INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTIONS - AFM ABBA S.A.
South African Society are facing among many the challenge to deal with babies and children that have been either abandoned or orphaned due to the rapid growing problems of poverty, HIV aids, and the breakdown of families.
AFM Abba Adoption, registered adoption unit of the Executive Welfare Council have been rendering adoption services since 1996 in South Africa. Our organization is responsible for a large amount of National adoptions in South Africa yearly. We are also working with a number of specific organizations in countries that have ratified the Hague Convention in the respect of intercountry adoptions, according to Hague principles.
AFM Abba are receiving an overwhelming amount of applications for adoptions from non-South Africans, either residing abroad or temporary in South Africa. There are various factors influencing the limitations of our programme.
South Africa is a country in transition and we still lack clear and sound legislation and policies, guiding and maintaining the practice of intercountry adoptions. The National Department of Social Services have only now established an Interim Central Authority and our country is in the process of acceding to The Hague.
These factors impact our services directly. This organization is currently not considering entering into any new working agreements with other organization and or countries. This can be ascribed to the following factors, namely; policy and legislative changes focus on development of national programme and limited personal infrastructure.
We unfortunately also cannot facilitate any adoption from foreign residence living temporarily in South Africa unless they are working through one of the organizations where a working agreement already exist.
We have an existing working agreement with the following organizations and countries:
- Sweden - Adoption Centre
- Netherlands - Węreldkinderen
- Belgium - Interadoptie
- Germany - Evangelischer Verein
- Denmark - Dan Adopt
- Norway - Children of the world
- Finland - Interpedia
Being a faith based organization we also only consider applications from these organization of families who acknowledge Jesus Christ. There are other government subsidized organizations in South Africa where this would not be a criteria.