The Cost of Adoption

 
I have had the question,"so how much does it really cost to adopt?"  There are many good people who have a strong desire to adopt but are worried about the major financial costs and how they will ever be able to afford it.  If you had asked me in September if we would ever consider international adoption, I would have thought you were crazy!  It is amazing what a few months and several spiritual experiences can do to change all of that:)

Adoption can be a very expensive mountain to climb financially. It wasn’t easy for us to take the leap of faith, but we did it and we know that it will be totally worth all the worry.  I hate that it costs a large amount of money to adopt. I really do. The amount charged is really quite ridiculous. I wish that I knew a way to change that, but it is what it is. It’s a ransom we pay monetarily to adopt an orphan, who otherwise, will spend the remainder of his days in orphanage without the love and care of a family.  In our case, our sweet boy will have Down Syndrome.  One extra chromosome creates a horrible existence for him in his country.  Unless he is adopted, he will live in a crib in a baby house, then in an orphanage, and then by age 4 or 5 he will be transferred to an adult mental institution, the life expectancy there is age 10.  When I think of that, I am ready to do whatever it takes. 

So, how much is it really?

The cost of adoption obviously varies by agencies and whether the adoption is domestic or international, and sometimes it may vary by race.  Domestic adoption through an agency is usually a  flat-fee. It can cost $9,000 for an African-American or AA/Caucasian child and $18,000 for all other races. To adopt domestically it averages about $15,000, not including a few thousand more dollars for lawyers fees post-placement.
To adopt internationally from our son's country in Eastern Europe, the fee won't be as concrete. A lot of variables go into the fee, such as airfare, apartment renting, food, length of stay, number of trips, the country, the region of the orphanage, bringing children with you, etc. Additionally, medical care (depending on condition of the child) upon arrival in the United States can generally add a few thousand dollars. Our adoption should cost somewhere around 25K.
There are some foreign countries where the total adoption costs are around $20K and others (such as Russia) where the cost can be as much as $45K.
So, what is our plan? Stay tuned!
For now, we will keep plugging away at our paperwork and start brainstorming fundraisers.  We feel like if we are going to be asking for donations and help thru fundraising that we should be very up-front with all of our adoption expenses.  You can find them listed under Timeline/Costs at the top of our blog.  So far, our ideas involve a Zumba-thon, a Virtual 5k, and a garage sale:)  We are open to suggestions and would welcome anyone who would like to be involved in our fundraising efforts.  Let's get this party started!!!
 

***By the way, did you know that to adopt a child from the U.S. foster care system it costs less than $500? So, for those of you who have a heart for adoption but are not ready to raise the necessary funds, explore the possibility of fostering a child(ren) from the U.S.