Ethiopian Adoption

Celebrations are always better with friends!
We are blessed to have a great and GROWING group of families who have or are adopting from Ethiopia in our region.  Yesterday, Ethioguatemama and Ethioguatepapa, of Casa de Chaos, opened their home to all of us to celebrate the Ethiopian New Year, Enkutatash. We had lots of new members in attendance... I think I counted 13 families, 6 families have their child(ren) home from Ethiopia.  People drove from 2-3 hours from two different directions to converge together.  We were able to share photos, items, food, and stories. The few dozen kids played together and had a blast!!

Coffeybunny was there with SJ and B.  Easties were there. The A Team was there. The M family was there with their new daughter Rusie. We were able to meet Robyn and the Inmans for the first time, along with a half dozen other new families who don't have blogs.

Really and truly, I can't tell you how much of a blessing this group is. We have been home with Miriam almost three years (making our family the first ET adoption of the group) and only in the last 9 months have we had these connections.  It feels so good to finally have the physical, real life connections.  Now if we just didn't have to drive 2 hours. :)   If you're in East/ East central TN,adopting from Ethiopia, and you're looking for a group come join us.

Looking to buy Ethiopian items and help out a good cause?  Check out this little online store. They have clothing, jewlery, toys, decor, and other Ethiopian items. All proceeds go to benefit Ethiopian Orphan Relief. Check it out.

One of the harder things about living where we do is that as far as I have been able to tell, we are the only family with an Ethiopian born child in the immediate area. We have to drive hour and a half to get to the nearest group. Which, as I talked about here, we have started doing. The wonderful thing is that I know of two other families in process who live much closer... and even BETTER, last night we were able to have supper with a third family who is seriously considering Ethiopian adoption.

Well, today we had the awesome opportunity to attend the FIRST ever meeting of the East Tennessee Ethiopian Adoption group. We had six families in attendance with a total of 5 children home from Ethiopia. It was so fun to see so many little Ethiopian-Americans together at once. Hopefully the next time we meet even more people will be able to attend.

ETHIOPIA FAQ

1. What is a ballpark estimate of costs? $15-25,000

2. What is a ballpark estimate of time from sending our paperwork in to referral? Varies greatly by agency from 0-24+ months. Most have no wait for older/school aged children and older sibling groups. Wait times for infants, especially girls, maybe as high as 24 months with some agencies. While new agencies may have waits as low as 0-3 months for infants. Requesting young sibling groups/twins under 3 years also results in longer wait times with most agencies. Little to no wait for special needs children.

3. What ages are the children referred? All ages are available. Infants as young as 2 weeks on referral to high school age. Male and female equally available.

4. What is a ballpark estimate of time from referral to travel to get child? May be as quickly as 8 weeks, but usually 16-20 weeks after referral.The biggest factor is how long you wait for a court date, and if court is past on the first try.

5. What is the age range for parents that can adopt? Varies by agency, widest range is 25-50 for an infant, older child available to those over 50.

6. Do one or both parents have to travel? no

7. Can the child be escorted home? Yes, but add 2-3 months on to the timeline. Many agencies allow only for very young children. 

8. How long is the in-country stay? 5-9 days (varies by agency)

9. Can single parents adopt? At this time, some agencies are saying no. Others say that single females are allowed to adopted in limited numbers, and agencies have been given quotas.

10. Does this area allow adoptions by homosexuals? Most agencies say no, but the US State dept page reports exceptions may be made.

11. Are there mainly boys or girls available for adoption? Boys and girls are equally available, but more girls are requested.

12. Is there a special needs program? There is no formal special needs program, however special needs children, including HIV+, may be adopted.

13. How healthy are the children being referred? Generally healthy, expect minor illnesses and conditions such as parasites and malnutrition.

14. How reliable is the program? With a well respected agency, very reliable.

15. Why are the children being made available for adoption? Children may be abandoned likely due to extreme poverty or social stigma related to AIDS or single mother; children may be orphans (one or both parents dead) usually due to famine, AIDS, or various other diseases; children may be relinquished by one or both living parents due to extreme poverty

16. Will my child have any contact with the original parents? Yes, this is very possible. Many adoptive families are able to meet the first family including living first parents and extended family while traveling to pick up the child. Some agencies allow and facilitate ongoing contact between families, other discourage it.

