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Girl, born August 2008
PRC
Down Syndrome
Sasha is critically ill, and no longer available for international adoption. Please keep this sweet girl in your prayers.
Sasha’s grant of $2,857.99 has been gifted to newly listed Noelle.
International Programs
Reece’s Rainbow is a VOICE OF HOPE for children with Down syndrome and other special needs in around the world.
We started in 2006 with only five children in Ukraine! We are thrilled with the success and growth of this organization, and God’s ability to raise awareness for these beautiful children through us. More than 1,300 children are currently listed on our website waiting for their family to find them. Even if you are not in a position to adopt, you can make a life-saving difference for any child with your grant sponsorship gifts!
Info listed here is based on most recent program requirements and restrictions as stated by the individual country officials.
Bulgaria
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2 trips; Trip 1 about a week, Trip 2 about 12 days
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Approx cost only $30-35,000! (depends on how many people travel, time of year for travel, etc)
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NO UPPER AGE LIMIT for parents
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Heterosexual married couples and single women may apply; single men may apply to adopt boys
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Easy dossier, very few restrictions
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Only one parent has to travel
- Multiple unrelated children can be adopted together
CANADIAN FAMILIES WELCOME!
China
- Families may not adopt two unrelated children
- Both parents must be at least 30 years of age at the time of dossier submission.
- There can be up to 50-year age difference between the child and the younger spouse.
- Couples must be married at least 2 years at the time of dossier submission.
- If either spouse has two divorces, the minimum length for the current marriage is 5 years.
- No more than two divorces per spouse.
- Families can have up to 5 children under the age of 18 in the home.
- The youngest child must be at least 3 years of age at the time of dossier submission.
- Only single women may apply; must be at least 30 years of age at the time of dossier submission.
There can be up to a 50-year age difference between the child and the applicant.- For single women, there can be up to two children under the age of 18 in the home, and the youngest child must be at least 3 at the time of dossier submission.
- The minimum annual income is $30,000 plus $10,000 for each child currently in the home.
- The minimum net worth for singles is $100,000.
- There are additional requirements for single applicants who live with a male partner.
- At least one parent is required to travel to China, although travel by both parents is strongly encouraged.
- The average trip length is 14 days. process takes about 12-24 months from application to placement depending on age and special needs
- China requires minimum annual income of $30,000 plus $10,000 for each child currently in the home, and net worth of $80,000 for couples and $100,000 for singles.
- Body mass index (BMI) cannot exceed 40 for each applicant.
- If one spouse is healthy, China is open to a chronic well-controlled medical condition in the other spouse. For skin, thyroid, breast or testicular cancer, the applicant must be cancer free for at least 3 years. For other types of cancer, the applicant must be cancer free for at least 5 years. China is open to one or both applicants with a well-controlled mental health condition, such as anxiety or depression, with a positive mental health letter.
- For families coming back into process, the soonest they can submit an LOI for another child is 6 months after the registration date of the initial adoption. The soonest a family can submit a dossier for another adoption (whether matched or not) is 12 months after the last adoption was registered.
Colombia
Colombia is now open to heterosexual and same-sex couples. Singles may still apply as well.- No family size restrictions
- Both parents must travel to the country initially — but only one needs to stay for the duration of the trip which is approx 2-3 weeks
- Estimated total cost $25,000-40,000 and this does not include 3rd party fees
Eastern Europe 4
Heterosexual married couples, single women, and single men can adopt- Parents have to be at least 25 years old and be between 18-50 years older than the child(ren)
- Country prefers families with Christian background
- Income requirement less rigid when adopting a child with special needs
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No set family size restrictions, but the preference is for smaller families
- Two trips are required; the first trip is 7 days, second trip is 21 days
- Both parents travel for the first trip; only one parent has to travel for the second trip
- Two unrelated children with non-correctable SN can be adopted together
- Approx 9-15 months from referral to second trip
- Total cost estimate is $31,000-53,000 (including travel, homestudy and USCIS)
Eastern Europe 7
- Adoptive parents must be at least 18 years older than the child
- Adoptive parents should not be more than 50 years of age. Exception can be made if parent is in good health and one spouse is under age 50.
