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Are you considering adopting a child from Burkina Faso? On this page you can read more about the background and requirements. The interest of the child always comes first. Read more about our basic principles.


Burkina Faso is an experimental contact. In 2017, two children were adopted from Burkina Faso. After these first procedures, we sent several files. In 2020, two children arrived and in 2021 one child from Burkina Faso came to the Netherlands. Two other families have received a proposal and are awaiting a departure date.

 

Background

In Burkina Faso orphans, abandoned children and children given up for adoption are proposed for adoption.

 

Children are often given up for adoption, because they were born from incest, because the child was born out of wedlock or because the mother of the child has a psychiatric problem. These children are not accepted in society in Burkina Faso.


Children who are abandoned also often have this background. The social services then search for the child's biological family. When nobody is found, a child is declared adoptable after one year.


The Central Authority of Burkina Faso would like to receive files from applicants who are open to an older child (preferably up to 6 years, minimum up to 4 years) and to children with various (medical) conditions, such as hepatitis, developmental delays and premature births.

All applications are assessed by Wereldkinderen. Wereldkinderen prioritizes the specific needs and rights of children.

In order to be able to adopt a child from Burkina Faso, you have to meet the following requirements:

  • You possess a valid Approval in Principle
  • You are married (man-woman) and have been married for at least 5 years
  • There can be no more than one adopted child or one biological child in your family already
  • If there is already a child in your family, you can only start a procedure when your child is at least 5.5 years old. You can register earlier with Wereldkinderen and will then be placed on the general waiting list.
  • At least one of you is older than 30 years old
  • You have a lot of travelling experience outside Europe
  • You have permission for and are open for the adoption of a child that is born premature; a child with a low weight at birth; or a child with a developmental delay; or a child that was undernourished. Applications with other backgrounds (for example HIV positive and epilepsy) are preferred.
  • You are approved to adopt a child aged to at least 4 years old (and preferably 6 years old)
  • You can speak French reasonably well
  • You have an income from work

Wereldkinderen cooperates with the Central Authority in Burkina Faso, le Minstère de l’Action Sociale et de la Solidarité Nationale. They are responsible for the procedures and the matching.

The adoption procedure for Burkina Faso is currently an experimental procedure. This means that there are uncertain factors such as waiting times and the course of the procedure. Since 2017, five children have arrived in the Netherlands from Burkina Faso and two families will travel in 2022 to pick up their child.


The average waiting time between sending the file and the proposal was about 18 months for these seven children. After the proposal, it takes ten to twelve months before you can travel. During this time, the legal procedure is completed. You do not need to follow a procedure in accordance with Dutch law. You can register your child directly at your municipality. The length of stay is approximately two to four weeks. When you return home, you will be informed about the follow-up obligations.

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