Ukraine Program Review: 2018

15
Jul

If adoption is the best choice for your family and you are considering opening your home to a child or a sibling group, 5 years or older or a child with medical or special needs, then Ukraine might be a good fit for your family!   To help you gain a better understanding of adoption from Ukraine, I would like to share a review of our Ukraine Program from 2018.

Children Home in 2018

In 2018, MLJā€™s Ukraine Program experienced one of the most successful in years – 11 children in need of forever families from Ukraine joined their families in the U.S. These children consisted of  8 boys and 3 girls with the age range from 8 years old to 16 years old.  Some of these children were considered  healthy, and the others were considered to be special needs children with some health conditions such as vision defects (strabismus, astigmatism, amblyopia), skin problems (atopic dermatitis), limb defects (malformation of limbs, flatfoot), mild/moderate developmental delays (mental retardation) and some miscellaneous conditions (enuresis, obesity, scoliosis, hernia, diffuse goiter).

Referrals (Matches of Children to Families) in 2018

There were 17 accepted referrals in 2018. This number includes 4 sibling groups, equalling a total of 12 families receiving matches last year. Of these 17 kids, there were 8 boys and 9 girls with an age range from 9 years old to 16 years old with varying special needs, including but not limited to anomalies of the heart (cardiopathy), kidneys (interstitial nephritis, stone disease), limbs (limb reduction defect), skin (atopic dermatitis), eyes (malformation of optic disc, optic atrophy) and development delays/disorders. Some kids did not have any health conditions and were considered healthy.

New Families in MLJā€™s Ukraine Program in 2018

Last year MLJ Adoptions International welcomed 22 new families into our Ukraine Program. Some of these families decided to pursue the adoption of the child/children they had previously hosted from Ukraine, while the others had chosen to pursue a ā€œblindā€ adoption from this country, meaning the family will allow Ukraineā€™s central authority to match them with an unknown child.

The Ukraine Program is considered a fast-moving program, compared to other country programs. The average wait time from dossier submission to referral in the Ukraine Program in 2018 was only 54 days. The average wait time from referral received to the child/ren coming home was 12-13 weeks last year.  In the world of international adoption this is unbelievably fast.

If youā€™re interested in learning more about Ukraine Program or other international programs that MLJ offers, please contact us at info@mljadoptions.com or phone (317) 875-0058.

MLJ Adoptions is a Non-Profit, Hague-Accredited adoption service provider located in Indianapolis, Indiana, working in Africa, Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Pacific Isles. We are passionate about serving children in need.