so you can see exactly where your money is going. We are working with a lawyer who is very responsive to our questions, and he is highly recommended by the US Embassy. The one word of caution to be said is communication with this region can sometimes very difficult. Most people do not own a computer let alone have internet access. They go to internet cafes but not every day and maybe only once a week. You must have some patience. We will get your questions answered. They are as anxious to have their children come to America.
WHO MAY ADOPT
- Single men and women, as well as couples married at least five years.
THE PROCESS
Adoptions from DRC only need a very few documents, mainly a homestudy. After your homestudy is completed, we sent it to DRC and the adoption is completed from 4-10 months later. At that time, you can travel to DRC to bring home your child.
CONTACT US
If you have any questions please contact us for more information on adopting a child from the Congo.
Children adopted internationally have a greater risk of developmental delays and undiagnosed illnesses. Parents should educate themselves about the risks of international adoption.