Adoption in Manizales

Your stay in Manizales should last on average 20 days. Usually, the representative of your association or your solicitor will inform you of your arrival time in the city and someone will be waiting for you at the airport. It is sometimes possible (but extremely rare) to take a flight to Manizales the same day you arrive in Bogota. But most families spend at least one night in Bogota. Once you are settled in the flat, you will be taken to a supermarket to make your necessary purchases. From what other families have told us, you will have no problems
in finding everything you need (toiletries and food).

The time difference induced by the voyage together with the altitude of the town will make you tired during the first few days and you will be getting up early in the morning. The child is handed over on the Monday to families having arrived at the end of the previous week. Otherwise for those families arriving between Monday and Friday, the child can be presented on the day of arrival, either in the ICBF building or at the flat itself. During this first contact, you may take photos or film the first moments.

After about four days of being with the child, you will meet the social workers for the “integration meeting” which can take place at the flat itself. It is a simple formality consisting of a half hour visit from a social worker of the ICBF who will ask you a few questions about your relationship with the child. The experience of having hosted over a hundred adopting families has enabled us to know a little about the first moments between the families and the child. Adoptive children are often children who have a painful past and no longer trust adults. They therefore don’t necessarily accept their new parents willingly. We think it takes time, patience and a lot of love to re-establish trust. Consequently you must not feel upset if the child pinches or bites for example, or if he does not hug you or give you kisses from the start of your relationship. This is very important as some families can be distressed at the beginning. In short, you have no guidelines, and you can imagine that your own case is unique and if the child does not seem to accept you, you start to ask yourself questions.

Then the solicitor will lodge the necessary documents with the judge assigned to you. In the next few days, the solicitor might request your help for certain procedures but you will nonetheless have the time and opportunity to visit interesting sites in the city and in the area. Once you have obtained the judgement, at the end of your stay, you will need to ask for your child’s birth certificate which will be necessary to obtain his passport. Then, everything will be ready for your return to Bogota.

The flat has an independent phone line you can use for local calls and to receive incoming calls. To phone from the flat to your country of origin you will need a prepaid card (price 4 or 8 euros). Otherwise the phone in the flat is not operational for outward international calls. You can also use phone boxes in town.

In Manizales the best way to get around is by using a taxi. You will notice taxis are available anytime anywhere in town. Phoning for a taxi is easy, quick and safe. Within 5 minutes, it will be waiting at your doorstep. Moreover, the cost of a taxi drive is quite low (fares of around 1.5 euro) If you wish to visit the area we can recommend taxis that we trust who practise fair/honest prices.

During your stay, you will be able to visit recommended places without any safety problems although like in any other part of the world no one is protected from being mugged. In our ten years experience of receiving adopting families no one has ever reported any safety issues.
We particularly recommend you visit the parks: “Bosque Popular el Prado” (near the airport) and “Los Yarumos” park. There you will find open spaces, children’s playgrounds and amusements, ecological walks and restaurants. You should also visit the “Recinto del Pensamiento” park where you can stroll around the “Jardín de las Mariposas” (butterfly garden). During your stay you must also visit the Chipre Mirador (viewpoint) where you will enjoy exceptional views of the Andes Cordillera.

We also advise families to travel the “Coffee Route”. We can put you directly in contact with the coffee plantations where you will appreciate the typical context of the culture of the best coffee in the world.

Recommended speciality foods include empanadas, obleas, patacón, pandebono and buñuelos. Typical dishes: bandeja paisa, mondongo, chorizos, ajiaco and tamal. The price of a restaurant meal varies from 2.5 to 8 euros.

In the event of health problems, do not hesitate to contact us and we will do our best to help. Adopting families often request a visit to a paediatrician for their child in order to relieve any doubts concerning his/her health. A visit to the doctor’s costs about 25 euros. If you need to buy specific medicines, you will easily find them in pharmacies open 24h/24h.

Before you leave, we can take you around craft shops where you will find typical souvenirs of the area: straw hats, terra cotta hand-crafted objects, ponchos …

We hope your stay in our city will prove a satisfying experience and we suggest you make the most of it to mix and integrate with the Colombian people and take advantage of all we have to offer.