We first adopted through AWAA in September of 2006. Our experience was without hitches. Of course, with any IA adoption, their will be delays in referrals estimates and paperwork etc. This comes with any agency and isn't agency specific. Families need to remember and understand that IA adoption has many factors and many considerations ... namely, another gov't's and their processes that must be worked with. I see above that one family was very unhappy with the Rwanda program. They also stated that they were one of the first families to process the program. A family needs to understand when going into a new program that the agency is also learning the process of that gov't ... that is why it is called a "pilot" program. Indeed, AWAA has put a hold on all families applications for Rwanda until any glitches can be resolved .. however, it is the risk a family takes in becoming the "pilot" family. This could not have been a surprise to that family. We are talking about International communications and cross cultures. I also see above that one also states that communication was lacking. From experience, I do know that AWAA will not share information and "hear say" until it is of solid nature. Their belief is that IA adoption is an emotional journey and they are working as advocates on a families behalf and will relay information that they know is solid. To spread "rumor" and hear say is neither productive for the family or the agency as they work through a process. Once information is solid ... it is quickly and honestly shared with all families involved. Over the past 6 years, many things have changed in various programs and each time a change has occurred (which are brought on by the sending country), AWAA informs all families in a prompt and professional manner.
Our referral process and travel was excellent. The guides in country in China were amazing. We were walked through every piece of paperwork and every step of the process. AWAA booked and scheduled all our travel, hotels, guides, tours and appointments. It was the simplest international experience I have ever been through ... and I brought home an orphan who became my child in the process.
We are now working on our second adoption with America World, this time through Ethiopia. Our family coordinator has once again been wonderful. She is quick to reply to e-mails and questions. The paperwork and Dossier instructions are clear and concise. I like to call it adoption for Dummy's. AWAA tells you exactly what should be done on each document and upon doing each piece of your Dossier, your documents are reviewed closely to be sure that their will be no glitches when you submit your paperwork. As we walk through this process, we have been connected with other families through a yahoo group set up by our agency. The families are incredible ... leading prayer for one another, arranging bringing travel packages to each other's children during travel, taking photos and answering travel questions.
My husband and I have now served as AWAA's Senior Associates in the state we live for 3 years. I can tell you from working with this agency from the inside that the heart of the agency is to serve their families and to assure that truly orphaned children are placed in loving Christian homes. We have had the honor of sitting with the founder of the agency on several instances and hearing his heart behind what he does .. he is truly top notch and the heart of why AWAA is so amazing! He truly desires that each family is served well ... but most importantly, that the children placed in each home are true orphans. I have heard horror stories of agencies who have done things that would be of questionable integrity. When you work with international programs, the concern that any family may have is truly knowing that their child was an orphan. This agency works with great integrity to assure that each case is without question and each child adopted is done so with great care.
We are super excited to finish our second adoption with America World and with great pleasure continue and will continue recommending them to those whom we meet along the way!
Hands down, Christ centered and amazing!
We adopted from Rwanda, and were one of the first families to do so. That may explain why there were so many problems. But the biggest and most avoidable problem came from their lack of communication. We often didn't know what to do, and the costs were never clear. We were paying huge sums of money on little or no notice without really knowing where they were going. In fact, THREE DAYS before before we traveled, we were told we needed to pay a 5-digit amount of money before we could leave. We were expecting 2 or 3 thousand.
Also, we were told that there was no flexibility in our travel dates. If we were able to leave one week later than we did, we could have saved almost $1000 per person traveling on airline costs. AWAA said no. When we got there, our host said there would not have been a problem with us waiting a week.
The home studies through AWAA are also way more expensive than one we had with a private social worker - another cost we weren't made aware of.
When we were in-country, there were so many glitches and potential pitfalls that should have been taken care of before hand. On more than one occasion, everyone in the group was very close to leaving without our children.
Overall, AWAA has a lot of work to do to streamline their Rwanda program. Costs are way too high (we paid thousands more than anyone we have met), processes are not efficient, and the communication is terrible.
We are considering adopting again in a few years, but we will definitely search for another agency.