- Heterosexual married couples only (married at least 2 1/2 years)
- Prospective parents should have no history of mental health conditions or infectious diseases
- Agency requires family to be of the Christian faith, LDS is not accepted
- Country prefers the adopted child to be the youngest in the family but it is not a requirement.
- 1, 2, or 3 trips required. Depends on court verdict issued by judge (Many families have been able to do in one trip!)
- First trip is about 8-10 days in country and both parents must travel. One or both parents are required to stay about 10 days after court IF the judge issues an immediate court decision.
- Second trip (if required) is about 10 days in country and only one parent needs to travel
- Total costs estimated around $30,000
CANADIAN FAMILIES WELCOME!
Eastern Europe 8
This country is no longer open for international adoptions
Ecuador
- Parents must be 25 years old and no more than 45 years older than child
- Preference is given to heterosexual married couples. Must be married a minimum of 3 years.
- Heterosexual single women and men accepted, although wait is longer
- Parents must be healthy, both physically and mentally
- Totally clean criminal background
- Total average travel 8 weeks; one parent can return home after 30 days
Haiti
- One parent must be at least 30 years old; not over 50 years old
- Heterosexual married couples and single woman may adopt
- Parents must be married at least 5 years
- The number of children at home does not matter. Any child over 8 years old needs to give consent to the adoption as well.
- Singles may currently adopt if 35 years old
- Past depression is OK, but must explain the circumstances and past and/or current treatment
- If a criminal history/background, must be explained in detail
- Estimated cost from commitment to home is $28-32,000
- Travel is required
- Travel for pick-up is about a week
Hong Kong
- Full medical and social info available
- EASY travel, both parents for one trip (5-7 days)
- Families are encouraged to travel, but escorting is available
- Parents must be at least 25 years old
- Married couples and singles
- Couples married at least 3 years for first marriage
- Mental health/depression history considered case by case
- Relatively low cost – generally estimated around $16,000 to $18,000
India
- Heterosexual married couples, must be married a minimum of 2 years
- Single women allowed to adopt; Single men allowed to adopt boys
- Minimum age to adopt is 25, maximum age to adopt is based on parents combined age
- For special needs adoptions, up to three kids in the home is acceptable; four or five children in the home may be okay if adopting an older child or a child with a more significant special need
- Sibling sets are available for adoption; non-related children may not be adopted at the same time
- Average time frame for adoption is approx 12-18 months
- Both parents may be required to travel
- Travel varies by region; some require travel for court. Travel could be a few days, or 3-4 weeks (longer timeframe can be done in two trips)
- Parents should be medically healthy and financially stable; mental health and physical health histories are considered on a case by case basis
- Criminal history will be reviewed on a case by case basis. Any felonies or crimes against children will disqualify families from eligibility.
- Total costs approx $30-35,000updated Jan 2019
Korea
- From the time of paperwork completion and match until travel is about 12+ months
- Two trips (each about a week) or one longer trip (about 5 weeks) and both parents must travel
- There are some restrictions, so any family that has a medical, mental, arrest or substance dependency should contact the agency
- Heterosexual married couples only; must be married a minimum of three years, no more than one divorce per spouse
- Parents must be between the ages of 25 and 45 at time of application
- No more than 4 children already in the home
Mexico
- Heterosexual married couples or single heterosexuals may adopt (males and females)
- Prospective adoptive parents must be over 25 years of age and at least 17 years older than the child. If married, only one parent must meet the age requirement.
