Our family is being formed by an adoption using Great Wall China Adoption Agency.\r
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After a great deal of research we chose Great Wall China Adoption because of their outstanding professionalism, commitment to children, and the ongoing support and educational opportunities that they make available to their families. International Adoption has become extremely challenging in the last several years and GWCA has been able to adapt and continue to stay child focused--and this is their focus. The forming of Forever Families is the outgrowth of their devotion to and assistance for orphaned children.\r
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The pricing is competitive for the quality of service provided. I know several other families who have used GWCA/CAN and also families who haven't. I have not met a well informed and educated family who has not been pleased with this agency. And professionals nationally and internationally have spoken at their educational conferences. If the purported comments about this Not for Profit, Hague Approved Adoption Agency were substantive, then these conferences would not be so well regarded by professionals within the Int'l Adoption field.\r
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As to the comments about the age of their staff, perhaps this is why age discrimination is illegal in the US. We have been involved in this process for so long that we are on our 3rd Home Study Social Worker. Our first Social Worker was the youngest and has proven to be the most knowledgeable and professional of those with whom we've worked. Her age was not a deficit--and I haven't found the age of the staff at GWCA to be a deficit whether the person is in their 20's or 50's or somewhere between. \r
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As to the management style of Snow Wu, high expectations for the staff are clearly articulated by the management of this company and we've found them to be met. I don't find a desire for excellence to be a negative, but I know that in my management experience it's not unusual for employees who are focused on just being adequate do find that it is a challenge to work where the best is expected for the clients. are on our 2nd Home Study agency because our original agency, as is the case with many in the US, weren't as well managed fiscally and functionally as GWCA. Therefore they weren't prepared for the changes in Int'l Adoption trends and policies. Many agencies were not able to remain viable and servicing their families, as has GWCA/CAN. Snow Wu has provided such outstanding leadership and compassion in the field of Adoption that she was recognized nationally with the Angel in Adoption Award in 2003. \r
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Finally, as to the cost of using the a professional travel planner with whom GWCA works to arrange travel in China, I want to have this dealt with seamlessly! I travel quite a bit for business and want to leave this part of the trip to someone who knows what they're doing so that I may focus on my new child and our trip to China. I do know several people in China, but if there were to be a really serious like the snowstorms, flooding and earthquake of the last several years I don't want to call my friends except to make sure that they are safe and well. I want to call a professional who is focused on this aspect of the adoption and who can work to solve any problem. If I were to not work with GWCA's travel people I would work with another company and their focus would be on typical sightseeing and tourism; I want to work with a group whose focus is the same as ours, travel for the purpose of completing our adoption!\r
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My personality is to be value driven and detail oriented and I've found the value of working with GWCA to be even more than I had hoped for and expected. If you're thinking of pursuing International Adoption, don't hesitate to call this agency.\r
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