CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Standing in a room filled with pictures, Judy Winger explains what may drive adults to want to adopt a child.
"I think everyone has their reasons. But it's exposure and understanding that these children are really in need of permanency," she said.
As someone who has adopted, she understands the willingness.
"Families often say 'I have the space, I have the heart, I have the desire,'" she shared.
Winger is Director of Adoptions and a social worker at Centennial-based CCAI Adoption Services - she's been with them for 27 years, playing a big part in the estimated 13,000 kids from around the world that the agency has helped families adopt nationwide.
They originally had a primary focus of adopting from China, but have since expanded to countries including Colombia, Bulgaria and Ukraine.
"I think Ukraine was very open and willing to have families traveling really right up until the conflict erupted and was hoping, obviously, that things could continue to move forward. So everything's kind of holding," Winger said.
As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, it's put the adoption process for many families on hold.
"No one could be traveling. No one can be submitting documents. It's just got to be on hold," she said.
Nationwide, 45 families are actively trying to adopt from Ukraine right now through CCAI, which adds up to 79 children.
Three of those families are in Colorado.
Communication is key
Right now, one family is in the very early stages of the process in Colorado, another is nearly finished with their paperwork ready to submit to Ukraine and a third is in between, Winter said.
She added that most of the families adopting from Ukraine are adopting older kids.
"And so those are often children that have come to these families through a hosting program. So they've maybe spent five or six weeks in the families' homes. Families get to know them, they've gotten to know the families, and that's usually when they begin the process to adopt," she said.
While some of the orphanages in Ukraine may not have internet, Winger explained, some of the older kids awaiting adoption are still able to communicate through WhatsApp or other methods.
"I think some of that is still happening in those orphanages where it's safe," she said.
Right now, Winger says that depending on the location, many of the kids in an orphanage are hunkering down, keeping in contact with their representatives in the country, relaying information from the orphanages.
"I think probably a lot of them are getting nervous about supplies and food and medicine to care for things. And if bridges are being knocked out, you know how that's going to affect them in the long run," she said.
Relaying that communication to families the agency works with is part of the effort right now, Winger said.
"I think we're trying to keep in touch with them and let them know. And as people have ideas or maybe have connections and, you know, we're trying to take all that down, but knowing that right now, there's very little that we can do. But we're hearing from organizations and asking to partner with them once things can be better understood, how can we safely move children."
Whether it's a family going through CCAI, or another family using a different agency, Winger says it's important to keep communication open.
"I think they're pretty devastated, feeling very helpless and eager to be given some action," she said, referring to the families close to completing the adoption process.
A shift in focus
Safety of the children, particularly in the orphanages throughout the country, is the main focus right now for CCAI, Winger said.
"Even those children that may not be in line or eligible to be adopted internationally, but they're all in a pretty precarious situation. So I think right now the focus is how can children safely be moved out of Ukraine or to safer areas?" she said. "And then ultimately, once that would happen, then that will be a time when we can really look at what children were eligible and could be, you know, reunited with families here."
The organization has helped in dark times before. One notable example Winger recalls is when a devastating earthquake hit Haiti, they helped bring children to Colorado in order to support them.
COVID-19 also put a kink in the adoption process, as it was deemed unsafe to travel for some time, but has recently become easier as travel comes back.
For now, she says they're just hoping for the best of the situation, but that families remain committed.
"My hope is that soon some of the organizations that are working right now trying to come up with a plan to move the children and do those things. Those things could be out soon," she said.
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