Adoption Covenant is thrilled to announce that we are launching a Ugandan pilot program. Please look over our information and feel free to ask any questions you may have. We will keep everyone updated as the program progresses.
The Republic of Uganda, called the ‘Pearl of Africa’ by Winston Churchill, is located in East Africa. Uganda is a landlocked country bordered by the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. The capital is Kampala, with a population of 1.5 million. The official language is English, with Swahili and other regional languages spoken. Uganda is home to nearly 31 million people, with over half of the population under the age of 17. Since gaining it’s independence from Britain in 1962, Uganda has seen many years of war, violence, unrest and disease. There are approximately 2.5 million orphaned children in Uganda, and of these 1 million have lost their parents to due to HIV/AIDS. Twenty-five percent of all households look after at least one child orphaned by either HIV/AIDS or war.
Although Uganda is a country with substantial natural resources, long lasting political and economic problems has made Uganda one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. With the assumption of Uganda’s current president in 1986, came the implementation of economic policies targeted at overall better health of the nation. Uganda’s growing economy is mostly based on agriculture, with coffee, tea and cotton being its main exports.
Pregnancy related health problems are serious and Uganda’s maternal mortality rate is over 12 times higher than is normal for developed countries. Only 49% of boys and 29% of girls complete primary school.
The children available for adoption from Uganda are 6 months - 15 years. Healthy and special needs are available. There are sibling groups and older children available as well. Each child is tested for HIV/AIDS and other illnesses prior to referring them to a prospective family. The Ugandan adoption process takes approximately 12-18 months. One can expect a referral 6-9 months after dossier submission. These times are only approximate, as many factors contribute to wait time.
There are two ways to adopt from Uganda. One way is to reside in Uganda for 3 years before adopting a child. The other way is to be granted legal guardianship of a child from the high courts of Uganda. The majority of families that adopt from Uganda go through the legal guardianship process. When parents return home with their child, they will complete a US re-adoption in their state of residency.
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