Canadian Friendship Exchange Society

Registration (upon completion of registration form with Society)	$250.00
When the completed document package is presented to the Society. This money is payable to your Agency.	$2,250.00

2. Your Costs (press Back to see Russian / Kazakhstan Costs)

3. Donation

The number of orphans continues to grow in Russia and Kazakhstan and so do the needs of the orphanages. You pay your donation to the New Westminster Y's Men's Foundation. You will receive a tax receipt for income tax purposes. This donation is used to pay for the transportation of containers of aid, for the purchase of medicine, toys, etc. At times, the orphanages have requested that the donation be in cash. Previous cash donations have been used to repair the water pipes in the orphanages, to install new bathrooms, to buy T.V.'s, heaters, washers and dryers, to build outdoor playgrounds, and indoor climbing equipment, provide a car so the orphanage could transport the milk they needed from the dairy. It is also used to support not only the orphanage you are adopting from, but hospitals and orphanages for older children. As well, it helps support the Ministry of Education in registering the children for adoption.

The orphanages have always been very pleased to show us and the families, and to account for in writing, the purchases that have been made. If you are considering a family group of three or more, the maximum donation is $4,000 (US) per family. This donation is made after you accept the proposal of your child.

4. Society Fundraising

To try and keep our administrative costs as low as possible for parents wishing to adopt, the Society sponsors three family oriented fundraising events a year:

1. A picnic with children's entertainment (usually the last Saturday in August.)
2. Auction and dinner in March (usually the last Saturday in March).
3. Christmas Party and Raffle in December(usually the first Saturday in December).

There is a built-in expectation that if you choose to adopt through our Society, you support these three major events in some way. We realize that because of distance and time of year that parents cannot always attend personally. These events allow your children to play with other children from a similar background, if not the same family group in the orphanage, renew friendships and allow new adoptive parents to meet parents who have already adopted. We also think that it will be very beneficial, in the long run, for your child to maintain contact with his/her cultural heritage. We feel that this is also a wonderful resource for the adoptive parents.
If this is not a commitment you would choose to make, then it is better for you to seek the assistance of another facilitator.

5. What is the next Step?

If you would like to work with our Society, you need to send in your Registration Form. Upon receiving your Registration Form, we will send you a contract and the required documentation for Russia and Kazakhstan.

You should register with an agency and begin your home study. At the same time you begin your home study, you should apply for Sponsoring a Family Class Relative from Immigration.

Immigration Sponsorship packages for inter country adoption are available at

1. Canadian Immigration and Citizenship. Call 1-800-665-9100 quick dial 11111. Leave your name and address or
2. Visit the Web Site www.cic.gc.ca/english/sponsor/adopt-1.html or
3. E-mail http:/cicnet.ci.gc.ca.

You should not select international adoption if you know that you do not have the emotional make-up to handle unpredictable delays and things which do not happen when they are "supposed to". If you have patience, perseverance, and commitment, you will get the child of your heart. You must remember from day one that no one knows or can predict what is going to happen in your case. No one knows how long it is going to take your child to get home to Canada. All of our answers to your questions of how long is something going to take, are estimations and predictions.

On the other hand, we have a generic answer to how long we think it will take us to complete any case. From the day we receive your completed documentation, until the day your child reaches your home in B.C. should be within a 12 month period (as long as there are no major changes in the Russian or Kazakh laws). If you will just keep in mind that it takes nine months to make a baby, then going through the seemingly long adoption process is easier psychologically. Please remember that some cases are longer, but most of the cases are shorter. It will happen.