Ethiopia
February 28, 2007
Location: Africa
Children Available for Adoption:
Infants
Toddlers
School age children
Twins
Sibling groups
Children with special needs
Parent Requirements:
Parents must be at least 25 years old when adopting a child from Ethiopia, Africa. Ethiopia accepts both married couples and single women. There is a preference for married couples to have a healthy marriage of at least three years. Ethiopia does not limit family size for prospective adoptive parents.
Travel Requirements:
Parents may choose to travel to Ethiopia, Africa or use an escort to bring their child home. Travel is not a requirement in an Ethiopian adoption.
Timeline:
There are children available for adoption immediately in Ethiopia. The wait time is less than in many other countries. After receiving a completed dossier the wait time for infant boys, siblings groups, and children with special needs the wait time is 0-6 months. Infant girls are a longer wait due to the demand for this population with an estimated wait time of 6-12 months.
Hague Convention Status:
Ethiopia has not signed the Hague Convention on International Adoption. Prospective parents may pursue adopting an child from Ethiopia and will not have this delayed due to the Hague as long as the 1-600 or 1-600A is completed prior to implementation.
Benefits:
Ethiopian children come from a civilization rich with history. In Ethiopia children are cherished dearly, but due to the extreme poverty, many parents can not afford to care for their child. In addition, many Ethiopian orphans have lost one or both parents to AIDS and the tolls of war. Ethiopian orphans are most often cared for in orphanages and provided with several caretakers with whom they can attach to and build a relationship with, which is vital for development and the health of the child.