- If married, minimum of two years
- Two to three trips, each about one week long
- No income requirements beyond USCIS requirements
- No particular heath or mental health related requirements
- Multiple children in the form of sibling groups can be adopted together
- The agency seeks Christian adoptive parents
- Total cost approx info coming soon
Peru
- Single women or heterosexual married couples, age 25-55
- Couples must be married 2 1/2 years
- Both parents, one trip of 4 weeks
- After the adoption finalization and new birth certificate, one parent can go home early (about 2.5-3 weeks); one parent remains for final visa exit interview and new passport
- Approx 9-12 months from dossier submission to travel
- No set restriction on family size
- Parents with mild mental health history may be considered on a case by case basis
- Two unrelated children in the same orphanage can be adopted together
- The agency seeks Christian adoptive parents
- Total cost approx $27,000 (additional child, add about $5000)
The Philippines
- Heterosexual married couples and single women may adopt
- Parents must be at least 27 years old; and no more than 45 years older than the child
- Single parents permitted for children over age 9
- Must be married at least 3 years
- Family size considered based on child desired
- One trip, only 7 days!
- Church reference letter required
- Parents should have a BMI of 35 or under
- Other medical or psychological issues can preclude adoption
Poland
Polish adoptions are limited to these 4 categories:
- intra-family intercountry adoption
- intercountry adoption to reunite a child with his/her previously adopted siblings
- intercountry adoption of a child in exceptional life or health situations when local authorities are unable to find domestic placements (Special Needs)
- intercountry adoption by Polish citizens living abroad
- Heterosexual married couples can adopt
- Single women can adopt one child only
- Parents should be no more than 40 years older than child
Adoptions are done on a case by case approval basis- One adoption center only works at this time; only Christian families are permitted to adopt
- No income requirement other than USCIS
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No set family size restrictions, although preference given to families with no other children, or grown children
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Approx 4-5 weeks travel time; one parent may return to US after court
- Total cost estimated approx $40,000+
Taiwan
- Full medical and social info available
- EASY travel – final trip is both parents for approx a week. The judge may request an additional trip prior, for court.
- No more than 3 or 5 children at home (different agencies in country have different requirements)
- Heterosexual married couples, must be married 2 years
- Only one previous divorce allowed per adoptive parent
- Parents should be 25-50 years of age and in good health
- Fees vary greatly, $27-40,000 plus travel (adoption of children with special needs tends to be on the lower end of that estimate)These are basic guidelines set by agencies in Taiwan but some considerations may be made on a case-by-case basis, especially for school-aged children and children with medical/special needs.
Ukraine
- Heterosexual married couples only
- Married Individual adoption available for those who qualify
- No stated family size restrictions
- As of late 2011, there’s no longer an upper age limit for parents
- At least one parent must be a minimum of 15 years older than the child
- Total with travel approx $35,000
- Two to three trips total
- First trip, to meet child & accept their official referral
- Second trip, for court
- 30 day wait after court; parents can return home during wait
- Only one parent must return to complete the adoption after the wait
- No current diagnosed history of mental health conditions or certain infectious diseases
- No criminal history
- May adopt multiple unrelated children
- This is a very fast program! Start to finish is an average of 8-12 months. Families committing to children in this program, especially the children at risk of the institution, should be in a financial position to complete the adoption quickly. It is a blessing to be able to adopt so quickly, but leaves little time for major fundraising efforts.
CANADIAN FAMILIES WELCOME!
Vietnam
- Heterosexual married couples and single women may adopt
- Minimum 2 years of marriage
- Parents need to be at least 20 years older than adopted child, minimum age 25
- Parents age 50-54 should be open to children age 5+ with moderate to severe special needs
- Parents age 55+ considered on a case-by-case basis
- Preference may be given to families with up to 4 children; larger families considered on a case-by-case basis
- One trip for both parents, about 3 weeks in country
- Parents with diagnosed history of mental health conditions or major medical issues should discuss with the agency before applying
- No criminal history
- Application to placement can take 2-3 years
USCIS Income Requirements for Approval to Adopt Internationally
Adopting internationally is a complicated (but worth it!) process. Part of this process is to apply for and be approved to bring a foreign-born child into this country. The US Customs and Immigration Services Office (USCIS) in your state is responsible for approving either your I600A or your I800A application (depending on the country you hope to adopt from).
Before you even begin the international adoption process, it is essential to confirm that your family’s income not only meets the foreign country’s income requirements for adoption, but also our own USCIS requirements. USCIS uses the US Poverty Guideline to determine whether your income is sufficient enough to adopt and care for another child.
