Adoption is an act of love born from the heart. It offers a child the gift of a loving family and a future with new opportunities. The Open Door Adoption Agency Inc. is excited to announce that they are accredited in El Salvador and accepting applications.
Located in the heart of Central America, El Salvador is the smallest, most densely populated country in the region. With a population of just over six million people, El Salvador is one of the most popular surfing destinations in the world, and is known for its beaches on the Pacific Ocean and mountainous landscape. Its Ruta de las Flores is an interesting path that passes through coffee plantations, tropical forests with waterfalls and cities like Juayua, with festivals every weekend, along with Ataco, where there are cheerful murals. The capital city, San Salvador, has volcanoes as a spectacular backdrop as well as several museums and the National Theater. Its climate is warm tropical but can vary due to the geographical contract. El Salvador borders Guatamala to the west and Honduras to the north and east and the Gulf of Fonseca separates it from Nicaragua in the southwest. It is flanked to the south by the Pacific Ocean.
Children available for international adoption are generally between the ages of seven and fifteen. This is an ideal program for families interested in adopting relatives, an older child, siblings, or a child with special needs. Children younger than 7 can be adopted if they have special needs.
Adoptive Parent Criteria for El Salvador
1) Must be a married couple for at least 2 1/2 years or a single female.
2) Must be over 25 and at least 15 years older but not more than 45 years older than the adopted child.
3) Must demonstrate the financial means to support the physical and educational needs of an adopted child.
4) Must be able to meet El Salvador’s travel requirements.
5) Have a clean criminal history for the past ten years
6) Adopting families must be of the Christian faith.
Time Frame: Families adopting children from institutions can expect two trips to the country. The first trip is about one week with the purpose of getting to know the child. The second trip occurs to
attend court where the adoption is approved and finalized and to complete the immigration requirements so the child will be a US citizen upon arrival to the U.S. The second trip is estimated to be about 4 weeks in country. If married, one spouse can return to the U.S after the court hearing date while the other spouse remains in country with the child to complete the immigration requirements. This is a program operating under a new adoption law for the country so families need to be flexible as we work through the process in country.
The estimated period for international adoption in El Salvador is approximately 2-3 years but it depends on the complexity of each case and the amount of time it takes the family to complete their dossier documents. We look forward to helping children in need find their forever families. Please contact Cathy Sawyer at cathy@opendooradoption.org or call 404-667-0694 if you are interested in learning more.
Since our beginnings, An Open Door has always felt a strong call to provide orphan children with loving, Christian homes.
There are more than 153 million children in the world who have lost at least one parent, and there 8 million children living in orphanages -- not counting those living on the streets or trafficked as slaves. Every year, there are also thousands of birth parents who face the incredibly hard decision to place their child with the best family possible. What a humbling privilege it is to be there for these children and families.
Since 1987, An Open Door Adoption Agency, Inc. has placed over 2,100 children. These include 1,400+ children from the state of Georgia and 700+ international orphans. Each of these precious lives represents many more people touched by adoption -- from the birth parents to the adoptive couple to the children themselves. What a great privilege it is to be there for them to complete their desire for a family.