First of all, that is not their phone number or their address. We are talking about America World Adoption Associates, correct? This is a Christian agency and they are located in McLean, Virginia and their phone number is 1-888-ONE-CHILD.
This is a good agency. We have not had any bad experiences at all. Don't get me wrong, we were involved in a pilot program that had it's share of ups and downs, but America World did things well on their end. I think that they handled things in our best interest. We would have liked more communication in some instances, but they were always very open to us calling and asking questions...and our family coordinator even gave us a cell phone number. Our coordinator was good about returning calls, even on the weekend. Our daughter is perfect and I know that we could not have done this without America World. Best of all, they are finding families for children, not children for families. I feel good about this. I like having an agency that we do not have to question when it comes to ethical issues. We will use them again.
We used AWAA when adopting from China. During the paperwork phase they were totally absentee, but we didn't expect a lot of hand-holding. We were given a checklist and adequate instructions to complete the process, just nothing extra, and NO contact from them unless we initiated it. Or when payments were due.
After receiving our referral, A MAJOR complication arose. Resolving this complication would require serious medical testing of our child in China. However depending on the test results (not life threatening), it was possible that we could LOSE our referral of this child altogether, or that with certain results, China would "lose face" and choose not to allow this child to be adopted at all. The staff at AWAA blew me off and tried to tell me that "this sort of thing happens all the time, but nothing ever comes of it." Trust me--there is no WAY this issue happens all the time. I called AWAA several times about the issue, as we received more information, and asked what they recommend. In a nutshell, they recommended that we do nothing and "don't worry about it", and also that China never, ever does this kind of testing even under other circumstances because it is way too costly. That said, AWAA said they'd back us 100% in whatever we decided. We went with their advice, trusting that a Christian agency would have our & our future child's best interest at heart.
In the meantime, after telling us to do nothing and just wait, AWAA held a meeting about our case. As a result, they contacted the CCAA, requesting the tests anyway but never told us! They were finally forced to call us and admit what they did when the CCAA told them we were not to travel with the rest of our group, but instead to wait to travel "until further notice." Instead of admitting that they lied to us, the adoption consultant told me that I had to understand that this was GOD'S WILL and since I sounded rather upset, WOULD I LIKE HER TO PRAY WITH ME ON THE PHONE? I explained that this was NOT God's will, it was THEIR will. She had the nerve to tell me she was going to pray for me, and then prayed that I would learn to accept God's will in my life.
Astounding. All we asked is that they give us their recommendation. If they'd simply told us they thought it best to contact the CCAA, we would have been scared, but we'd have trusted them.
During this time our entire group's travel approvals were also delayed by over a month AWAA did not contact the CCAA to check on them until NINE weeks had elapsed. Instead everyone was told to pray about it.
AWAA PROMISED me that as soon as the CCAA gave the go-ahead (IF they did) they would arrange for us to go and get our child, even if it was just my husband and I. INSTEAD, they called us on a Wednesday evening, and told us we could either leave Saturday morning for China and catch up with the group that was already there, or we would have to wait another 45-50 days until their next group was going! We went Saturday. The people in our group all agreed that our guides were phenomenal. If I could give 5 stars to the guides, I would. I talked to several people who commented that the organization seems to be replete with very religious, upbeat college girls who have no idea what is really going on, but are eager to pray about whatever problem is at hand.
I would like to give further details of what I perceived as AWAA's appalling handling of another serious situation that occurred while we were in China. However, out of respect for the individuals involved I will simply say that there was a serious tragedy. The phone number given to our group for our AWAA contact person while in China was not exactly helpful as she was getting married, and then on her honeymoon--though she did eventually contact the people directly involved.
We continue to get emails every few weeks from AWAA stating that another person has left the agency for whatever upbeat personal reason, and now a new person is in charge. I have yet to get my second post-placement refund. After emailing the second new person to take over post placements twice, then cc-ing the email to upper management, I was told that they did receive my report, and it's normal to wait a few months to get my refund back.
We were never allowed to get a copy of our child's test results, and have only the CCAA's word about what those results were. AWAA blatantly refused to try to get them for us. They told us it wasn't worth it to them to "rock the boat" with the CCAA by asking again for the medical records, no matter how important for our child's medical history.
