Why did Nepal close its doors to international adoption?

One of the first questions people ask is whey Nepal has been closed for the past 18 months. In a nutshell, Unicef, the UN child rights body, jointly released a report last year that found between 60 and 80 percent of the 12,000 children placed in homes throughout Nepal had family members they could live with.

The previous adoption process also came under a great deal of scrutiny because direct "deals" were made between the parents and orphanages, without any governing body managing the process. Parents were paying up to $20,000 to adopt children, most of whom were not genuine orphans and some of whom were taken overseas without their parent's consent or knowledge.

The new process is being governed by the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare who will be responsible for matching prospective parents and children. The fees have also been fixed at $8,000, with $5,000 going to children's homes and $3,000 to the government. This, however, does not include fees for your international adoption agency or your travel.