Purpose

• International adoption support groups typically focus on adoptions from a specific country. Adoption support groups educate, encourage and provide a format for parents who have adopted internationally. They facilitate meetings among parents who have adopted from that country so they can share experiences and provide support for one another. An international adoption support group is not only for the parents; some groups help adopted children learn about their home country and assist them with issues they may face in their new homes.
  
  

Families for Russian & Ukrainian Adoption

• Families for Russian & Ukrainian Adoption, or FRUA, has chapters worldwide. Its focus is to provide resources to families who have adopted children from countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Through FRUA, families have access to other adopted children and their families, educational materials and the FRUA National Education Conference. FRUA provides support for adoptions from all countries and republics that formerly were a part of the Soviet Bloc, which includes Belarus, Romania, Russia and the Ukraine.
  
  

Families with Children from China

• Families with Children from China, or FCC, is a network of local chapters located within the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Some FCC chapters are highly structured organizations with their own set of by-laws and a board of directors. Others are less formal, consisting of families who support one another through various forms of interactions. FCC goals are to provide support and Chinese culture programs to families who have adopted children from China; act as an advocate for children in orphanages in China; and promote Chinese adoptions and provide support for families waiting to adopt.
  
  

Latin America Parents Association

• The Latin America Parents Association, or LAPA, is a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization of families that have adopted or who are going through the process of adopting Latin American children. LAPA does not process adoptions but rather serves as a resource for information and for support during the adoption process. LAPA members can receive an adoption source kit with up-to-date information on sources and current conditions in Latin America, connect with a network of families that are involved in all phases of adopting, and attend educational and cultural programs. LAPA donates more than 80 percent of the funds received from membership dues and adoption information source kits to child-welfare entities in Latin America.