PLEASE RUN away from AWAA!!! They will not support you when it really counts. It is really scary to be out on a limb with the government of a foreign country and a child's life at stake, and learn then that you have no one in your corner. Their staff turnover has been unbelievable, and there's no way to know this unless you're on the receiving end of their emails (the ones you get because you've already gone through or are in the process of adopting through them.) They just don't have enough experienced people--or perhaps enough people at all-- to run the programs they're trying to run.
I would NEVER use this agency again.
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****A SIDE NOTE: We are well into the process (about a month from submitting our dossier) of an Ethiopian adoption through Children's Hope International. So far, what a difference!!! We have been assisted by attentive, caring staff who actually help us through the process and answer questions. They go above and beyond the call of duty. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.
We had a great experience and would use AWAA again for an adoption in a heart beat...through the experience we have become associates with them. Yes, there were lots of speed bumps and communication issues with this new program (we were the 9th family to apply) and staff changes - but they put us together with the child that God created for our family - more information and pics of our journey at www.sakaridavid.com - overall a GREAT experience and we would do it again.
Our family used AWAA for an Ethiopian adoption. Their Ethiopia program had problems. It seems like they are fixing these problems, but the way senior leadership handled problems makes me believe if there are issues in your adoption, you could be in trouble with AWAA as your representative. When problems came up in our adoption there major lapses in communication - it was a very bad time. AWAA also played the "blame game" and were dishonest about the problems for months. They told us it was the Ethiopian government for months when, in truth, they neglected to do something in country, which resulted in the problems. A change of staff did bring about some more honesty, but the damage was already done. Senior leadership did not apologize for this, by the way. In my career field, the buck stops at the top and leadership is held accountable for mistakes made further down the line. It was very disheartening that America World tried to shift blame and wouldn't own up to their mistakes honestly. The whole situation lacked integrity.
AWAA had allowed the program to grow beyond their ability to manage it and had some other major issues (staffing, communication, in-country problems which could have been prevented with proper planning and management). The program was in crisis, I think. The current staff really seem to be on top of stuff and I imagine other families will have a much better go of it. Unfortunately, I can't give them a good rating based on OUR experience. Our experience was POOR in some critical areas.
Everyone at AWAA seems very nice, but sometimes their words are not followed by action. When they made mistakes in the past, appropriate action was not taken to compensate for it even if apologies were given. They also seemed to do a lot of ducking & weaving to avoid answering the tough questions. I didn't feel like they were looking out for us when things got tough. This is the key reason why I can't recommend them. Although they seem to be fantastic when things go well, they fail when the going gets tough.
Despite all of this, I don't think it would be fair to give them a "poor" rating. There were some good points in our experience. The agency has excellent staff in Ethiopia. Their transitional home is very good (though could use some improvement to bring it more closely to American standards of care). Our time there went very well, but some families have had major issues as the agency does not properly prepare you for travel. Their packets are often disorganized and confusing with contradicting information. Some families have not had all the documentation they've needed when they traveled, which resulted in problems with their US Embassy appointments. AWAA had told them all the wrong thing. We were only okay because we had read through the State Dept. info ourselves and followed what we read there. I think the agency should, if not advise, at least not lead families astray. All of the admin staff stateside are great. Very professional, courteous and warm. I also think the current Ethiopia case managers are top notch. Senior leadership say all the right words, but they don't walk the talk. Nor do they act as if they should be held accountable for mistakes made lower down the food chain. If they aren't accountable, then who is? In our case, it appeared no one was held accountable.
Be VERY CAREFUL in trusting this agency. I know we would not use them again in the future because of the problems we had. Nor would I recommend them to a friend. They also seem expensive since the families do all of the paperwork themselves except for the stuff in Ethiopia. Even in the post-placement they shift all of the photocopying and legwork to families. They spend a lot of money on fancy marketing materials and are currently trying to open programs in a number of other countries. A huge part of our problems came from them allowing their Ethiopia program to grow beyond their ability to manage it. They were too ambitious. That's a problem with upper level management. I would imagine you'd see the same issues with other "new" programs because they don't seem to have good business plans/models for this type of situation. I also didn't appreciate being hit up for donations while we were in the midst of an expensive, international adoption so that they could expand their operations while they were so thoroughly mishandling their current operations.
