Note: ICF provides adoption home studies and post adoption services for all countries. ICF does not have an adoption placing program in Kyrgyzstan at this time. We do plan to apply when we can meet the ten year licensing requirement. We look forward to helping families with home studies for Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan when these countries reopen in 2012, as well as with Russia, Bulgaria and Ukraine!
March 1, 2012 – Still awaiting news from Bishkek as to all US agencies to be approved.
Dec. 1, 2011- Program on hold. While ICF submitted for approval, due to the new ten year of licensing requirement, we are not optimistic that we will be approved to resume adoption services.
April 26, 2011 – Ambassador Jacobs continues to engage with Kyrgyz officials. The new Family Code has passed Parliament and we await the President’s signature. It may be weeks or months for the procedural issues to be ironed out. Hopefully, waiting children and families will be given special consideration.
Sept 15, 2010 ~ Ambassador Susan Jacobs met with high level Kyrgyz officials to resolve impediments o completing adoptions of the waiting families and childen. Outcome as yet unknown.
August 25, 2010 ~ program is still suspended, awaiting new government of Kyrgyzstan to enable adoption of waiting matched children to be completed and for general adoption to resume.
Sept 10, 2009 ~ No word as yet as to how or whether the plight of the matched children and families will be addressed prior to general considerations of revised procedures, which is anticipated in October. No word as to whether the Parliament will waive the bi-lateral treaty request, for either the waiting families or for future or adoptions.
August 5, 2009 ~ Revised regulations that will ostensibly enable the matched children to complete adoptions are intended to be heard by Parliament when it reconvenes in September.
June 22, 2009 ~ Three delegates from Bishkek visited with State Dept staff and families in DC. The tenor of the meetings was very positive; the delegates learned how sincere and committed adoptive families are. We are awaiting the outcome of the visit. There have been positive press releases, but no official pronouncements as to when the families-in-waiting will be able to complete adoptions.
March 2, 2009 ~ Kyrgyz officials are communicating with the US Dept of State & Embassy re completing adoptions for families who have been matched and continuing adoptions with US families who have submitted dossiers.
February 18, 2009 ~ the Kyrgyz government issued a press release announcing that proposals for intercountry adoption from the Ministries would be reviewed after March 31st. Adoption processing of new cases appears to be suspended until April. Ongoing adoptions are being treated on a case-by-case basis.
January 22, 2009 ~ MOE has not issued letters for approved dossiers for families to complete adoptions for several months. Although they say they intend to do so within the next few weeks, we await the first letter. While adoption is not officially “on hold,” we have been informed that the government is considering both new legislation and relocating adoption oversight to another Ministry. If you are interested in Kyrgyz adoption, please contact us. We would be happy to include you in our weekly ICF Adoption Updates.
October 8, 2008 ~ ICF is accepting new applications for Kyrgyz adoption. We are fortunate in having recieved more referrals and look forward to adding two-three families per month. We do allow families to state specific preferences for boys or girls, but we also strongly encourage families to consider a child of either sex. We have not overall found girl referrals less available but we do expect there to be pressure from Kyrgyz to eliminate specific requests if the preponderance of families request girls. Please don’t hesititate to call for information or request our weekly updates!
November 5, 2008 ~ Kyrgyz is in the process of relocating adoption oversight from the Ministry of Education to another Ministry, as yet undisclosed. This may cause delays later this year, although we expect them to be minimal; meaning a few weeks rather than a few months. Please check in with us for more information anytime. The agency director from ICF and the director of St Philomena will be traveling to Bishkek November 14-28.
General Overview
Located between Kazakhstan and China, Kyrgyzstan is a country of rugged beauty and breathtaking mountains. The population is 80% Kyrgz, Uzbek or Chinese, with the remainder mostly Russian-Caucasian. There is a mix of religious tradition but, like all countries of the Soviet Union, religion was held in abeyance for several decades. The traditional religions are Islam and Christian, although historically nomadic Kyrgyz worshiped the natural world, similar to native Americans.
Kyrgyzstan became independent with the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and faces the many problems of a re-emerging nation. Although it possesses many natural resources, it must import most to meet its needs. Competing political interests, lack of infrastructure and endemic unemployment have made it very difficult for the government to provide solutions for social issues, including caring for the many relinquished or abandoned children.
International Child Foundation has assisted families adopting through St. Philomena Adoption Foundation. St. Philomena’s Director, Tatiana Belousova, is originally from Kyrgyzstan and speaks fluent Russian and English. She now lives in Denver, CO.
Family Eligibility to Adopt
Families who wish to adopt from Kyrgyzstan may be married or may be single women. The preferred age of the prospective adoptive married parents is between 25 and 50, and they should be married for two or more years. Single women should be age 30 or older. Up to three other children in the home and up to two prior divorces are acceptable. Of course, like every other country, Kyrgyzstan requires ample documentation that the prospective parents or mother can adequately support the adopted child, and provide medical care and education.
Children referred for Adoption
The children available for adoption are from about 4-8 months of age at the time of referral up to age 12 years. There are sibling groups, but they will mostly include older as well as younger children. There are special needs children of every age, with a variety of medical or developmental issues.
We encourage families who wish to adopt infants be open to adopt a child of either sex; families who specify girls have much longer waits. Children coming home have been as young as six months, although this too may change, if Kygyzstan lengthens the process.
After referral, families travel to Kyrgyzstan to spend a week visiting with their child. Families then return home and wait one to two months before traveling again to bring their child home. The second trip involves appointments at the US Consulate in Bishek and the US Embassy in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and takes about two weeks; sometimes a little less.
Post Adoption Reports (also called Post Placement Reports) are required every six months until the child turns 14. The first six reports must be prepared by the home study agency. The remaining reports can be done by the adoptive parents.
ICF fees for post placement reports are $350 for one child, $375 for two or more children; the cost of the post placement reports varies with agencies in other states; post placement translations are between $45-60 per report.
Full name: Kyrgyz Republic
Population: 5.1 million (via UN, 2006)
Capital: Bishkek
Area: 199,900 sq km (77,182 sq miles)
Major languages: Kyrgyz, Russian
Major religions: Islam, Christianity
Life expectancy: 63 years (men), 71 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 som = 100 tyiyns
Main exports: Fruit, vegetables, gold, tobacco
GNI per capita: US $440 (World Bank, 2006)
Internet domain: .kg
International dialing code: +996