17. How much information will I have on my child and their history (including medical)? Varies greatly depending on the agency and also depends on the case. Most agencies provide all known back ground which may or may not be complete and accurate, a basic physical evaluation by a doctor, basic lab work as well as Hep B and HIV tests. Some agencies provide a video at time of adoption with interviews of first family and other important facts.

18. How many children may I already have in the home? At this time, Ethiopia appears to have no limit on number of children. However, some agencies report that they are limited by Ethiopia to families with 5 or less children in the home. 

19. Do I need to be infertile? no

20. Can I adopt more than one child at a time? Yes, sibling groups are available. Also Ethiopia allows the simultaneous adoption of non-related children, but many agencies do not.

21. Are sibling groups available? Yes, many sibling groups are available, some have 4+ children. Twins and even triplets are available.

22. How long do I have to be home with my previous child before I can adopt from this region? Varies by agency. As far as I know Ethiopia has no time requirement.

23. Are children in foster care or orphanages? Orphanages. Most agencies run their own orphanage or intermediary home. Some agencies are saying new laws require that children have passed court before they maybe moved to these homes.

24. How many children are referred from this region every year? Numbers have almost doubles every year for the last 4 years. In 2005, 440 children were adopted to the US. In 2006, 731. In 2007, 1255.  In 200, it was over 1400.

25. Are people with disabilities allowed to adopt Yes, as long as they can prove that they can care for a child.

26. Are people with weight issues allowed to adopt? Yes

27. Can I adopt from this area independently, without an agency? While technically possible, this is discouraged by both the US and Ethiopian governments.

28. May I visit my child in their country while we are waiting for the adoption to be finished? Yes, as far as the Ethiopian government is concerned. Agencies may try to prevent this.

29. May I send letters and/or packages to my child while we wait? yes

30. May I turn down one or multiple referrals before I find the child I wish to parent? Depends on the agency rules.

31. What happens to the children whose adoptions are disrupted in country in this region?
Children are generally legally adopted BEFORE the parents travel to Ethiopia. So if the family were to disrupt in Ethiopia, they would be abandoning the child who would be placed in a government orphanage and can never be adopted again.

32. How much support is out there for people who adopt from this area? Because of the newness of the program and smaller numbers compared to other programs, most support and resources are found online. However, more and more local groups are forming.

33. How much help is given to families in this region so that they may try to keep the children instead of relinquishing? Limited and is dependent on the area of the country.

34. How much, if any, of the fees I pay goes toward bettering the lives of the people and/or children in this region? Varies by agency. The Ethiopian government charges no fees for the adoption. All agencies are required to become NGOs and to provide humanitarian services in Ethiopia in order to be licensed for adoption placement.

35. How much contact can I have with the original family, foster family or orphanage post adoption? Depends on our child's individual situation. Some families have no contact at all. Some actually help support the first family in Ethiopia. Some agencies forbid any on going contact.

36. What, if any, organization oversees adoptions from this region? Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) is responsible for general oversight. The Ethiopian court system finalizes the adoption.

37. Are adoptions from this region generally ethical? yes, however stories of questionable ethics are surfacing more and more often.  Therefore it is VERY important to choice the agency with care.

38. Does this country allow photolistings? no

39. Do I need to use an agency, facilitator, lawyer, all of the above or none to adopt from this country? You will need to use an agency (perhaps separate than your homestudy agency).

Adoption Links

• CHSFS (our adoption agency)
• CHSFS Forum (great forum for CHSFS families)
• Ethiopia Adopt Yahoo group (for all interested in ET adoption)
• Ethiopia Adoption FAQ (mainly a CHSFS family site but good info)
• East Tennessee Ethiopia Adoption Yahoo Group (for families in Eastern TN)

Please keep in mind that our timeline was in 2005! A lot has changed in Ethiopian adoption since then.