I know many families felt betrayed and lied to. We were very sad with how some things turned out. I can't recommend them based on our experience (and that of many others). But, a lot of people have had a good experience with them. I hate to give them a bad review because there are many things I like about AWAA, but I feel it is the right thing to do. They fell very short with our adoption, but I think they have offered better service to most of the other families in their Ethiopia program.
They could be an amazing agency, but they need to get organized and work on their accountability issues. I would be ashamed if I had worked for a company that treated anyone the way they treated us. Solid plans to ensure safe growth would go a long way, as would honestly owning up to mistakes that are made and trying to make good on them. They also need to be careful in setting their aims too high without the proper foundations in place.
Could have been amazing...sadly they were not.
I would like to add, we were one of the first families involved in the program; however we were NOT a pilot family. We did not sign on to be a pilot family and went in with the expectation that America World had their act together. We were led to believe the program was new, but that everything was established. The difficulties in our adoption were a DIRECT RESULT of AWAA's mistakes and the fact that their program was not, in fact, established. The problems DID NOT have anything to do with the "variables/normal impediments" that sometimes arise in international adoption.
It is my understanding that AWAA's pilot families receive reduced fees, as they must endure the growing pains. Naturally, such a discount makes great sense. After all, why should a family pay full fees when the service they will receive may be below the standard other families will receive once the program is established? We were treated like a pilot family, but we paid full fees. The "bumps" that came along the way were a direct result of mistakes made by AWAA. As we were not a pilot family, we paid full fees despite the fact that the program was not established and AWAA was not offering the level of service they offer to other families. They slighted our family, as well as a handful of other families.
We received "pilot family problems" at "full service" price. And, yes, it bothers me. Obviously. AWAA seems to us to be very driven by their bottom line - which was not serving orphans and families, but the mighty dollar and the prestige of having a large agency with programs in many countries. If they cared about our family, they would have done the right thing and refunded part of our fees considering the poor service we received.
I also feel I must add, we have received zero support from America World in our post placement phase of the adoption. The only time we hear from them is when they want our post placement reports. I don't feel like they care about our family. They also take a long time in refunding the post-placement deposit. We have turned everything in weeks earlier than our deadline, yet they are very slow to return our money to us.
We adopted our son through them 2 years ago and had a wonderful experience from start to finish. Their information was very organized and they were very supportive and encouraging throughout the entire process and travel was wonderful!!
I love them. i agree Amy and linekar are the best, but we also loved our family coordinators both times. They were always quick to answer questions and help out whenever needed. There is sometimes transition from one person to another but with their programs growing their staff gets moved around often. However everyone is extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and kind
We used AWAA in 2000 and are again using them for our 2nd adoption. I agree with the previous contributor that AWAA can be quite controlling through the process .... I've have had to on occasion go up through the chain of command to get satisfaction. With that said, the best part of AWAA is their EXCELLENT staff in China, especially Linekar & Amy. You will never have a worry while you are in China with them on your side!!
While our adoptions happened some time ago, we loved them and would definitely use them again. I loved having a family coordinator and I felt they kept us very informed. Their definite strength is their travel. Everything always went smoothly (China). I traveled with another family to help with their adoption after ours and it was then that I realized how truly pampered AWAA families are.
Great agency. We are in the process for our second. They are honest and very supportive. Our first experience was wonderful and we have no complaints about our second, except the wait. I reccommend them highly. They were very reasonable and their rates have not increased very much since our last adoption in 2003. Check them out before you decide, I am so glad we found them.
We used them for a China adoption. They can get the job done. A very large agency but can be quite controlling through the process. They were the most expensive out of the five agencies we've used for an international adoption (all China adoptions).
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Reviews
Fabulous!
