International Adoption Day, also known as World Adoption Day, is celebrated annually on nine November. The day brings attention to adoption as a way to provide children with a loving, safe and permanent family environment.
The day was established in 2014 by Hank Fortener, founder of the American organisation AdoptTogether. His vision was a world in which every child has a family and no child has to grow up without a safe home. The day celebrates not only adoptive parents and adopted children, but also recognises the unique stories, challenges and experiences of all those affected by adoption.
According to the Department of Social Development's latest annual report, a total of 801 adoptions were registered in South Africa during the 2024/2025 financial year. Of these, 713 were domestic adoptions and 88 were international adoptions. The adoption register also recorded 215 children available for adoption and 18 prospective adoptive parents.
Sources: National Day Calendar, www.gov.za, Adopt Together
This article is an automatic English translation of a Nuusflits article originally published in Afrikaans. Read the Afrikaans original.
