Sole Accredited U.S.-Based Provider Of Intercountry Adoption From Ghana Supports Country's Efforts To Protect Children

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- As the sole accredited U.S.-based provider of intercountry adoptions from Ghana, Bethany Christian Services, a leading family preservation and adoption agency, is calling for greater domestic support of Ghana's efforts to protect its vulnerable children.

"Ghana recently committed to reforming its adoption system with the establishment of a Central Authority in hopes of carrying out the appropriate procedures necessary before signing the Hague Convention of Intercountry Adoption.  We applaud these initiatives," said Bill Blacquiere, Bethany's president. "With these efforts, Ghana is taking a stand that it will put the welfare of its children first and foremost."

With the creation of the Central Authority (CA), Ghana seeks to develop a list of all adoptable children into a national database to help ensure that the placement of children with adoptive families is carried out in a truthful and transparent manner. As one of only three international adoption agencies licensed to conduct intercountry adoptions in Ghana, joining Adoption Centrum of Sweden and Amici de Bambini of Italy, Bethany wants perspective adoptive parents to be aware of the risks, to both them and adopted children, in working with adoption agencies not licensed to work in Ghana.

Bill Blacuiere believes that it will take "all of us" in the social services arena holding the highest standards to protect these children. "We appreciate and respect the desire of adoptive parents here in the U.S. to serve as a family to orphans waiting for the love they require," Blacquiere said. "However, the welfare of the children waiting for adoption must remain the primary concern of all parties and, unfortunately, that hasn't always been the case. That is why certain agencies haven't been licensed in Ghana."

While Bethany is licensed in Ghana to assist with intercountry adoptions, the agency's main objective is to help the country develop a sustainable system to find loving families for Ghana's orphaned and vulnerable children in their home country. These efforts align with similar initiatives Bethany is currently conducting in Ethiopia, Haiti and China.

For more information on Bethany and its diverse family preservation services, visit www.Bethany.org.

SOURCE Bethany Christian Services