We first adopted through AWAA in September of 2006. Our experience was without hitches. Of course, with any IA adoption, their will be delays in referrals estimates and paperwork etc. This comes with any agency and isn't agency specific. Families need to remember and understand that IA adoption has many factors and many considerations ... namely, another gov't's and their processes that must be worked with. I see above that one family was very unhappy with the Rwanda program. They also stated that they were one of the first families to process the program. A family needs to understand when going into a new program that the agency is also learning the process of that gov't ... that is why it is called a "pilot" program. Indeed, AWAA has put a hold on all families applications for Rwanda until any glitches can be resolved .. however, it is the risk a family takes in becoming the "pilot" family. This could not have been a surprise to that family. We are talking about International communications and cross cultures. I also see above that one also states that communication was lacking. From experience, I do know that AWAA will not share information and "hear say" until it is of solid nature. Their belief is that IA adoption is an emotional journey and they are working as advocates on a families behalf and will relay information that they know is solid. To spread "rumor" and hear say is neither productive for the family or the agency as they work through a process. Once information is solid ... it is quickly and honestly shared with all families involved. Over the past 6 years, many things have changed in various programs and each time a change has occurred (which are brought on by the sending country), AWAA informs all families in a prompt and professional manner.
Our referral process and travel was excellent. The guides in country in China were amazing. We were walked through every piece of paperwork and every step of the process. AWAA booked and scheduled all our travel, hotels, guides, tours and appointments. It was the simplest international experience I have ever been through ... and I brought home an orphan who became my child in the process.
We are now working on our second adoption with America World, this time through Ethiopia. Our family coordinator has once again been wonderful. She is quick to reply to e-mails and questions. The paperwork and Dossier instructions are clear and concise. I like to call it adoption for Dummy's. AWAA tells you exactly what should be done on each document and upon doing each piece of your Dossier, your documents are reviewed closely to be sure that their will be no glitches when you submit your paperwork. As we walk through this process, we have been connected with other families through a yahoo group set up by our agency. The families are incredible ... leading prayer for one another, arranging bringing travel packages to each other's children during travel, taking photos and answering travel questions.
My husband and I have now served as AWAA's Senior Associates in the state we live for 3 years. I can tell you from working with this agency from the inside that the heart of the agency is to serve their families and to assure that truly orphaned children are placed in loving Christian homes. We have had the honor of sitting with the founder of the agency on several instances and hearing his heart behind what he does .. he is truly top notch and the heart of why AWAA is so amazing! He truly desires that each family is served well ... but most importantly, that the children placed in each home are true orphans. I have heard horror stories of agencies who have done things that would be of questionable integrity. When you work with international programs, the concern that any family may have is truly knowing that their child was an orphan. This agency works with great integrity to assure that each case is without question and each child adopted is done so with great care.
We are super excited to finish our second adoption with America World and with great pleasure continue and will continue recommending them to those whom we meet along the way!
Hands down, Christ centered and amazing!
Lack of communication
We adopted from Rwanda, and were one of the first families to do so. That may explain why there were so many problems. But the biggest and most avoidable problem came from their lack of communication. We often didn't know what to do, and the costs were never clear. We were paying huge sums of money on little or no notice without really knowing where they were going. In fact, THREE DAYS before before we traveled, we were told we needed to pay a 5-digit amount of money before we could leave. We were expecting 2 or 3 thousand.
Also, we were told that there was no flexibility in our travel dates. If we were able to leave one week later than we did, we could have saved almost $1000 per person traveling on airline costs. AWAA said no. When we got there, our host said there would not have been a problem with us waiting a week.
The home studies through AWAA are also way more expensive than one we had with a private social worker - another cost we weren't made aware of.
When we were in-country, there were so many glitches and potential pitfalls that should have been taken care of before hand. On more than one occasion, everyone in the group was very close to leaving without our children.
Overall, AWAA has a lot of work to do to streamline their Rwanda program. Costs are way too high (we paid thousands more than anyone we have met), processes are not efficient, and the communication is terrible.
We are considering adopting again in a few years, but we will definitely search for another agency.
We Will Use Them Again
First of all, that is not their phone number or their address. We are talking about America World Adoption Associates, correct? This is a Christian agency and they are located in McLean, Virginia and their phone number is 1-888-ONE-CHILD.
