Kazakhstan
Program
Holly
had this to say about WPA. . .
I do not
know if you will remember me. My husband and I were in contact
with you back in the fall of 2004 when we were looking to sign
on with an agency. Much to our regret, we signed on with another
agency (an AMREX Agency). I contacted you again about a year
ago in hopes that we could switch agencies. Because of financial
reasons we were not able to switch. Our agency would not give
us a refund, so we decided to just hang on and see what would
come of it. Well, we finally traveled to Uralsk Kazakhstan on
Sept 30th (2 weeks after AMREX filed for bankruptcy). We noticed
another American couple on our flight from Almaty to Uralsk.
They were with your agency, so we were excited to see how their
journey would unfold. Needless to say, they had a wonderful
trip. They were taken on tours of the city. They had a GREAT
apartment. Their rep even made sure they had a meal after the
landed in Uralsk! We were extremely impressed with the way they
were treated - they were too, once they saw how the other (none
WPA) families were treated. The WPA family started bonding with
their son the same day we did, they had precourt the same day
as us, final court just minutes after us, but they were able
to leave for Almaty before us and they flew home almost a WEEK
before us. The WPA families were not asked for more money in
country - we were - and I mean THOUSANDS of dollars we had to
have wired to us! WPA has their act together! We are completely
impressed!
Our
trip was successful in that we came home with our son. We have
been home 3 weeks! We couldn't be happier with him! But our
agency experience was a nightmare! Every agency has happy clients
and unhappy clients, but we met 5 WPA families in Uralsk and
they were all having a smooth adoption trip and had been in
the process MUCH shorter lengths than us. We waited 2 years!
All
of this to say that we are already planning our next adoption...
and you can count of the fact that you will be getting a call
from us when we are ready!
Thanks
so much,
Holly Trawick
and
yet another family had this to say. . .
We wanted
to say thanks, a huge thanks to WPA. We have to be honest and
say we are even more appreciative after visiting with so many
other families adopting in Kazakhstan. Horror stories..................
The US Embassy in Almaty asked us very detailed questions and
really wanted to know if we had a good experience, any surprises,
any money problems or surprises, etc., and we could honestly
and gratefully say no. Not a one.
Thanks again,
Susan
A
family recently in Kazakhstan wrote. . .
...I want
to tell you that everyone has been wonderful. We loved the WPA
incountry staff and they are absolutely the best. The drivers
are great also. They practically hold our hand every step of
the way. It is amazing how WPA puts this all together. Please
tell Jim that everyone in this organization is wonderful &
we feel confident we are in very good hands! Got to go for now,
but thank you for all your help Traci to get us to this point
& hope to talk to you soon!
Cathy & Ralph
Another
family had this to pass on. . .
I
forgot that I wanted to mention a comment I got at the embassy
in Almaty. We brought our daughter home in Dec, actually it
was just me by that point and when I was getting everything
done at the window at the U.S. Embassy the worker behind the
window out of the blue just asked me if I was working with WPA.
When I said yes, she told me WPA is the best agency working
in Kazakhstan and that I was very lucky. It kind of surprised
me as it was unprompted, but I couldn't agree more. I just thought
of it and wanted to pass it on.
Troy
Laura
had this to say. . .
One thing I did notice was that other people we met using different
agencies weren't having the same kind of experience we were
having. They seemed to have difficulties with one thing or another.
I know there was one family who had been visiting their child
for quite a while and then found out that he had not been on
the registry long enough.
Dave
writes. . .
"Hi Susan, I wanted to check
in with you. Everything is all done here in Almaty, just waiting
for the Germans to bring us a plane to fly home on. Everything
has gone as smooth as silk (pardon my pun). We really knew we
were well taken care of when we met two other families here
at our hotel. Talk about horror stories. Hats off to WPA for
the very professional organization that you all run. We could
have muddled through about anything but you guys local and US
are the best. Will be in touch. Dave"
Tina
had this to say about WPA. . .
"We had an opportunity to
meet the Embassy Consular. He was a very nice gentleman. Likewise,
there was a women who coordinated with Saule our appointment
for the finger prints. She was very nice, came from behind the
counter into the waiting area to talk with us. She shared with
us that our agency WPA has been awarded the "BEST"
agency in all of Kazakhstan 3 years in a row by the Embassy.
She said that WPA literally holds the award, therefore they
are coming up with another type of award that they can offer
other agencies. She said WPA is always very organized and what
she liked the most is that there is always a calendar of events.