Based on the total number of people in your household, including yourself, your spouse, all of your dependent children, AND the child/children you hope to bring home, you must meet a minimum of 125% of the US Poverty Guideline for the total number of household members.
Please note that active members of the military must only meet the 100% level.
Please also note that if you have adopted domestically, ADOPTION SUBSIDIES DO NOT COUNT AS TAXABLE INCOME. These can NOT be counted towards your income for USCIS. That subsidy income CAN be counted to meet the requirement of the foreign country, but not for USCIS.
The following are the 2022 Poverty Guidelines for the 48 Contiguous States and the District of Columbia:
Size of Family Unit Poverty Guidelines 125 Percent
2 $18,310 $22,888
3 $23,030 $28,788
4 $27,750 $34,688
5 $32,470 $40,588
6 $37,190 $46,488
7 $41,910 $52,388
8 $46,630 $58,288
For family units with more than 8 members, add $5,900 per family member to meet 125% of the poverty guideline.
Updated 4/13/2022
The Adoption Process
Reece’s Rainbow is not an agency nor an adoption facilitator. Reece’s Rainbow is a grant foundation, helping families fundraise to offset the financial burden of international adoption.
We charge no fees to agencies (or families) for advocating purposes. Waiting children are listed on Reece’s Rainbow by the agency or facilitation team who has their information, and inquiring families are referred back to that listing agency for additional information.
Families applying with Reece’s Rainbow must already be in contact with a licensed home study social worker to complete their home study. You need to be in a financial position to pay for that upfront, along with any initial adoption agency fees.
When your Reece’s Rainbow application is received AND accepted, your family sponsorship donation page (FSP) will be set up.
These children have no time to spare. Their very lives depend on an aggressive, expedited adoption process….as quickly as the pieces can come together.
If you do not feel you will be able to meet this requirement, please wait to request a match until you are closer to meeting this goal. If you need to save up for your home study and agency fees, please do so prior to committing to a particular child.
It takes more than a heart of a gold and the desire to give a child a family to adopt internationally. Reece’s Rainbow does our best to help overcome the financial/cost obstacle, but there are many other factors that all families must meet before knowing if adoption is a realistic option. Our New Family page is designed to be an easy read to determine if you are qualified and financially prepared to make an adoption commitment at this time.Please read this information carefully …
1) Read carefully through our New Family page.
It takes more than a heart of a gold and the desire to give a child a family to adopt internationally. Reece’s Rainbow does our best to help overcome the financial/cost obstacle, but there are many other factors that all families must meet before knowing if adoption is a realistic option. Our New Family page is designed to be an easy read to determine if you are qualified and financially prepared to make an adoption commitment at this time.Please read this information carefully …
1) Read carefully through our New Family page.
Voice of HOPE
You Don’t Have to Adopt to Make a Difference
Please consider a donation to this important fund, which keeps Reece’s Rainbow operational. Tick the box to “Make This Recurring” to make your gift a monthly gift. Your gifts ARE a “voice of hope” for each of our waiting children! Donations are tax deductible. In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Reece’s Rainbow. The organization retains full discretion over the use of the donated funds, but fully intends to honor the donor’s suggested use. In June 2006, we started with only 5 children in one country. As of March 2023: If we’re going to continue to be successful saving lives, Reece’s Rainbow has to be “out there,” attending and sponsoring strategic events, print advertising, leveraging social media, building relationships, and seeking new donors to support our mission. And behind the scenes, 7 days a week of administrative effort goes into managing/creating our website, defining our graphic/logo presence, handling donations, seeking and posting new waiting children, answering new family inquiries, serving those families through the adoption process, tracking and disbursing grant funds, taxes and accounting, charitable status, organizing Buddy Walks and preparing for and implementing our many fundraising efforts throughout the year. Our Voice of Hope fund is where that money comes from. Without this, we simply can not do what we do, and many lives will be lost as a result! Reece’s Rainbow is totally non profit. We do SO much on comparatively SO little. Our operational costs remain below 10%, which is hard to do because we want to be able to do so much more for the children! We cut out a lot of really great opportunities each year due to cost. Reece’s Rainbow functions solely on private donations. We’ve done everything possible to maximize each donation and give as much as possible to the waiting children and committed families. At this time, we do not have any corporate or government funding, so we are completely dependent on your generous gifts to keep us going. We thank you, our families thank you, and the children thank you!