This is a good agency. We have not had any bad experiences at all. Don't get me wrong, we were involved in a pilot program that had it's share of ups and downs, but America World did things well on their end. I think that they handled things in our best interest. We would have liked more communication in some instances, but they were always very open to us calling and asking questions...and our family coordinator even gave us a cell phone number. Our coordinator was good about returning calls, even on the weekend. Our daughter is perfect and I know that we could not have done this without America World. Best of all, they are finding families for children, not children for families. I feel good about this. I like having an agency that we do not have to question when it comes to ethical issues. We will use them again.
Not there for you when it REALLY, REALLY matters.
We used AWAA when adopting from China. During the paperwork phase they were totally absentee, but we didn't expect a lot of hand-holding. We were given a checklist and adequate instructions to complete the process, just nothing extra, and NO contact from them unless we initiated it. Or when payments were due.
After receiving our referral, A MAJOR complication arose. Resolving this complication would require serious medical testing of our child in China. However depending on the test results (not life threatening), it was possible that we could LOSE our referral of this child altogether, or that with certain results, China would "lose face" and choose not to allow this child to be adopted at all. The staff at AWAA blew me off and tried to tell me that "this sort of thing happens all the time, but nothing ever comes of it." Trust me--there is no WAY this issue happens all the time. I called AWAA several times about the issue, as we received more information, and asked what they recommend. In a nutshell, they recommended that we do nothing and "don't worry about it", and also that China never, ever does this kind of testing even under other circumstances because it is way too costly. That said, AWAA said they'd back us 100% in whatever we decided. We went with their advice, trusting that a Christian agency would have our & our future child's best interest at heart.
In the meantime, after telling us to do nothing and just wait, AWAA held a meeting about our case. As a result, they contacted the CCAA, requesting the tests anyway but never told us! They were finally forced to call us and admit what they did when the CCAA told them we were not to travel with the rest of our group, but instead to wait to travel "until further notice." Instead of admitting that they lied to us, the adoption consultant told me that I had to understand that this was GOD'S WILL and since I sounded rather upset, WOULD I LIKE HER TO PRAY WITH ME ON THE PHONE? I explained that this was NOT God's will, it was THEIR will. She had the nerve to tell me she was going to pray for me, and then prayed that I would learn to accept God's will in my life.
Astounding. All we asked is that they give us their recommendation. If they'd simply told us they thought it best to contact the CCAA, we would have been scared, but we'd have trusted them.
During this time our entire group's travel approvals were also delayed by over a month AWAA did not contact the CCAA to check on them until NINE weeks had elapsed. Instead everyone was told to pray about it.
AWAA PROMISED me that as soon as the CCAA gave the go-ahead (IF they did) they would arrange for us to go and get our child, even if it was just my husband and I. INSTEAD, they called us on a Wednesday evening, and told us we could either leave Saturday morning for China and catch up with the group that was already there, or we would have to wait another 45-50 days until their next group was going! We went Saturday. The people in our group all agreed that our guides were phenomenal. If I could give 5 stars to the guides, I would. I talked to several people who commented that the organization seems to be replete with very religious, upbeat college girls who have no idea what is really going on, but are eager to pray about whatever problem is at hand.
I would like to give further details of what I perceived as AWAA's appalling handling of another serious situation that occurred while we were in China. However, out of respect for the individuals involved I will simply say that there was a serious tragedy. The phone number given to our group for our AWAA contact person while in China was not exactly helpful as she was getting married, and then on her honeymoon--though she did eventually contact the people directly involved.
We continue to get emails every few weeks from AWAA stating that another person has left the agency for whatever upbeat personal reason, and now a new person is in charge. I have yet to get my second post-placement refund. After emailing the second new person to take over post placements twice, then cc-ing the email to upper management, I was told that they did receive my report, and it's normal to wait a few months to get my refund back.
We were never allowed to get a copy of our child's test results, and have only the CCAA's word about what those results were. AWAA blatantly refused to try to get them for us. They told us it wasn't worth it to them to "rock the boat" with the CCAA by asking again for the medical records, no matter how important for our child's medical history.
