Russia Adoption Program: The Children

Infants, toddlers and school-aged children are available for adoption. Infants are usually 8-16 months old at time of referral. Very few girls under the age of 5 years old are available. Families may state a gender preference in accordance with WHFC policy, however they must be open to accepting a boy. Sibling groups and children with special needs are also in need of families. Children are almost always delayed in growth and development due to living in an institution, and most make excellent progress once they are in a family.

The most common reasons for these children becoming available for adoption are:

• economic situation
• social reasons
• legal decision