Mission Adoption

Médecins du Monde is the only medical humanitarian organisation to have integrated adoption into its founding statutes and created a programme in charge of international adoptions. Approved Adoption Agency (AAA) status was granted in 1998. The aim is to stay true to our aim of supporting the most vulnerable, amongst whom are children, the first victims in times of crisis or conflict, and to protect their fundamental rights: the right to a family, right to healthcare and right to education.

In 2007, the Médecins du Monde adoption programme is the first AAA in France and the only one integrated into a medical charity. The priority is to find homes for children who have been unable to be adopted in their own country. In addition, MdM supports and prepares candidates for complex adoptions: siblings, children over five years old, and children with medical conditions.

Activities :

Médecins du Monde has helped 3,000 children to be adopted since 1990:
3,177 children were adopted between 1990 and 2007. In 2007, in spite of a difficult international context, 212 children came to France and were placed in 174 families.

One in two adoptions were classed as complicated cases:
72 multiple sibling adoptions from Colombia, Brazil and Russia. 21 children were over 7 years old, 33 had medical needs, mainly coming from China and Vietnam.

The children came from the following countries:
China and Vietnam: 48% / Brazil and Colombia: 34% / Russia and Albania: 15% / Haiti: 3% (first year)
MdM given authority to adopt in July 2006 / Madagascar: set up in 2007, dossiers in process.

53% of adoptions were boys, 47% were girls:
The notable drop in adoptions from China brought the boy:girl ratio into line.

Age: 57% under 2 years old; 33% between 3 and 6 years old; 10% older than 6 years old.

Médecins du Monde follows the progress of adopted children and their families for two years, or as required.
In 2007, MdM made 1,138 home visits.

Organisation and Human Resources:

MdM is licensed in 76 regions of France and has adoption departments in 14 regional branches that support head office.
Workforce: 229 people at HQ, of which 98% are volunteers, and 148 more in the regional offices.

The adoption programme’s volunteer staff are well qualified: 17% are doctors and paediatric psychiatrists;
10% paramedical; 32% psychologists or psychoanalysts; 10% social workers or children’s specialists.

Future plans:

We will request adoption agency status in two more countries and put into place a robust risk prevention policy: preparation for adoptive parents, financial checks…

August 2008