PLEASE RUN away from AWAA!!! They will not support you when it really counts. It is really scary to be out on a limb with the government of a foreign country and a child's life at stake, and learn then that you have no one in your corner. Their staff turnover has been unbelievable, and there's no way to know this unless you're on the receiving end of their emails (the ones you get because you've already gone through or are in the process of adopting through them.) They just don't have enough experienced people--or perhaps enough people at all-- to run the programs they're trying to run.
I would NEVER use this agency again.
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****A SIDE NOTE: We are well into the process (about a month from submitting our dossier) of an Ethiopian adoption through Children's Hope International. So far, what a difference!!! We have been assisted by attentive, caring staff who actually help us through the process and answer questions. They go above and beyond the call of duty. I would recommend them in a heartbeat.
Great Experience reported from one of the Ethiopia pilot familie
We had a great experience and would use AWAA again for an adoption in a heart beat...through the experience we have become associates with them. Yes, there were lots of speed bumps and communication issues with this new program (we were the 9th family to apply) and staff changes - but they put us together with the child that God created for our family - more information and pics of our journey at www.sakaridavid.com - overall a GREAT experience and we would do it again.
Could have been amazing...
Our family used AWAA for an Ethiopian adoption. Their Ethiopia program had problems. It seems like they are fixing these problems, but the way senior leadership handled problems makes me believe if there are issues in your adoption, you could be in trouble with AWAA as your representative. When problems came up in our adoption there major lapses in communication - it was a very bad time. AWAA also played the "blame game" and were dishonest about the problems for months. They told us it was the Ethiopian government for months when, in truth, they neglected to do something in country, which resulted in the problems. A change of staff did bring about some more honesty, but the damage was already done. Senior leadership did not apologize for this, by the way. In my career field, the buck stops at the top and leadership is held accountable for mistakes made further down the line. It was very disheartening that America World tried to shift blame and wouldn't own up to their mistakes honestly. The whole situation lacked integrity.
AWAA had allowed the program to grow beyond their ability to manage it and had some other major issues (staffing, communication, in-country problems which could have been prevented with proper planning and management). The program was in crisis, I think. The current staff really seem to be on top of stuff and I imagine other families will have a much better go of it. Unfortunately, I can't give them a good rating based on OUR experience. Our experience was POOR in some critical areas.
Everyone at AWAA seems very nice, but sometimes their words are not followed by action. When they made mistakes in the past, appropriate action was not taken to compensate for it even if apologies were given. They also seemed to do a lot of ducking & weaving to avoid answering the tough questions. I didn't feel like they were looking out for us when things got tough. This is the key reason why I can't recommend them. Although they seem to be fantastic when things go well, they fail when the going gets tough.
Despite all of this, I don't think it would be fair to give them a "poor" rating. There were some good points in our experience. The agency has excellent staff in Ethiopia. Their transitional home is very good (though could use some improvement to bring it more closely to American standards of care). Our time there went very well, but some families have had major issues as the agency does not properly prepare you for travel. Their packets are often disorganized and confusing with contradicting information. Some families have not had all the documentation they've needed when they traveled, which resulted in problems with their US Embassy appointments. AWAA had told them all the wrong thing. We were only okay because we had read through the State Dept. info ourselves and followed what we read there. I think the agency should, if not advise, at least not lead families astray. All of the admin staff stateside are great. Very professional, courteous and warm. I also think the current Ethiopia case managers are top notch. Senior leadership say all the right words, but they don't walk the talk. Nor do they act as if they should be held accountable for mistakes made lower down the food chain. If they aren't accountable, then who is? In our case, it appeared no one was held accountable.
Be VERY CAREFUL in trusting this agency. I know we would not use them again in the future because of the problems we had. Nor would I recommend them to a friend. They also seem expensive since the families do all of the paperwork themselves except for the stuff in Ethiopia. Even in the post-placement they shift all of the photocopying and legwork to families. They spend a lot of money on fancy marketing materials and are currently trying to open programs in a number of other countries. A huge part of our problems came from them allowing their Ethiopia program to grow beyond their ability to manage it. They were too ambitious. That's a problem with upper level management. I would imagine you'd see the same issues with other "new" programs because they don't seem to have good business plans/models for this type of situation. I also didn't appreciate being hit up for donations while we were in the midst of an expensive, international adoption so that they could expand their operations while they were so thoroughly mishandling their current operations.