Donate to our “Voice of Hope” Fund
This year, 2023, Reece’s Rainbow is SIXTEEN years old and the growth of Reece’s Rainbow has been constant!
2343+ children with Down syndrome and other special needs are already home with their families!
150+ additional children have committed families in various stages of the adoption process!
We have/had programs and waiting children in 26 countries worldwide. Our most active programs right now are in Ukraine, China, and Bulgaria.
We have disbursed more than $18,818,797.76 in adoption grants to our adoptive families
The Voice of Hope fund is what keeps us operational.
Your generous gifts help us to cover these important costs:
Our Mission Statement: The mission of Reece’s Rainbow is to advocate and find families for orphans with Down syndrome and other special needs by raising funds for adoption grants and promoting awareness through an online community, media communications, and other events.
Greetings and welcome! My name is Andrea Roberts. I am the mother of a 13-year-old boy with Down syndrome, and a passionate advocate for other children around the world who were born with that extra 21st chromosome.
Like many unsuspecting birth parents, my husband and I grieved for quite some time after Reece’s birth in April of 2002. The life we had envisioned for ourselves and our first-born-son was turned completely upside down, and we felt very much alone. We were so blessed to find help through the Down Syndrome Association of Atlanta and Parent-to-Parent of Georgia. Our faith that God had given Reece to us, and us to Reece, for a purpose, carried us through our darkest hours.
Reece’s Rainbow was started in 2004 as an outreach program serving new families with babies with Down syndrome at Northside Hospital in Atlanta, GA. The nurse who attended me post-partum with Reece, Mrs. Kim Wood, RN, called me one day out of the blue and asked if she could use Reece’s name for her hospital service project. She asked if I would come talk to new families and share everything I have learned with them before they were discharged from the hospital. I was moved, honored, and terrified. Would I be able to face a new grieving mother? Would I be able to HELP and not break down again? YES.
Since that time, we have met countless numbers of new “colors” of Reece’s Rainbow. We have made so many wonderful friends, and our life has been blessed in a million ways. Our network of friends and families continues to grow. But the one constant is REECE…the beauty and innocence that a child with Down syndrome brings to the world is truly one of Divine nature. God has led me through some very difficult times, but waiting on the other side of that “rainbow” for me was enlightenment, empowerment, compassion, mercy, and a tremendous “calling” to reach out to other children like Reece who were not as fortunate as he to have a loving, supportive family to grow up in.
In 2006, the program expanded to include promoting the international adoption of children with Down syndrome. By raising money to offer adoption grants on waiting children, we are able to give adoptive families the extra financial help they need to bring a child with Down syndrome home from a miserable existence in overseas orphanages.
Our Sponsorship Program provides a unique opportunity for anonymous donors to contribute to the adoption journey of our families. These children are viewed as outcasts with no ability to learn or be functional members of society. They languish in mental institutions, hidden away from the world in shame.
Even if you are not able to adopt a child at this time, you truly can change the course of a child’s life by helping adoptive families afford the costs of international adoption. $20, $50, $1000….whatever you have goes into a grant, held for ANY family adopting a child with Down syndrome. Click here to learn the many ways you can help!
Families interested in adopting should visit our New Family page for more information on our country programs, our waiting children, the costs, and the process in general.
From these humble beginnings, Reece’s Rainbow has been powered by the grace of God and thousands of passionate advocates.
I can say with great confidence that if we had a full grant for every child on our website, there would BE no children on our website. There are hundreds of families in the US and Canada who would give their left arm to bring one or more of these children home. The money is the ONLY thing standing in their way.
