About the International Adoption Guide
International Adoption Guide is a labour of love. The first time my son sat on my lap and I kissed the top of his head, I was filled with the most unbelievable sense of joy, which has never abated. At that moment, smelling his beautiful hair, I vowed that I would do everything in my power to bring this same exquisite feeling to as many people as possible.
I am horrified at how many children in the world are growing up without the loving care of parents and how many potential parents are missing the joy of hearing the patter of tiny feet and the peals of happy laughter. For me it is very simple: there are children who need parents and there are people who need children. Now one just has to get the two together! There are two flames that burn in my heart – injustice and hope. It breaks my heart that there are 163 million children in the world growing up without parental care. That is 3 times the population of the UK, or more than the combined populations of Tokyo, Mexico City, New York, Mumbai, Shanghai, Moscow and Bangkok . It is the silent global crisis that goes ignored.
My adoption journey was difficult. I was clueless and spent hours, days, weeks, scouring the internet trying to find pertinent information. I was exhausted, drained, stressed and frustrated. I felt that the world was against me and that I would never find my child. I am a pretty strong character, life has given me fortitude, but still, I nearly gave up countless times. If I went through this, then others must be too. How many of them are giving up, or don't know where to start? A childless future is very sad, but even sadder is a beautiful child who, through no fault of its own, is denied the right of a loving family. I would have loved to adopt all the children in my son’s orphanage! I couldn’t, but what I can do, is help others who want to give a child with an unfortunate beginning, a chance to have a normal life.
In 2007, I set up International Adoption Guide which was an immediate success. I have supported and advised hundreds of people taking the initial steps to becoming a family. What I noticed when talking to these wonderful potential parents was that the same questions were coming up and I realised that I needed to enhance International Adoption Guide and make it more pragmatic and useful. I have listened and understood your needs and I am now happy to bring you the new International Adoption Guide which provides answers to any questions on international adoption. One of the most fundamental problems is lack of transparency. It seems that international adoption in the UK is a secret club and only a handful of people are allowed access. I now hand you the keys.
The new International Adoption Guide and its extended ‘family’:
The International Adoption Guide website is breaking new ground, bringing adoption information into the public domain and allowing people online access to all they need to know to complete a successful adoption. This Guide is a pioneer in offering a fully comprehensive resource that guides singles and couples through the complex inter-country adoption process, through news stories, research reports, commentary articles, links, multimedia, user services and unique products.
Membership to the International Adoption Guide community ensures that you have continual access to all the tools you need to facilitate the adoption process. You will find immediate identity, a confidential environment and a ‘buddy’ support system in an arena where you can freely express your sentiments, be they positive or negative.
The International Adoption Guide ‘We are Family’ magazine is the UK’s first and only magazine dedicated solely to the unique world of inter-country adoption. Filled with top-class original and selected articles sourced from around the world, you will find information that is relevant to you, no matter what stage you are at in your inter-country adoption journey. Designed to build upon each other, We are Family magazines will become a reference library to which you will refer again and again.
International Adoption Practical Guides are easy to read, practical downloads advising you on everything you need to know, from writing your court presentation to how to measure and buy shoes for your new child.
The International Adoption NOW weekly news service brings brief breaking news stories from the international adoption community to your computer desktop every week. Keep up-to-date with the changing world of international adoption and be ahead of the game.
International Adoption Guide’s ‘Adoption Talk’ series of products, audio recordings, seminars and workshops are uniquely created for you, as an adoptive parent, answering all your burning questions and educating and empowering you to make informed decisions about completing your family. Written and presented in clear language by experts in the field and parents who have been through the process, ‘Adoption Talk’ is specifically designed to be relevant to the UK market.
International Adoption Guide:
- is an independent guide that honours adoptive parents, identifies their needs and caters specifically for these needs
- provides up-to-date information sourced from around the world, and reviewed by peers
- ensures a premium standard of support so that you can be ensured of being educated and empowered to make the right decision for you and your family
- has strong connections with the adoption community, ensuring a stream of lively and authoritative news and commentary
- has links and relationships with international adoption bodies, placing it in a strong position in the international adoption community
- is the brainchild of an adoptive parent who has gone through the process and successfully completed an international adoption
- will continue to grow and publish the very best in adoption research, support, articles, news and opinion.
Leadership/Management
Cecile Trijssenaar - Executive Publisher
Cecile Trijssenaar set up International Adoption Guide in 2007 after a successful career in film and television, from feature films to television series. After working in news and current affairs as a freelance editor for many of the major global broadcasters - BBC, ABC, RTL, APTN - she moved into independent documentary making, focusing on investigative journalism and highlighting such hidden subjects as Agent Orange in Vietnam, the forced expulsion of the Bushmen from the CKGR in Botswana, to AIDS, diamonds and child rape in South Africa. Her films have been broadcast in over 21 countries and have won internationally acclaimed awards.
Ms Trijssenaar received an undergraduate degree in Development and Cultural studies from University of South Africa and earned a Master of Arts degree in Medical Anthropology from University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. She also holds a Higher Diploma in Film and Television studies from Pretoria Technikon.
With a passion for giving a voice to those who have none, Ms Trijssenaar has successfully established on-line and written petitions for the rights of Vietnamese Agent Orange sufferers. These petitions gathered over a million signatures and resulted in the first class-action court case brought about by a foreign country in the US Supreme Courts. She champions for the rights of women in Zimbabwe through WOZA, is a keen supporter of Survival International and is often seen raising money for whales and dolphins.
In 2008 Ms Trijssenaar invited a few guests to her home and the support group Russian UK Adoption was born. From that handful of hopefuls, RUKA has grown to an organisation of over 200 members, instrumental in Russia's transition from being a rare adoption country to one of the most popular.
It is her personal pledge to find UK homes for 1000 orphans a year from 2013.