I know many families felt betrayed and lied to. We were very sad with how some things turned out. I can't recommend them based on our experience (and that of many others). But, a lot of people have had a good experience with them. I hate to give them a bad review because there are many things I like about AWAA, but I feel it is the right thing to do. They fell very short with our adoption, but I think they have offered better service to most of the other families in their Ethiopia program.
They could be an amazing agency, but they need to get organized and work on their accountability issues. I would be ashamed if I had worked for a company that treated anyone the way they treated us. Solid plans to ensure safe growth would go a long way, as would honestly owning up to mistakes that are made and trying to make good on them. They also need to be careful in setting their aims too high without the proper foundations in place.
Could have been amazing...sadly they were not.
I would like to add, we were one of the first families involved in the program; however we were NOT a pilot family. We did not sign on to be a pilot family and went in with the expectation that America World had their act together. We were led to believe the program was new, but that everything was established. The difficulties in our adoption were a DIRECT RESULT of AWAA's mistakes and the fact that their program was not, in fact, established. The problems DID NOT have anything to do with the "variables/normal impediments" that sometimes arise in international adoption.
It is my understanding that AWAA's pilot families receive reduced fees, as they must endure the growing pains. Naturally, such a discount makes great sense. After all, why should a family pay full fees when the service they will receive may be below the standard other families will receive once the program is established? We were treated like a pilot family, but we paid full fees. The "bumps" that came along the way were a direct result of mistakes made by AWAA. As we were not a pilot family, we paid full fees despite the fact that the program was not established and AWAA was not offering the level of service they offer to other families. They slighted our family, as well as a handful of other families.
We received "pilot family problems" at "full service" price. And, yes, it bothers me. Obviously. AWAA seems to us to be very driven by their bottom line - which was not serving orphans and families, but the mighty dollar and the prestige of having a large agency with programs in many countries. If they cared about our family, they would have done the right thing and refunded part of our fees considering the poor service we received.
I also feel I must add, we have received zero support from America World in our post placement phase of the adoption. The only time we hear from them is when they want our post placement reports. I don't feel like they care about our family. They also take a long time in refunding the post-placement deposit. We have turned everything in weeks earlier than our deadline, yet they are very slow to return our money to us.
wonderful!!
We adopted our son through them 2 years ago and had a wonderful experience from start to finish. Their information was very organized and they were very supportive and encouraging throughout the entire process and travel was wonderful!!
I love them. i agree Amy and
I love them. i agree Amy and linekar are the best, but we also loved our family coordinators both times. They were always quick to answer questions and help out whenever needed. There is sometimes transition from one person to another but with their programs growing their staff gets moved around often. However everyone is extremely helpful, knowledgeable, and kind
China Staff made the difference
We used AWAA in 2000 and are again using them for our 2nd adoption. I agree with the previous contributor that AWAA can be quite controlling through the process .... I've have had to on occasion go up through the chain of command to get satisfaction. With that said, the best part of AWAA is their EXCELLENT staff in China, especially Linekar & Amy. You will never have a worry while you are in China with them on your side!!
We loved them
While our adoptions happened some time ago, we loved them and would definitely use them again. I loved having a family coordinator and I felt they kept us very informed. Their definite strength is their travel. Everything always went smoothly (China). I traveled with another family to help with their adoption after ours and it was then that I realized how truly pampered AWAA families are.
AWAA is wonderful
Great agency. We are in the process for our second. They are honest and very supportive. Our first experience was wonderful and we have no complaints about our second, except the wait. I reccommend them highly. They were very reasonable and their rates have not increased very much since our last adoption in 2003. Check them out before you decide, I am so glad we found them.
Can get the job done.
We used them for a China adoption. They can get the job done. A very large agency but can be quite controlling through the process. They were the most expensive out of the five agencies we've used for an international adoption (all China adoptions).