Cambodia, also known as Kampuchea, is located in mainland Southeast Asia, situated
between Vietnam, Laos, Thailand and the Gulf of Thailand. Throughout the past 30 years Cambodia has endured several wars.

During the American-Vietnam War, Cambodia was heavily bombed by American planes
because North Vietnamese soldiers were suspected to be operating within her borders. The bombing weakened Cambodia's defense system and government, which then fell victim to a civil war and holocaust perpetrated by Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. An estimated three to five million Cambodians were slaughtered and buried in mass graves.

Today, Cambodia's soil is still riddled with unexploded bombs and mines, just waiting for the next victim. Cambodians cannot plant crops without endangering their lives, and they don't dare let their children play in the fields or meadows.

The violent civil war that spawned the flow of Cambodian refugees to the United States, including ITB's President Sue Leng and her family, has left Cambodia in an aftermath of political turmoil and widespread poverty. Parents not able to provide food, shelter, and clothing for their babies and children, abandon them to orphanages. Cambodia now has over a quarter-million orphans.

THE ORPHANS
The majority of the boys and girls awaiting adoption in Cambodia orphanages are between the ages of one and six-years-old, some of them having been abandoned when just a few hours old. When the orphanages take the children in, they try to find out as much background information and vital statistics about the children that they can.

In the orphanage, the children are assigned to specific caregivers, who oversee their care for the duration of their stay. The facilities are bright, clean and well maintained. The children stay in the orphanages until suitable parents are found, or until they grow old enough to provide for themselves.

CRITERIA FOR ADOPTING

• Married couples ages 25 to 55 years old
• Single parent ages 40 to 50 years old
• Have no children or have but not exceeding more than two children
• Only a maximum of two children are allowed to be adopted.
• Please be open about the child's age and gender, though preferences are accepted.
• At least one adopting parent must travel to Cambodia to pick up the child, and to complete the paperwork required by the Cambodian government.
  

THE ADOPTION PROCESS.

• First, you must contact an adoption agency of your choice to complete the pre-adoption process required by the state in which you reside. These procedures can take anywhere from six months to a year, depending on your state's adoption laws
• When the agency completes your dossier to adopt, ITB begins the paperwork necessary in Cambodia. These procedures take four to six weeks, then finally completed during the trip to Cambodia
• While in Cambodia, parent(s) are escorted by ITB's in-country coordinator. Whenever possible, to make the trip pleasant and educational, the coordinator takes the parents to points of interest which highlight some of Cambodia's culture
• When the child's visa is finally issued, it is processed at the United States Embassy in Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh. Then the parent(s) and child can begin their journey home

Other costs will include the fees of the adoption agency you choose, and may include other miscellaneous fees (immigration, county court , magistrate) required by your state or local government. The total of these costs can range from $2,000 to $5,000.

ORPHANS IN CAMBODIA
INTERNATIONAL TRANSLATION BUREAU
3702 East Lake Street Suite 102
Minneapolis, MN 55406
612.721.5432 ph
orphans@ITBtranslation.com

view/download our brochure for Orphans in Cambodia Adoption Service
(Adobe Acrobat .pdf file)
or email us to request one to be sent by mail

* Cost and procedures are subject to change without prior notice