What is Four Leaf Love, and why did you create it?
Four Leaf Love is this blog; the main conduit for raising awareness and money for our adoption from Rwanda. It was born out of a deep desire to help spread awareness about the beauty of adoption.
From where are you adopting?
Rwanda.
How do I donate?
You can mail a donation or donate online. Also, join the email list and follow us on twitter as we have several AWESOME fund-raising campaigns coming up!
What is the best way to donate?
You can send donations to our mailing address. We prefer this as PayPal charges a small fee.
How long will it take?
The average timeline for an adoption from Rwanda is twelve months.
What will happen to Four Leaf Love after the adoption is complete?
We are so glad you asked! Our dream is that Four Leaf Love will develop into a resource to help the cause of orphans, widows and the poor in general. The fundraisers we have planned for our adoption will be ongoing and we’ll offer support and assistance to other adopting families and organizations we believe are doing great work.
What agency are you using?
We are using Children Of All Nations.
How much does the adoption cost?
This adoption will cost approximately $20,000. This figure is from the Children Of All Nations site and doesn’t include other expenses such as fundraising, web expenses and lost work due to travel.
Why a foreign adoption?
A foreign adoption is something we’ve always felt drawn to do, and the need in countries across the world is vast. Rwanda is one of the smallest countries in Africa, yet in Rwanda alone, there are over 600,000 orphans. Each family feels their heart pulled in a unique direction. We’ve enjoyed the diversity of our own friends adopting from places like Guatemala, China, Russia, Ethiopia, and domestically as well.
Anything else about the Stanfield family that you may want to know?
We love: traveling/road trips, cooking, homeschoolin’, reading/books, gluten free/healthy eating, hearty discussions, music, art, dark chocolate, being outdoors, our kitties and creative endeavors. We are passionate about close community- family, friendship, our neighbors, adoption, and connecting with new people.
Do you have a timeline of financial deadlines?
Yes…
August 9th 2011: We sent in $2838- the first installment of our agency fee!
September 27th 2011: Our dossier retainer plus second installment of the agency fee is due ($2200), along with a few legal documents. After this, we start our dossier completion. We’ll be tackling all of the required forms and procedures for Rwanda and the United States: background checks, fingerprinting, immigration forms, visas, health checkups, immunizations, et.c. We’ll also do our home study. The home study is a required document; basically, it is a family/home approval by a local social worker. Lots of small/medium size expenses during this time.
May 27th 2012: Final agency fee of $2838 is due. Also- this is the due date for the entire dossier- much waiting and a huge amount of paperwork that must be perfectly executed! We’ll be shooting to meet this deadline as quickly as possible.
Referral- summer of 2012: When we receive our referral! Once we accept the referral, the Rwandan adoption fee of $3600 is due. Also due is the International Special Care Fee of $900. This is a fee Rwanda charges when a child is ready for adoption; the fee covers all child expenses such as clothing, food, medical care and other supplies. Once we accept the referral, we become responsible for the care of the child.
Travel- summer of 2012: One of the more expensive stages- Southwest doesn’t fly to Rwanda, and the tickets can’t be bought too far in advance. We’ll travel to Rwanda where we will stay for an incredible 2-3 weeks. This will be the first chance we have to meet our daughter! We will meet her at the orphanage and from then on she’ll be under our care as we finalize her visa, health and immigration papers with the local consulate and the US embassy.