Why Choose Colombia?

With many international adoption programs to choose from, it is important to look at the benefits of each country to determine which program would be the right fit for your familyWe believe that there are many great reasons to adopt from Colombia, including:

• Colombia’s adoption process is very stable. Colombia has been party to the Hague Convention for over ten years, and Adoption by Shepherd Care has been an approved agency through the Colombian government since 1993.
• The age range of available children is from around eight months to teenage years.
• Adoptions are completed through ICBF (the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare), which is the government entity that is responsible for adoptions in Colombia and that declares children adoptable. Currently 9,000 children in Colombia are legally free for adoption and are awaiting homes. The government considers many of these children to be special needs because they are in a sibling group or are over eight years of age.
• ICBF provides comprehensive referral information which includes information such as the child’s social history, medical evaluations, psychological evaluations, nutritional assessments, and educational assessments. 

The children available for adoption are cared for in well-run government orphanages and foster homes. Our experience has shown that, unlike some institutions across the world in which children receive little to no stimulation or human contact, the Colombian orphanage staff members and foster parents make significant efforts to engage with the children and show them love. Certainly this is no substitute for the love and security of a permanent family, but in most cases it does provide the child with a basis for forming loving and attached relationships.