Rwanda Program
General Information:
- Rwanda has recently fully ratified The Hague convention and is now re-opened to a limited number of adoption files.
- The Children’s Bridge works with a qualified attorney and under the Rwandan National Commission for Children (NCC) to complete adoptions from Rwanda.
- Most children will be 18-months+ at time of adoption.
- Adoption is finalized in Rwanda with the adoptive family present at the final Adoption hearing.
- Children will maintain dual citizenship.
- Time from dossier submission to receiving a proposed match is approximately 12 – 24 months.
- Children with special needs are also available to be placed in this adoption program (HIV, Hepatitis, etc.)
- Rwanda requires annual post-placement reports until the child reaches the age of eighteen (18 years old).
Requirements:
- Both married couples and single women are eligible to adopt from Rwanda.
- Same-sex and common-law families are not eligible to adopt from Rwanda at this time.
- Applicants must be free from criminal record. Applicants will not be accepted if any past crimes relate to offenses against a child, domestic violence, and/or other crimes against humanity.
- Any person who has been denied the right to parent a child in the past or had rights terminated by the courts are not eligible to apply.
- Applicants must be a minimum of twenty-one (21) years old once their dossier reaches Rwanda. There must be a 7-year age difference between the child to be adopted and the youngest member of the adopting couple.
- Applicants must be in good physical and emotional health.
- Applicants must be persons of good integrity, as proven through their home study and supporting documentation.
- Applicants must have a permanent, fixed address.
- Family must possess a stable financial portfolio.
- At least one member of the couple must be a Canadian citizen.
Process:
- Completion of home study and approval in province.
- Dossier compiled, then notarized and authenticated (Foreign Affairs/Rwanda High Commission)
- File delivered to NCC by attorney in Rwanda.
- Families receive their referral approximately 12 – 18 months after dossier accepted by NCC.
- Both parents must travel to Rwanda following Ministry approval and various clearances in Rwanda.
- Families attend Adoption hearing in Rwanda.
- Stay in Rwanda is approximately 2 – 3 weeks in duration, and families must then travel to Nairobi to complete immigration. Trip will be approximately 5 days in duration. Completion of annual post placement reports is required. Families must complete official name change and citizenship process upon return to Canada.
Timelines:
- Wait for child proposal is 18 – 24 months.