I have gotten a bit off track and have neglected my “Transracial Adoption Options”, so today I am back at it. I have already covered all of the Asian countries that I am aware of, and I’m now working on African countries. I have already covered Ethiopia, and today I am working on Liberia.

Liberia is a small country in Western African that is suffering from the devastating effects of long-term civil war, poverty, etc. Right now the country has little to no electricity, running water or mail service. The country of Liberia was originally purchased by the American Colonization Society to be a place where freed slaves who wished to return to Africa could live. The national language is English, and the capital city of Monrovia was named after US President James Monroe.

Parent Requirements- From what I can find, there are very few, if any, requirements that are set in stone. Please note however that many of the organizations that place children form Liberia are religious organizations, and require adoptive parents to be of a particular faith.

Children Available- The children available range in age from young infants to teenagers. There are single children and sibling groups, even large sibling groups. Many of the children are healthy overall, but minor treatable conditions such as parasites are typical. Some of the organizations screen the children for Hepatitis, HIV, etc. and some of them do not. Considering that Liberia is an African country, I would highly recommend all adoptive parents to require that their children have some basic blood tests.

The children are gorgeous, and speak English, albeit with an (adorable) accent.

The process in a nutshell- The U.S. Department of State provides detailed information on the adoption process in Liberia, and states that the Ministry of Justice is the office responsible for adoptions in Liberia and that all petitions are filed in Probate Court, which then issues an adoption decree if everything is in order. After the petition is filed, an investigation is ordered, and a report is required within 30 days. The court then schedules a hearing. The court must be satisfied that the "moral and temporal interests" of the child will be satisfied by the adoption. Upon this showing, the adoption is ordered. The court can process the adoption as fast as they want. The paperwork is minimal for a Liberian adoption, and referrals can be accepted before or during the process. Many of the organizations placing Liberian children have lists of waiting children that parents can choose from. Children can be escorted or parents can travel to Liberia although please note that there is currently a travel advisory for U.S. citizens. Process times vary, but I have seen them estimated to take 3-8 months from the time paperwork is turned in.

Please note that as is the case in many countries, requirements, process details, etc. can change quickly in Liberia.

Fees- The fees vary greatly for Liberian adoptions, but overall tend to be one of the cheaper international programs. There are Christian organizations that facilitate adoptions and charge fees in the range of $5,000, and there are licensed agencies whose fees are higher. I strongly encourage adoptive parents to do their research and not make the decision on who to work with for your adoption based solely on fees.

This website offers lots of great information and links regarding Liberian adoption. Here is the list of organizations that I found who currently place children for adoption in Liberia.

Acres of Hope
Angels Haven
Americans for African Adoptions
Children Concerned
Plan Loving Adoptions Now
West African Childrens Support Network (WACSN) (their website has been taken down but I believe they are still processing adoptions)
Sunrise Family Services Society

It is important for anyone considering a Liberian adoption to know that unlike many countries, Liberia does not require adoptive parents to work with a licensed agency in the U.S. There are agencies that are licensed in the U.S. and in Liberia to do adoptions, and there are many facilitator groups that process the adoptions, but are not licensed to do so in the U.S. These groups are illegal to use in some states, and do not have any accountability or reporting burdens. Some of these groups claim that you are doing an independent adoption, but parents must know that if an organization is handling your paperwork and taking your case to court etc., legally they are facilitating your adoption, and you are not doing it independently, no matter what they may claim. There are very good facilitator groups and ones I would run from like the plague, and there are very good agencies and agencies to avoid, just like in other countries. Research, research, research. I also refer you back to this post, where I give lots of advice on choosing an agency (or facilitator). It is also important to know that Sierra Leone, a country that neighbors Liberia, has had their adoptions shut down after child trafficking was discovered. To help keep Liberia an open and functioning adoption program, it is essential that adoptive parents thoroughly investigate who they choose to work with and can be confident that their agency or facilitator is honest and that the children being adopted are true, legal orphans.

The African General Support forum on Adoption.com has lots of great information on Liberian adoptions. Adoption.com also offers this page on Liberian adoptions. Here are three Yahoo groups related to Liberian adoption, Adopt Africa,
African Adoption Support and Independent Liberian Adoption.

Please note that international adoption information can vary from agency to agency and change frequently. This information is research I have done to aid readers only, and all prospective adoptive parents should use this as general info only and contact a licensed adoption agency (or several agencies) to verify information before choosing a program.

*This post is part of a series, giving information on countries and international adoption programs that allow transracial adoption. To see all of the countries I have given information on thus far, click on the category "Transracial Adoption Options" on the right-hand side of this page.