Wandisa Specialist Child Protection and Adoption Services, based in Somerset West, has described 23 June as “a dark day” following the announcement by its Dutch partner agency, Nederlandse Adoptie Stichting (NAS), that it will cease all intercountry adoption mediation by the end of 2028.

Wandisa and the NAS have worked closely together for 16 years, placing more than 50 South African children into Dutch homes. This forms part of over 200 intercountry adoptions Wandisa has facilitated into France, the Netherlands and the US, many benefiting children with special needs or those who have faced extraordinary trauma. “We know they are thriving,” Wandisa stated in the social media post in which they shared a letter received from NAS director Arnold Schouten.

The need is real

South Africa’s child protection crisis remains acute. According to a 2024 Department of Social Development (DSD) statement, adoption is “the most permanent placement option” for orphaned and vulnerable children, yet remains deeply under-utilised in the country.

As of March 2024, some 306 683 children were in foster placement. The DSD noted that many are orphaned as a result of violent crime, gender-based violence and HIV/Aids, while others have been abandoned due to poverty and unemployment, which give rise to unwanted pregnancy and other social ills.

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Section 28 of the Constitution guarantees every child the right to parental or appropriate alternative care, placing a duty on government to provide such care when families cannot. Between April 2010 and March 2024, only 2 239 intercountry adoptions were recorded, against 16 593 domestic adoptions, bringing the total to 18 832 over that 14-year period.

The DSD has itself acknowledged that cultural barriers continue to limit the uptake of domestic adoption, making intercountry adoption a vital, if modest, additional pathway for children who would otherwise remain without permanent families.

Wandisa’s approach prioritises finding a local family for each child first. Intercountry adoption is only pursued where a child’s interests would best be served by placement outside South Africa.

Netherlands to phase out intercountry adoption

The closure of the NAS follows years of political uncertainty in the Netherlands around intercountry adoption.

In February 2021, the Dutch minister of legal protection halted adoption following a commission of inquiry, which found that serious abuses had occurred in Dutch adoption practices between 1967 and 1998. Although the suspension was lifted in April 2022, the uncertainty remained.

According to Schouten, the NAS consistently argued that the committee’s conclusions about the current situation were unjustified. It pointed out that the Hague Adoption Convention had significantly improved safeguards and that no malpractices had been recorded since 1998. Despite these arguments, the Dutch government proceeded with a phase-out plan. International adoption, including from South Africa, will cease by December 2030 and from 1 May 2030, no new approval applications will be accepted.

The NAS also faced mounting financial pressure. The Dutch ministry refused to bear full responsibility for the costs of the phase-out, demanding that the NAS cover a large portion itself. Faced with an untenable situation, Schouten and the supervisory board formally decided to cease operations on 31 December 2028, ahead of the Dutch government’s own deadline.

Schouten stated that the NAS will transfer its partner countries, including South Africa, to fellow Dutch agency A New Way (ANW), which intends to operate until 18 December 2030. Families currently in process with the NAS will have the opportunity to transfer to ANW.

Children previously adopted through the NAS retain the right to access their files. The NAS will handle these requests until the end of 2028, after which files will be transferred to the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security.

Wandisa’s commitment

Accredited by the National Department of Social Development for both local and intercountry adoptions and designated as a child protection organisation by the Western Cape Department of Social Development, Wandisa has pledged unconditional support to all families already in process, adopted children and their families and to those considering adopting from South Africa.

“With our accreditation firmly in place for the foreseeable future, we will do everything possible to advocate for policy changes that embrace South African children,” the organisation stated.

Both Wandisa and the NAS expressed hope for a political turnaround. The NAS noted in its letter that, should the Dutch political establishment reverse its decision and continue with intercountry adoption, the NAS would seek to merge with ANW to form a single, future-proof organisation.

“Of all the messages we have shared over the past 25 years, this is one of the most difficult,” Schouten wrote.

The NAS has committed to matching children with parents until the end of 2028 and to ensuring a smooth transition.

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