Orphanage sells Malawian children to Dutch Agency
Published: July 6, 2010
Kondanani Orphanage at Bvumbwe in Thyolo district is in partnership with Kind end Toekomst-a Dutch licensed adoption agency which systematically violates Malawian law and the Dutch Ministry of Justice and “buys” orphans from Malawi.
Kind en Toekomst (Foundation Child and Future) officially started an adoption programme from Malawi in 2006 through the partnership with Kondanani Orphanage which is under a Dutch lady Annie Chikhwaza.
Eye of the Child, a local Non Governmental Organization, says Malawi Laws rule that adopters must reside 18 months in Malawi before the adoption.
But that is not the case with the Dutch agency which buys children from Kondanani Orphanage.
“In March 2007 Kind en Toekomst started cooperating with the Malawian children home Kondanani which is led by the Dutch Annie Chikwaza (married to a Malawian). According to Kind en Toekomst, Dutch adopters will only need to stay five weeks in Malawi,” reads update report accessed from one of the websites used by Chikhwaza and her Dutch partners.
Chikhwaza confirms the partnership in her Dutch communication on 29-08-2007 at 21.45 pm which was translated into English.
It reads, “…shared with you in my last newsletter that we had entered into an agreement with a Dutch Adoption Organisation. The first parents are here at present and staying with us on the property in one of the houses. They are adopting a set of twins.”
According to EO TV program a Dutch couple Jan en Esther Ekkel-Vorstenbosch adopted a two year old Malawian boy within 36 hours of their arrival in Malawi on 15 November 2008.
“36 hours after arriving in Malawi they already have a court appointment and the adoption is finalized. They have to stay some weeks in Malawi, guest house Kondanani, to wait for the visa to be provided by the Dutch Embassy in Zambia.
“They meet the grandmother of the child. Her daughter died and she hadno money to pay for milk powder. Only one of the adoptive parents is allowed to meet the grandmother and the child is not allowed to come. The programme does not make clear if the grandmother knows the childis leaving the country,” reads the site.
Chikhwaza further boasts, “ Several Dutch couples have changed their adoption country to Malawi now. Some are keeping blogs.
On this blog, it is announced that the first Dutch couple got a child proposed in April/May of “this year”.
Another blog, Malawiaantje, Kind en Toekomost says after a very quick procedure, for African principles, the first Dutch couple comes back on 26 August. Everything went well.
Kondanani Orphanage is where pop diva Madonna also adopted a child-Mercy James.
According to Dutch newspaper Trouw dated 27 June 2007, Kind en Toekomst pays between 12 000 and 25 000 euros for an adoption.
The paper adds that Agency Wereldkinderen (Children of the World) that intermediated in 2005 for 475 children from 15 different countries and one of the largest agencies, calculates between 12 000 to 30 000 euros depending, inter alia, of the country, with or without travel and adoption of one child or three.
The paper adds that for the adoption of a child from Brazil nearly 11 000 euros and the legal fees are 1 810 euros, the country fee is 3 695 euros, the agency costs is 4 410 euros while other expenses are budgeted at about 1 000.
The Children Adoption Act section 3 (5) reads, “an adoption order shall not be made in favour of any applicant who is not a resident in Malawi or in respect of any infant who so resident.”
The Law Commission in its 2001 Review concluded that inter country Adoptions are prohibited in Malawi.
According to US Department of State, “adoptive parents must be resident in Malawi" to adopt according their communication earlier.
Source: Malawi news | NyasaTimes breaking online news source from Malaw
