Guatemala Program Update

by the Guatemala Team

We hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the start of spring. We have lots of positive updates to share. Since the beginning of the year, and up to the Easter Holiday in Guatemala, we have received a steady number of referrals. The week of Easter, or Holy Week (Semana Santa in Spanish), is a very important and celebrated time in Guatemala. Referrals did slow down right before Holy Week, and are slowly beginning to pick up after the holiday. While the wait time for receiving referrals of infant girls is still hovering around 12 months, we have begun to see a decrease in the wait time for referrals of infant boys and hope that over all, our wait times for referrals will continue to decrease.

In addition, after families accept their referrals, we have seen the adoption process in Guatemala continue to improve significantly compared to last year's issues surrounding the Hague Treaty. We currently estimate that the time frame for processing adoptions will be about 5-8 months on average, from referral acceptance until travel. This is a significant improvement from the 8-12 months we had been cautiously quoting. Unfortunately, there are always individual cases that hit bumps and snags along the way, but overall the adoptions are moving smoother than we have seen for a long time.

One of the contributing factors to our increased number of referrals so far this year is that we have begun working with an additional attorney in Guatemala. Carlos Patzan is an attorney who has been working with adoptions for many years. He is well known among adoption attorneys and highly respected. After several months of investigating, checking references and finally a personal interview, we have accepted five trial cases from him. We hope and expect that this will be a fruitful, long term relationship.

We also are taking several steps to continue to improve the quality of service that we are offering to our adopting parents. We feel very fortunate that we have been able to hire a new FTIA in-country assistant, Andrea Chamorro, to personally assist our families when they travel to Guatemala. Andrea is a university student who is studying international relations. She previously worked in customer service for Mexicana Airlines before coming to work for FTIA. Those families who have already met her have been very satisfied with her warm, outgoing spirit, her attention to detail, her availability, and her personal connection with adopting parents and their children. In addition to taking care of our traveling families, we are training Andrea to take the updated photos of the children. Another service that we are beginning to offer our families when they travel is the use of a cell phone. Each family will receive a cell phone from Andrea with 1 prepaid calling card included. This will allow families an easy method of contact with Andrea or their attorney while they are away from the hotel. It will also provide them with an economical means of calling their family and friends back in the U.S. Additional cards are readily available in stores around the hotels and throughout Guatemala City.

Many of you may know that our Latin American Programs Manager, Chris Huber, and his wife, our Guatemala Program Assistant, Linda Huber, adopted their son Luis from Guatemala. Luis, age 6½, arrived home at the end of February. The Hubers' travel went very smoothly and the whole family enjoyed a week together in Guatemala before returning home. So far, Luis has adapted very well to his new home and family. He started Kindergarten after just a week home and loves it. He was actually disappointed when Spring Break arrived and he couldn't go to school. He is picking up English very quickly and every day seems to say some new word or phrase that he has learned. If you have not had a chance to see it yet, Luis's adoption story was covered by a local TV station that sent a reporter and cameraman to travel with Chris, Linda, and family to Guatemala. You can read the story by visiting 14wfie.com. The video clip is also available online just below the photos on the left-hand side of the page. It is called "For the Love of Luis." Chris and Linda want to thank each of you for your thoughts and encouragement during their adoption and since returning home.

So far 2004 has been a busy time in the FTIA Guatemala program. We have assigned many referrals, seen many cases approved and many families traveling. Over 40 children have been united with their families already this year! We have been feverishly training new staff in Guatemala, preparing families for travel and processing adoptions. It has brought us immense joy to see so many families united in the past few months.

TOP