Abroad instead of a children's home: Czech children in adoptive families in foreign countries

Last year, 22 Czech children found a new home with a foreign adoptive family.

Roman Suda witnessed one of the stories about the adoption. He is the head of the children's home in Nepomuk, West Bohemia. In the domestic broadcasts of Czech Radio, he tells about two preschool-aged siblings. After nine months in the children's home, they found a new home in Italy. The foreign language was not an obstacle.

Illustration photo: Mabel Amber, Pixabay, Pixabay License Illustration photo: Mabel Amber, Pixabay, Pixabay License

“The children have an impressive ability to learn very quickly. They showed us that too. After just a few weeks in the Czech Republic, they understood Italian relatively well. An interpreter also helped. In the beginning she mediated between the two languages.”

According to Zden?k Kapitán, the story of the boy and the girl is a great success:

“We are proud that we found a new home abroad for many siblings in 2021. Organizing the adoption of two or three children is very time-consuming - for the children as well as for the applicant. This requires a lot of personnel from us and a lot of patience and enthusiasm for the children on the part of the adoptive parents.”

According to the head of the Office for International Children's Legal Protection (ÚMPOD).

Zden?k Kapitan | Photo: Jan Barton?k, Czech Radio Zden?k Kapitan | Photo: Jan Barton?k, Czech Radio

The majority of the children who found a new home abroad in 2021 were between the ages of one and five. Destination countries were Iceland, Sweden and Austria. However, in order for people to be able to take in children from the Czech Republic abroad, applicants must meet a number of strict conditions.

“There are personal and financial requirements for the child to enter a safe environment. In this regard, the Czech Republic is one of the stricter countries.”

According to Zden?k Kapitán, being adopted abroad also has its downsides:

“The sad thing is that no adoptive family could be found for these children in the Czech Republic. In this country they would probably have to stay in the children's home. So we are glad that we were able to find a family for her abroad. This enables the children to be successful in social and professional life,” says the head of the authority.

According to various NGOs, it is mainly children from the Roma minority who rarely find adoptive parents in the Czech Republic. An adoption abroad is therefore particularly suitable for them.

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