Why Guatemala?

Too often, children in Guatemala are relinquished mainly for economic reasons. Due to the poor economic conditions in Guatemala, many families simply cannot afford to raise their children.  These mothers selflessly make the choice of adoption for their children.

Here are some other factors to consider as you think about adopting from Guatemala:

• Guatemalan orphans need a home.
• Many American couples need a child.
• Infants are readily available. In fact, almost all of the children AHH places are under one year of age.
• Guatemalan adoptions are not disrupted by birth parent, as sometimes happens in U.S. domestic placements.
• Older couples can adopt, up to age 55. The minimum age is 25. Single women can also adopt in our Guatemalan program, though the maximum age is 50.
• Boys and girls are both available. Typically adopting families will wait longer for the referral of a girl, since most adoptive parents would prefer to adopt a little girl.
• Guatemala has no residency requirement, unlike some countries.
• These are private adoptions, and the children are in private foster care, monitored by our partners in Guatemala, from birth. You get regular medical and picture updates while your child is in foster care.
• The final adoption occurs in Guatemala.
• The trip to pick up your child is only three to five days long. You can also visit your child anytime after the DNA process is complete.
• The flight is much shorter than to some of the other countries in which we work.
• An escort can go in your place to bring your baby to you if you can't travel.
• You are eligible to receive a referral anytime after you have an approved home study. You will be placed on our waiting list at that point, and you will be notified by your Family Advocate as to how long you can expect to wait, based on the current wait list. Typically families receive referrals very quickly; from 0-2 months for boys and from 2-5 months for girls. For many families, you will continue to work on your dossier while you are waiting for a referral.
• The adoption process can be shorter than our other programs. You usually travel to pick up your child about 6 - 8 months after the Guatemalan adoption process begins, which occurs after you receive a referral and your dossier is complete and in Guatemala.

Please note: Since we are dealing with a foreign country, processing times and other factors can change rapidly. We make every effort to keep our web site as up-to-date as possible, but please review our country sheet or contact an AHH staff member for the most current information.

For more information on the country of Guatemala please visit the Guatemalan Embassy web site or the Guatemala page at Lonely Planet. 

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