Fees

One agency we've done a pre-application with and are digging through the information provided is All God's Children. The following are the fees associated with adopting through them:

Agency Fees
$300 Application
$6000 Agency Fee
$1700 Homestudy fee (this amount will likely be higher as AGCI can't do the homestudy in Iowa and will hire someone else)
$350 each Post adoption report
$1000 Post adoption translation and administrative fee

International Service Fee
$7500 for adopting from Ethiopia

Additional US Fees
$670 US CIS Fee
$160 Fingerprints for two
$1000 Notarization, Certification, Authorization
$600 Translation Services

So far, we're up to $19,980 assuming three post adoption reports but I think there's more than that. So, we're talking almost 20grand and there are more fees associated with adoption:

Medical review, medical insurance, travel fees (I'm sure its cheap to fly to Ethiopia and stay a while, right?) airfare, food, incountry transportation, in-country travel coordinators, passport update (wish I could say I did that already), travel visas, immigrant visas, etc.

Why is it so expensive to love a child in need? To give a comparison, here's a run down of Bethany's fees for adoption from Ethiopia:

Total Cost: $20,500-$28,750 (for 2 people traveling)
1. Bethany Fees: $5,400-$10,250(vary by branch - we'd hope to be on the low end). This includes:
Formal Application Fee
Home Study Fee: due at the completion of the Home Study
Program Fee/Administrative Fee: due at Home Study completion
Post-Placement Services Fee: due dates vary by branch
2. Ethiopia Country Fees: $8,500
$6,000 Partial Country Fee: due at dossier submission
$2,500 Remaining Country Fee: due at referral
$6,000 (per sibling) Additional Processing Fees for Siblings Fees due when traveling to Ethiopia:
$400 U.S. Consulate Immigrant Visa Fee
3. Ethiopia Travel Costs: $5,000-$8,000 (approximate costs for 2 people)
Travel from the U.S. to/from Ethiopia: $1,500-$2,500 per person
7-10 Days in Ethiopia: $1,000-$1,500 per person (includes meals and transportation)
4. Miscellaneous Fees: $1,600-$2,000
Immigration and Naturalization Service filing of orphan petition (I 600A): $670
Plus fingerprinting: $80
Notarization, state seal of each document: $100-$200
Authentication: $400
Ethiopia travel visas: ($48 per person)
Certified copies of birth certificates: $40 (varies by state)
Certified copies of marriage certificate: $20 (varies by state)
Doctor’s appointments and immunizations: $160
Passport photos: $40 (Ryan's is up to date)

Again, I'd say, why does it cost so much to love a child?

Pre-Application

Just filled out a pre-application online for All God's Children International, which I've heard good things about. They're based in Oregon but can work in Iowa. My area of interest with them is Ethiopia.