Kazakh orphans attract Hawai'i parents
By Vicki Viotti
Advertiser Staff Writer
Jon and Kelly Steiner stood in a Kazakhstan orphanage, 7,000 miles from home and only a few feet away from their hearts' desire, a baby destined to be named Nikolaus. With them stood a worker who told them they needed to choose immediately.
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"That was a really hard decision to make," Kelly said. "There were four boys in the room and three girls. They said, 'You have to make a decision right now, because there's a couple from Belgium waiting right outside, and they want two.' "
Kelly and Jon Steiner adopted Nikolaus from Kazakhstan, which opened to international adoptions in 1997.
"At the time there was a lot of stress," Jon agreed. "But we look back on the experience fondly."
It's easy to forget the stress when they gaze on their son, a winsome child who looks so much like so many 18-month-old toddlers in Hawai'i. Kazakhstan, the former Soviet Republic, is a country whose population is a blend of Caucasian and Asian ancestry, a combination that makes the adoption program especially attractive to Hawai'i parents.
"Based on observations, it's about two-thirds Asian, one-third hapa or white," said Kristine Altwies Nicholson, president of Hawaii International Child Inc. "For many adoptive couples who are mixed, this is the perfect and only solution to adopt a child who looks like the product of their union."
The Steiners at first wanted a Caucasian child, believing as most couples do that a child who looks like them would draw less attention and adjust better. But, Jon Steiner said, "as soon as we saw Nikolaus, that all went out the window," adding that Nikolaus will be surrounded here by kids who look like him, anyway.
Hawaii International Child Inc. forged its adoption network in the country three years ago and has brought 32 children to Hawai'i homes since then. Kazakhstan opened its orphanages to international adoptions in 1997.
Kazakh adoptions double
Nationally the number of Kazakh adoptions has doubled annually, Nicholson said, and now it's in a close race with Russia and South Korea as the No. 2 country of origin for international adoptions, behind China. Kazakhstan is a much faster-growing concern than either of its two rivals, she added.
Nicholson's agency is one of only a few dozen belonging to the Joint Council on International Children's Services that operate their own adoption programs in Kazakhstan, each hiring its own staff in the country to manage the cases. And Hawai'i is valued by the country as a destination for their children, she said, citing the example of a judge who fast-tracked a Hawai'i adoption because he felt comfortable with the child's likely adjustment in Hawai'i's multi-ethnic culture.
Nicholson learned about the program through her work with the joint council, an organization that sets standards and guidelines for international adoptions.
"I'm always looking for countries that have orphans in need and few agencies involved," she said. "I'm not interested in being extraneous; if there's a need, we go in."
In addition, she said, the Kazakh government is open to more adoptions by single parents than China is now permitting. That came as welcome news to Francine Souza, a 41-year-old Hilo resident who one year ago became the single mom of Vincent, now 3, and Anthony, 22 months.
"I saw that other places, it was difficult to adopt," Souza said. "I asked around. I wanted to have children, and I found that Hilo is the place I wanted to live."
The Honolulu-based Hawaii International Child, the state's only agency with a Kazakhstan program, was able to help Souza, but Nicholson cited the case of another Big Island couple whose attempt to adopt a child through the Web produced nothing but failure.
The Kazakhstan program might seem "perfect" from the ethnic or single-parenting standpoint, but even Nicholson will acknowledge that international adoptions can present obstacles — language barriers, as well as political and cultural quirks — too difficult to navigate without help.
Jon Steiner said working through a credible agency is essential because Kazakh government operation still resembles that of the byzantine Soviet bureaucracy. As an attorney, Steiner said he found it difficult, but necessary, to trust the skill of the agency's hired local staff to negotiate the constantly changing rules and requirements.
There was a moment, though, when the trust was set aside and the Steiners felt compelled to go to bat for their own interest. The day after they had chosen Nikolaus and filled out the paperwork, they were told that approvals releasing him for adoption had not come through after all.
"This time it was smart not to go with the flow," he said. "We went in and said, 'This is the child you told us was available.' All this was done with us speaking English, but I think they could tell we were upset. We used Kristine's name, too.
"To make a long story short, after conveying our feelings, we went home. Soon we got a call from our translator, saying, 'Don't worry, all the paperwork went through.' "
Expenses mount
Kazakhstan adoptions may not be for everyone, Nicholson said. In addition to the foreign surroundings, there's the cost: almost $22,000 in all, half of which goes to the Kazakhstani team of 15 that herds the applicant through the process overseas. The remainder comprises various fees paid to the agency, she said.
"On average they have to work on the case for five months, from the team of five who helps the family while there, to the translators, facilitators, people behind the scenes dropping off documents," she said. "Yes, it's a lot of money, but yes, it's ... a lot of work."
Nicholson was dissatisfied with the team she initially hired, finding that they did not work quickly enough: The first group of parents came out with six children in August 2000, but this was after spending 5 1/2 weeks in the country, she said.
"To do this job properly they have to have the urgency that we had," she said.
So Nicholson closed the program, hired and trained a new staff and has been operating since January 2002. Twelve groups in all have made the trip; 15 applications are still in process now.
Kazakhstan offers some advantages over other countries. It's a Muslim society, she said, so pregnant women don't drink and high family values are evident in the care of the children. Conversely, orphanages and hospitals are underequipped by U.S. standards, and the bureaucratic bugs in the relatively new adoption program are still being worked out.
"Our energies go into getting (parents) to the right place at the right time and through the bureaucratic nightmare that's waiting for them," she said. "It's not going to be necessarily a fun and easy trip. We can't prepare you for every single complication. It's the new wild frontier."
But for some, it's a worthwhile adventure. Trude Pang, 53, and her husband, Antonio Abas, 64 — older than most couples who adopt— now are parents to daughter Xiana Mahealani, 2 1/2, and son Anthony Kealii, 9 months.
Pang believes the children will have each other for support.
"Some people look at us and say we're older," she said. "But more have been supportive and said, 'These children are blessed.'"
Reach Vicki Viotti at vviotti@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8053.
