Adoption Associates, Inc: Domestic Infant and International Adoption Agency

Ethiopia has been doing adoptions for several years with European countries and the United States. Ethiopia was fourth on the list of countries from which children are adopted by Americans for the years 2007 and 2008. AAI has been licensed in Ethiopia since February 2006.

Adoptive parents, either married or single, must be 25 to 54 years old and couples must be married for at least two years. Parents where at least one spouse is age 49 or younger will be permitted to adopt an infant. Parents age 50 to 54 may adopt a child age five years or older.

Although this is a topic the Ethiopian government has addressed, there have been no new laws put into place regarding single women not being eligible to adopt from Ethiopia. There is the risk that at some point this may change; however, Ethiopia currently does not have restrictions for single women.

Yes, couples must have been married for a minimum of two years. They will be able to adopt an infant until they reach the age of 50. After age 50, they will be approved to adopt an older child. Single females, 25 years of age or older, may also adopt from Ethiopia.

There are a great number of sibling groups in Ethiopia waiting for families. It is also possible to adopt unrelated children, especially older children. Adopting more than one child at a time requires only one dossier, so there is no additional paperwork, and it is much less costly to adopt two children at once than to complete two separate adoptions.

It is recommended that families take an additional $300-400 with them when they travel. This will be for tips and other nominal charges, such as entrance to the museums and orthodox churches. If families travel to other regions of Ethiopia, an additional cost will be incurred.

No, it will be translated into the Amharic language when it arrives in Ethiopia and that fee is outlined in the fee schedule.

Yes. The prospective adoptive parents will write a letter to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs (the branch of the Ethiopian government that oversees adoptions) requesting permission to adopt a child from Ethiopia. The letter will give information about the adoptive family. The letter will also state why the family wants to adopt a child from Ethiopia and how they will maintain the child’s culture and heritage.

Generally, you will receive your referral within about three to twelve months after your dossier is sent to Ethiopia, depending on the age, number, and gender of children you would like to adopt. Once you accept your referral, you will travel to attend the court hearing. You will then travel to bring your child home. The length of time from acceptance of referral and bringing your child home will be between 3-4 months.

Children may travel with adoptive parents. However, the family will incur greater travel costs as a result. The trip may be difficult for young children, but older children may have a wonderful experience.

Yes. AAI is currently working with orphanages in and around Addis Ababa. Most of the orphanages operate on limited budgets, and, therefore, they greatly appreciate donations. Most of the orphanages prefer donations of money so that they can buy exactly what they need and avoid the taxes that they must pay on any goods that are donated. Donations of formula are also great appreciated as it is scarce in Ethiopia. If you are interested in donating to an orphanage in Ethiopia, please contact AAI or visit our donation page for more information.

Each trip will be approximately 5-7 days. You will also have one day traveling to Ethiopia and one day traveling home. During the time that you are in Ethiopia, you will have many opportunities for sightseeing.

You will stay in a lodge that is approved by our facilitator in Ethiopia. It will be in a safe area and surrounded by restaurants and stores. The lodge has an internet connection, laundry service, and the cost is reasonable.

Babies as young as six months of age at the time of referral are able to be adopted. There are also many toddlers who have lost their parents due to economic conditions, illness, or AIDS and who may be able to be adopted. Many older children up to age 15 and sibling groups are also waiting for families. Children age four and older tend to be the group of children hardest to place and most in need of families.

For the most part, they are either a) economic orphans, b) completely abandoned, or c) orphaned due to the death of their HIV-infected parents. When one birth parent or birth family member is still alive, we will try to arrange for you to meet him or her during your trip to Ethiopia.

The children in the orphanages receive excellent care. Infants and small children are out of their cribs and with the caregivers as much as possible. Older children have a great deal of interaction with the caregivers and with each other.

The children have been tested for HIV on at least two occasions. Some children are tested when they enter the orphanage, but all children are tested by our pediatrician at the time of the referral medical evaluation. They are also tested again by the U.S. Embassy doctor before the child’s visa is issued.

Yes. The process for adopting an HIV positive baby is very similar to the process of adopting a “healthy” child. Prior to Jan 2010 families needed to file additional paperwork (request for a waiver) at the embassy because an HIV positive child was considered inadmissible. They would then wait for the waiver to be issued, which took about 10 days, before they would be approved to bring their child home. As of Jan 2010 an HIV positive child is not considered inadmissible. The only real difference is that your home study and immigration approval would need to indicate that you are approved for a special needs child.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is not common among Ethiopian children, mostly due to the economic conditions of the country.

Yes. When you receive the referral of a child, the referral will include as much social history as we have available to us, a medical report and pictures. The social history may incude birth parent information, why the child is an orphan, and how long the child has been in the orphanage. The medical evaluation is performed by a pediatrician and tests for HIV, Hepatitis B and VDRL are completed.

Yes! AAI has a site that allows you to create your own adoption-themed journal and post updates about your adoption journey that your family and friends can respond to with their own comments. Best of all, this service is free to families adopting through AAI.

Families adopting from China, Ethiopia, Nepal, and Russia can customize their journal by choosing a country-specific background. These themes feature children’s artwork created with various types of artistic mediums or international artifacts and will give your adoption journal an international flair. Generic backgrounds are also available for families adopting from other countries.

Have photos that you would like to share? When you create a journal, you will be able to post an unlimited number of pictures to your journal for your family and friends to enjoy without ever leaving their homes. Because all journals are password-protected, you’ll be able to rest easy in the knowledge that only those who have your password will be able to view your postings. Once your journal is set up, simply share the site link and password with friends and family that you would like to keep updated about your adoption journey.

To start your journal today, visit http://www.adoptionjournals.org, or ask your international consultant for more information.