Financial Integrity
By Rev. Joshua Zhong, CCAI Co-Founder and President
When I graduated from college in 1984, the Chinese government assigned me a teaching job at a newly established college in Liaoning Province. As a college teacher, my monthly salary was 56 RMB (about $7). When I came to the USA in 1986, I had $15 in my pocket and one small piece of luggage. I held on to that $15 for as long as I could before I had to spend it.
When Lily and I first looked into the possibility of starting an adoption agency in 1992, we were stunned by how expensive adoption was. As we started to talk to prospective adoptive families, we became aware of the financial gap between their desire to adopt a child and actually getting a child into their arms. As a result, we resolved to establish an adoption agency that would offer second-to-none service and yet charge as little as possible. We can say very proudly that we have accomplished our goal. Chinese Children Adoption International is not only recognized as the largest and one of the best China-focused adoption agencies in the world, but it is also rated as one of the most financially trustworthy and affordable agencies in the US.
Lily and I come from a culture where adoption is not very accepted. In a culture that believes in such sayings as “no one can love a child who is not born of you,” most abandoned children simply have little or no second chance for a permanent loving home. That’s why Lily and I are so moved every time we see loving people like you who are considering bringing a child abandoned by our own people into your wonderful home to give her/him all the love in the world. Your act of love is both touching and inspiring. We feel the only thing we can do to pay back your extraordinary love is to give you the best and most affordable adoption service possible.
Today, there are about 60 American adoption agencies that are directly involved in placing children from China. The total adoption expenses among all the agencies range from as low as $22,000 (like CCAI) to as high as $40,000. Once in a while I hear questions and doubts from cautious prospective families. “Why are you so cheap?” they ask. The issue is not cheap or expensive; it is about financial integrity, accountability and transparency. We believe it is an adoption agency’s ethical responsibility to keep adoption costs as low as possible, so one more family might be able to afford to adopt and one more child might have the chance for a loving home.
In a world where fraud and dishonesty are not uncommon among non-profit or for-profit businesses, adoptive families have every right to question and doubt when their own money is on the line. That’s why it is important to do thorough research and ask the tough financial questions before selecting an adoption agency. It is absolutely important to find out: What are the total and all-inclusive fees and cost for us to finish our adoption with you, from the money we pay to your agency, to our social worker, to the USCIS, to compile our dossier, to purchase two domestic and international tickets, to pay for two people’s room and board for two weeks in China, the orphanage donation, and the fees to the Chinese local government?
Watch out for these red flags at other agencies: We will give you $50 discount if you apply with us before a certain date; For different kinds of payments we will offer you different level of services; We will wire your orphanage donation to China if you make a humanitarian donation to our agency; We pre-collect all your tour and meals cost in China. These sound-good offers can be motivated by an agency’s desire to make money and therefore can lead you to financial loss and pain.
Adoption is a leap of faith and an emotional journey, and adoptive families should never have to add the financial integrity of their adoption agency to their worries or concerns. CCAI dares to make a promise: When you work with CCAI, there are no hidden charges, no last-minute surprises and no under-the-table dealings. Your CCAI program fees are locked in as soon as you submit your Application for Adoption.
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