Adoption agency alert out of Minnesota
Last last night, an W3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUac8HEaDiaMDCinchO7DU">google email alerted me to another adoption agency in trouble. The Liberian government has shut down their ability to do adoptions for the time being according to that news article. The agency is being investigated in order to be sure that the children are properly being cared for by them. The agency, West African Children Support Network, is founded and run by Maria Luyken, a Liberian native. According to their website, they state that they have been in operation since 1995 but their tax forms courtesy of Guidestar state 1998. There is only one tax form listed with this agency.
Their earnings for the year 2005 were $222,900. On one portion of the tax form, they stated that they received $150,854 in donations for food, clothing and education with adoption earnings being at $100,000. On another portion of their tax return, they reported receiving $133,,740 in adoption fees and $89,160 in donations for food, clothing and education. When the website and the tax forms are as confusing as these are, I would hope that prospective adoptive parents would really stop and think about using the services of this agency.
Maria Luyken speaks of being Godlike and very Christian. I have to question her on her Christianity because God doesn't want humanity to be stupid. He doesn't want humanity treating children as mere commodities for people like her to profit. Many adoptive parents are now being burned left and right because they did not ask questions. This is why adoptive parents are now holding adoption agencies accountable via civil RICO lawsuits. This agency is not a member of the JCICS.
After reviewing their site, several things alarmed me as an adoptee. According to their website, this is required of prospective adoptive parents:
Their earnings for the year 2005 were $222,900. On one portion of the tax form, they stated that they received $150,854 in donations for food, clothing and education with adoption earnings being at $100,000. On another portion of their tax return, they reported receiving $133,,740 in adoption fees and $89,160 in donations for food, clothing and education. When the website and the tax forms are as confusing as these are, I would hope that prospective adoptive parents would really stop and think about using the services of this agency.
Maria Luyken speaks of being Godlike and very Christian. I have to question her on her Christianity because God doesn't want humanity to be stupid. He doesn't want humanity treating children as mere commodities for people like her to profit. Many adoptive parents are now being burned left and right because they did not ask questions. This is why adoptive parents are now holding adoption agencies accountable via civil RICO lawsuits. This agency is not a member of the JCICS.
After reviewing their site, several things alarmed me as an adoptee. According to their website, this is required of prospective adoptive parents:
Devout Born Again Christian Families who believe that Jesus is the one and only Saviour of the world and who hold the Holy Bible as the only written word of GOD withpit error.
*Married couples who live with each other in harmony
*Single Christian Sister or Brothers who live alone.
*Families who can be graciously patient during their adoption journey.
*Families who can accept that there will not be a lot of information on the children they are adopting.
*Families who Accept all Responsibility for their
child`s possible
medical, physical, and emotional needs. There is no way to know what
all their needs are until they are home with the adoptive family.
Anyone who adopts a child in Liberia is adopting a child who may have
any number of issues or medical conditions. If a family is bothered by
this, they should NOT adopt in Liberia.
*Families
who Respect and Accept WACSN`s Policies and Procedures without
complaint. If a family does not agree with our policies and procedures
then that family needs to find an organziation other than WACSN to work
with.
*Families who agree to file their I-600 at the US Embassy in Monrovia, Liberia.
*Families who are ready, willing, and able to travel to Liberia for a 2 week stay,
*Families who can wait on directives from WACSN for travel to Liberia when that travel is related to their adoption.
WACSN retains the right to Withdraw from any Adoption Work, at any time, should an adoptive family conduct themselves in a unchristian-like manner.
This is one of those agencies that if you question to much you will get burned. Their website is owned by Pam Gremillion out of Memphis, Tennesee. This agency operates out of Minnesota. You can find out this information from Whois. They charge $8,000.00 per adoption. I am sure this doesn't include the many other expenses along for the ride. Back in 2007 the Province of Alberta placed on hold on all adoptions from this agency because of tampered passports and irregular court orders. Canada has since ceased all Liberian adoptions since then. One has to question if this agency is not allowed to do adoptions in Canada, shouldn't the United States State Department put a watch on this organization as well? Keep in mind folks Liberia is not a Hague Country.
However the State Department has issued the following information on their website concerning adoptions from Liberia:
The process for finalizing the adoption (or gaining legal custody) in Liberia generally includes the following:
This is one of those agencies that if you question to much you will get burned. Their website is owned by Pam Gremillion out of Memphis, Tennesee. This agency operates out of Minnesota. You can find out this information from Whois. They charge $8,000.00 per adoption. I am sure this doesn't include the many other expenses along for the ride. Back in 2007 the Province of Alberta placed on hold on all adoptions from this agency because of tampered passports and irregular court orders. Canada has since ceased all Liberian adoptions since then. One has to question if this agency is not allowed to do adoptions in Canada, shouldn't the United States State Department put a watch on this organization as well? Keep in mind folks Liberia is not a Hague Country.
However the State Department has issued the following information on their website concerning adoptions from Liberia:
The process for finalizing the adoption (or gaining legal custody) in Liberia generally includes the following:
- Role of The Adoption Authority: No adoption decree can be issued without an approved case summary from the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MHSW).
- Role of the Court:
A petition for adoption must be filed with the Probate Court. The
petition must contain the name, age, residence and marital status of
the petitioners. The name, date and place of birth of the child, the
date and manner in which the petitioners acquired custody of the child,
facts (if any) that render consent of either parent unnecessary, the
petitioners' desire to adopt the child and the child's change of name,
should also be contained in the petition.