If you have questions or would like to discuss adopting or donating, please do not hesitate to contact us! Thank you VERY much for your financial support, your prayers, and for sharing our organization with everyone you know.
Reece’s Rainbow is a registered 501(c)3 charity which advocates and fundraises for the international adoption and rescue of children with Down syndrome specifically. Reece’s Rainbow is not an adoption agency and does not approve families for adoption, we are only a connecting point for these children to their “forever families”. Reece’s Rainbow serves as a VOICE OF HOPE for these children who are languishing in orphanages and mental institutions around the world, when there are literally hundreds of families here in the US and Canada who would rescue them if only the funds were available to do so!!
Grant funds from individual donations make the cost of adopting these beautiful children affordable for interested families. In seven years, we have found adoptive families for 1000+ children in countries around the world. We still have over 1000 waiting children on our site who are in need of adoptive families.
View Our Waiting Children
*** If you are considering the international adoption of a child with Down syndrome or other special needs, PLEASE VISIT THIS LINK FIRST ***
You don’t have to adopt to make a difference!
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A new fundraising program is being launched for anyone who likes to run/walk in 5K/10K/30K events! The program is called “One Step Closer to Home”, and provides you with a fabulous new graphic and opportunity to raise awareness and donations for Reece’s Rainbow. If you’d like to organize a full RR event, or just run in another race with our logo, please contact Kelly Mokashi. To check out T-shirts, mugs, and other items at our Cafe Press store, click HERE. |
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The Guardian Angel Project is a new effort to increase awareness and raise additional grant donations for our “Other Angels“, those children with other special needs who are also waiting for their forever families to find them. Learn more |
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Connecting the Rainbow – An Outreach Program for Birth Families of Children with Down Syndrome Abroad. The primary focus of Reece’s Rainbow is to raise grant funds and promote the international adoption and rescue of children with Down syndrome in particular. However, our long term goal is to eliminate the need for Reece’s Rainbow by serving as a catalyst for social change abroad. |
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Being an orphan warrior for a child costs nothing but your time. Any of our 0-5 children (Down syndrome, HIV+, or “Other Angels”) are eligible to have warriors. Use Facebook, email, your blog, any other way you can to help your chosen child find their “forever family”. Learn more |
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Be a Prayer Warrior for one of our waiting children. Prayer is FREE and can be even more powerful than an adoption grant in finding an adoptive family, helping with fundraising, and seeking God’s favor in the health and well-being of each child as they wait “at the end of Reece’s Rainbow” for their forever family. Learn more |
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Donate to the Voice of Hope Fund. Reece’s Rainbow is a totally non-profit organization. We function solely on private donations to fund the monthly operational expenses that we have. Donations to this fund help us with critical operational and marketing/advertising expenses. It doesn’t feel as warm and fuzzy as donating for a child’s grant fund, but it is much needed! Learn more |
Information about Domestic Adoption and Advocacy for children with Down syndrome
Although Reece’s Rainbow is focused on the international adoption of children with Down syndrome and other special needs, there are resources available for families seeking to adopt DOMESTICALLY and also for US birth families who are seeking an adoptive family for their new baby with Down syndrome.
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The National Down Syndrome Adoption Network is a fantastic non-profit program that offers support and information to birth parents whose child has received a diagnosis of Down syndrome, and may be considering an adoption plan for their child. They also have a registry of families from all over the United States who are interested in adopting a child with Down syndrome within the US. There are no fees for their services, and they help with private and public adoptions in the US.
You can visit their website at www.ndsan.org.
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There are also several other agencies you can contact, such as www.CHASK.org and www.adoptuskids.org to seek and/or place a child with Down syndrome for adoption.
We are grateful to those birth families who have chosen adoption, and given their child a chance to reach their full potential in a loving, adoptive family.
CONTACT
Reece's Rainbow
PO Box 146
Combined Locks, WI 54113
CLICK HERE to contact us.
Your questions will be directed to the appropriate team member.
PO Box 146
Combined Locks, WI 54113
CLICK HERE to contact us.
Your questions will be directed to the appropriate team member.