Meaning, we have a schedule of what will happen on what day.
Needless to say; this conversation was very well received by
Ann and me."
Kazakhstan
is a wonderful country to adopt from for many reasons and one
that runs very well for WPA Families. Our hearts are
dedicated to this beautiful country where our own children were
born. WPA is the number one placement agency in Kazakhstan,
and we have placed over 2000 children in the last 9 years! Our
in-country staff surpasses the rest with their endless dedication
to the children. Our lawyer works collaboratively with the Ministry
in helping the adoption laws be interpreted and maintained so
the adoption process is protected and more children can find
homes! With WPA, your hand is held on this side throughout
the process, then when you travel all you have to do is show
up and our partners do the rest!
Please
contact our references by clicking on the link on this page
and talk with our families that have been there and experienced
the high level of satisfaction this program has to offer.
Click
here to see our forever families from Kazakhstan!
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Summary
of our Kazakhstan Program
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Click
here to download our reference list
The
process is typically 18 to 24 months from start to finish. We
no longer allow families to choose gender or ethnicity. You can
request an age range and nothing more.
The
children are a minimum of 6 months old before they can be adopted.
More and more the are usually around 9-10 months at the time you
bring them home.
Our
Kazakhstan partners are a dynamic team of 3 sisters, consisting
of a Lawyer, a licensed Neurologist, and an accountant. They work
exclusively with WPA and no other agency. They have been helping
families to adopt since 1997, completing over 2000 adoptions with
a 100% success rate! They are also considered the best facilitators
by the US Embassy in Almaty!
US
Embassy awards 1st place to WPA!!
Click
here to read about the Baby
Houses in Kazakhstan!
WPA
is the number one placement agency in Kazakhstan
with over 2000 placements!
We
work in 7 different cities (Almaty, Petro, Astana, Uralsk, Karaganda,
Tchuchinsk, and Kokshetau) and 9 different orphanages in Kazakhstan,
giving us an edge when regional issues give other agencies with
smaller programs problems.
The
Number of adoption placements per year for the prior
three calendar years is 136 in 2005, 100 in 2006 and 111 in 2007.
The
percentage of those placements that remain intact is 100%
There have been no disruptions or adoptions that have been dissolved
in any of these years.
The number of parents that apply for this program based on an average
over the last three years is 128.
WPA does not identify children for adoption as it is done by the
adoption authority in country. It is estimated that Kaz has some
145,000 orphaned children. With approximately 18% of that number
available for adoption. Of that percentage, 4% are under one year,
the remaining vary from two to ten years. WPA submits the dossier
and the appropriate government authorities in Kazakhstan and the
local orphanage personal matches them with a child available for
adoption.
[Click
Here to request an Information Packet ]
Download
a sample copy of our service agreement
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The
Kazakhstan National Flag:

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The Current
Weather in Kazakhstan:

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Kazakhstan,
Kazakh traditional-native-national souvenirs-gifts-crafts, music-books-dolls-rugs
One
of the largest republics to come out
of the breakup of the former Soviet Union. The northern borders
touch Russia and the eastern borders touch China. This beautiful
nation is rich with history, mountains, and beautiful people. Kazakhstan
is known for its agriculture, mining, and space missions to the
Russian space station MIR.

The children we place are as young as
8-9 months old at the time of placement. Older children of all ages
are also available. We work in 7 different cities (Almaty, Petro,
Astana, Uralsk, Karaganda, Tchuchinsk, and Kokshetau) and 9 different
orphanages in Kazakhstan. The Staff in all the Baby
Houses are very
dedicated to our waiting children and take very good care of them
until they find their forever families!
The
children of Kazakhstan are born in maternity hospitals and
remain there until they are 30 days old, when they are transferred
to a baby house. In the baby house, the children receive specialized
care from the doctors and nurses. The Baby houses are actually medical
facilities that consist of a staff of Doctors, Nurses, and a diverse
team of Specialists. These include Neurologists, Orthopedic Specialists,
Speech Pathologists, Physical Therapists, and Teachers. The children
are evaluated on a daily basis in terms of their medical health
and overall development. A common day in the baby house consists
of music lessons, massage therapy, physical education, play therapy,
and speech therapy.