Upon receipt of a petition for adoption, the Court schedules a hearing and serves notice on all interested parties. The petitioners or their legal representative, the parent, parents, or guardian(s) of the child and the child are required to attend the hearing, though the court may waive the appearance of the child for good cause. This waiver must be stated in the order of adoption. All hearings are public, and held in open court. The court must be satisfied that the "moral and temporal interests" of the child will be satisfied by the adoption. Upon this showing, the adoption is ordered.
The court must be satisfied that the “moral and temporal interests” of the child will be satisfied by the adoption. Upon this showing, the adoption is ordered.
- Role of Adoption Agencies:
Most adoptive parents normally work with an adoption agency in the
U.S., which in turn liaises with an orphanage or organization in
Liberia prior to initiating the adoption process. The organization in
Liberia must be registered with the Ministry of Health and Social
Welfare.
- Time Frame:
There are no fixed time lines or constraints on the Court’s processing
of adoptions. The adoption process, including formal relinquishment by
the parent(s) if necessary, generally takes 3 to 4 weeks. Since
November 2007, prospective adoptive parents have experienced long
delays, sometimes as long as 3 months in processing adoptions due to
pending revision of the Liberian adoption law.
- Adoption Fees:
Official Government fees for adoptions in Liberia are minimal and
consist mainly of court filing fees. These filing fees are normally
less than $12,000 USD. The cost of employing local counsel varies but
adoptive parents can expect to pay several hundred dollars at a minimum
for an attorney. Note: Liberia has proposed legislation that will
increase fees for processing paper through the Courts and the Ministry
of Justice for $5 to $1500 USD. These funds will be used to hire
additional social workers and court clerks as well as for the general
operation of both Ministries.
- Documents Required : The following documents are required for adoption in Liberia:
- Petition for Adoption
- Written consent of the biological parents
- Copy of adoptive parents’ passports
BELLS ARE GOING OFF RIGHT NOW!Note: Additional documents may be requested. If you are asked to provide proof that a document from the United States is authentic, we can help.
Posted by Amy Adoptee at 1/14/2009 12:26 AM 
Categories: Adoption and Its Triad, Liberia, amyadoptee, West African Children Support Network, adoption
Categories: Adoption and Its Triad, Liberia, amyadoptee, West African Children Support Network, adoption
I adopted 2 children from Liberia. One of the adoptions was through WACSN. You are only quoting what misinformed others have written. I have spent a great deal of time in Liberia. There is such need there. As with everything...I'm sure that there may be some adoptions that are not "great". I have heard of failed adoptions both domestically and internationally...but for the small percentage of failure, many many many others are happy and successful. Mine are 2 successful! Watch what you write. Watch who you quote! Maybe you should interview my 10yr. old war orphan who now has a daddy and eats 3 meals a day...
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You can say all you want. I have done enough research into this organization to know that they are not a licensed adoption agency in Minnesota. They have not reported their earnings for the IRS in several years. The government of Liberia has shut them down for a reason. They are not even licensed to practice adoption in Tennessee where Pam Gremillion was. There is a report out of Oklahoma where the adoptive parents adopted to have these children do hard manual labor. I understand that your situation might be good. Where there is smoke, there is fire.
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My heart aches when I read comments by so many vicious, misinformed, vindictive people. It's difficult for me to understand why Americans are working so tirelessly to ensure that adoptions can't happen. Say what you want, the bottom line is, you have an agenda. Perhaps we all do. But, lets at least be clear about it. Who here is without fault? If you are, then by all means, throw the first rock. Oh wait, you already have! We have 7 kids, 4 of which we adopted from Liberia...yep...from WACSN. Does WACSN have problems? Sure. Does Acres of Hope have problems? Yep. Does Compassion International have problems. You bet. So we can either stand on the sidelines and throw our rocks and make our accusations (as true as some of them may be) OR...are you ready for this? We can actually make a difference in the lives of these suffering and hurting children, roll up our sleeves, and try being a part of the solution. That's just way too much work for most folks though. It's much easier to be critical, judgemental, and accusatory. That's the road most traveled, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised when that highway is jammed packed full of people. My advice...join the few who are choosing the road less traveled. Roll up your sleeves. Dare to get dirty. And make a difference for the sake of those who need it.
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Its not a matter of stopping all adoptions. This is where you are sadly misinformed. Have you bothered to understand the adoptee perspective on this kind of situation? How many cases does it take to make you understand that adoption has become a corrupt entity. I am not saying all agencies. I do speak with a couple of industry folks. I know in my heart that they are not bad people. I even disagree with the philosophy of one of them. I know that he is a decent man.
With that being said, the folks that I deal with do strictly domestic adoptions. I happen to have the inside scoop on WASCN. I know this particular agency a little too personally. Did you know that they are not reporting their income to the IRS? They have not done so in numerous years. Did you know that there are reports of WACSN stealing children from their birthparents? Again it might be okay for you to accept some or even many stories to this nature. It is not okay by me. It is the adoptee that suffers in the long run.
I have a question for you, Dirk. Why didn't you adopt from the American Foster Care system? Is it the typical reason where you did not want your kids to find their birth parents? It is a matter of time before these children will become adults. They will have access to them quite easily with the internet growing exponentially each year. It is a shame that are defending an agency that continues to operate outside the laws of Minnesota and Tennessee. I hear they are operating out of another state.
It sounds like you want to encourage child stealing. You want to help children? Help the families of these children. Help them become self sufficient. Stop coming to blogs like mine to register your protest. I am not against adoption but I am against the illegal practices of agencies that deny children thus future adult adoptees access to their heritage, culture, and identity. Just a pet peeve of mine.
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