Ecuador Adoption Program
Saint Anne Adoption Centre works in conjunction with an approved adoption lawyer in Ecuador who assists in facilitating the adoption process for Canadian families. Our Ecuadorian staff are very knowledgeable and well respected individuals. You can expect professional and personable service and support while you are in the country.
Typically children that are placed for adoption from Ecuador are between the ages of 3 – 6 years old. Orphanage care in Ecuador is very stimulating and nurturing. The children are raised in a residential-style setting where one “Tia” or caregiver, lives with 4-5 children. This allows for excellent attachment and bonding as young children. Usana Canada has been involved heavilly into providing support and care to orphanage.
The Ecuador program is open to single women at least 25 years old, and couples married at least 3 years in excellent physical and mental health. There should be no more than 45 years between the age of the youngest applicant and the age of the child.
Once your Canadian dossier has been prepared and approved in Canada, your authenticated file is forwarded to our lawyer who translates and submits your documents to The Technical Unit of Adoptions.
Your file is formally reviewed by the Technical Unit in detail. The review and approval process in Ecuador typically takes 4-8 months. Once you have been approved by the Technical Unit, you will be notified by our office. At this stage the Adoption Authority will begin their search for a child match.
Child proposals from Ecuador are very comprehensive. Each family would receive a full medical, psychological assessment, social history, and photos of the child.
Upon the adoptive applicants and the Provincial Ministry approving the child proposal, families will prepare to travel within 6-8 weeks following. The adoption is finalized in Ecuador. Both adoptive parents are required to attend the court hearing in Ecuador.
The 45-60 day stay in Ecuador is a wonderful time to begin this precious time of bonding with your child, as you absorb all there is to learn about the land and culture.
Post Placement Reports are due at the 4th, 8th, 12th 18th and 24th month following the adoption.
Country Profile
Ecuador straddles the equator, from which it takes its name, and has an area of 256,370 square kilometers. Officially the Republic of Ecuador (Spanish: República del Ecuador) is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, by Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean on the west. The country also includes the Galápagos Islands in the Pacific ocean, west of the mainland.
Ecuador’s capital is Quito, and is located in the province of Pichincha in the Sierra region. Its largest city is Guayaquil, located in the province of Guayas in the Coast. Cotopaxi, which is located just south of Quito, in the neighboring province of that same name, is one of the world’s highest active volcanoes.
Ecuador has three main geographic regions, plus an insular region in the Pacific Ocean:
* La Costa, or the coast in the western part of the country.
* La Sierra (“the highlands”) is the high-altitude belt running north to south along the center of the country, dominated by the Andes mountain range.
* El Oriente (“the east”) comprises the Amazon rainforest areas in the eastern part of the country.
* The Región Insular is the region comprising the Galápagos Islands, some 1,000 kilometers west of the mainland in the Pacific Ocean.
Ecuador has substantial petroleum resources and rich agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products such as oil, bananas, flowers and shrimp, fluctuations in world market prices can have a substantial domestic impact.
Approximately 95% of Ecuadorians are Roman Catholic. There is also a growing number of Protestant denominations. Most festivals and annual parades are based on religious celebrations.