Kazakhstan
is known for it's high standard in child care, and the baby
houses are impressive in terms of cleanliness and genuine love for
the children. The adult/child ratio in the baby house is 1:6. The
children remain with their own age group (12 children in each group)
and each group has two caregivers. This stability in their environment
facilitates their emotional development and ability to form attachments
with their caregivers. Even with this great care, it should be still
noted that these children live in an orphanage and families should
expect delays in development in the areas of cognitive, speech and
language, emotional, social, and gross motor skills.
From
start
to becoming parents it is a minimum of an 18 to 24 month process.
In a few of the cities we work in, referrals are still received
including pictures and medical information, however the majority
of families will travel "blind" with no information other
than we have a child that "hopefully" fits their criteria.
You will work closely with the staff at WPA during your journey
to become parents. We will guide you in the preparation of your
dossier, coach you on what to expect while in country, and "hold
your hand" every step of the way! Our adoption coordinators
are all dedicated parents who have adopted their own children from
Kazakhstan through our program, so they have stood in your shoes
and know what you are going through during this emotional process.
We
will help you prepare your dossier, guide you through filing your
CIS paperwork, provide you with your referral, and guide you through
your entire process of adoption and travel to Kazakhstan. Travel
to Kazakhstan can no longer be done in one trip as it is too long
at 7-8 weeks minimum and not allowed by our partners. You can choose
to make two trips or even three is some cities to limit the amount
of time you have to be in country. Both parents MUST travel for
the first trip which can be 2 to 4 weeks in length. If one or both
leaves before court, then they must return as BOTH parents must
be present at court. The trip varies by city. Several are travel
for three weeks, come home for two weeks, then return for one week
to finalize everything. Others are two weeks, home for four weeks,
then back for three weeks. Yet another is four weeks, home for two
and then back for one. Confused? No worries, we will guide you though
what to expect when we get to that point, but before you start,
please ask yourselves if this type of travel is something you can
do? Realize as well that if you limit yourselves to one particular
region that has a more desirable travel plan you will dramatically
lengthen your timeline. While you are in Kazakhstan,
our facilitators will do EVERYTHING for you to complete your adoption
in the most professional manner possible, the level of service you
will receive from them is really second to none! Feel free to ask
our families about their experience with WPA! Go to the Family
Album page to contact as many as you like or download
our most recent reference list.
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Criteria
for Adopting from Kazakhstan through WPA
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Maximum age
for adoptive mother and father at the start of the adoption
process is 47 at the start of the process. Parents in this
age group must be willing to accept a child over the age of
1-2. (minimum age for both parents is 25 years old each)
Family
size varies by region. No more than 2 school aged children
in the home.
Kazakhstan is an Asian country
thus families must be open to ethnicity and cannot specify
a Caucasian child.
Single moms are not accepted in this program. This is
a decision by our partners and not WPA's and or the countries.
Total travel time varies
by city. It can be a two week trip, come home for four and
go back for three. It can be that you go for three weeks,
come home for two and go back for one. It could be that you
go for four weeks, come home for three and back for one. It
could be that you go for two weeks, back for one, come home
for two and back for one. Confusing? Yes, most certainly,
but this is the way it has become, much like Russia has been
for years. For this reason, we request that our parents be
open to ANY and all of these options, you cannot choose a
specific city that may fit your schedule better then another
one. For those of you that plan to have both parents on the
first trip and only one on the second, please note that Kazakhstan
law is very specific that BOTH parents must be present when
the birth certificate is issued and that takes place on the
2nd trip. Currently this is not a law that is being enforced.
However, if your plan is for only one of you to return, please
keep in mind that the law could start being enforced at any
point in time.
No more than 2 divorces per
adoptive parent.
Parents
that have any arrests that show up
on their FBI clearance, regardless of the age of the offense
cannot adopt from Kazakhstan. If you are in doubt about whether
a past offense will show up or not, please visit the FBI website
to learn how to get your records to see if anything shows
up - http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/fprequest.htm
Please note it says it will take 6-8 weeks to process, this
is not the case if you write on the outside of the mailer
it is for international adoption purposes. In these cases,
it takes about two weeks to get the results..
Both parents must be U.S. citizens.
Kazakhstan requires annual
post placement reports until the child reaches 18 years of
age. Click here to download
the form in MS Word or click
here to download it in Adobe pdf.
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We
will be happy to help you in any way and answer any questions you
have. Please call us at 1-800-350-7338 or email us at WPAJim@aol.com.
We look forward to being a part
of your journey to adopt a Child!
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