African Adoption
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African Adoption
October 2006
Hi. My husband and I are seriously considering adopting from
Africa. We would probably adopt an infant. We would like to
know how much it costs (at the end of the day) and what people's
experiences have been.
Thank you so much,
Jenny
I have no personal experience adopting, but when I returned from the
Peace Corps in West Africa I worked with this agency about possibly
placing a child from my village. It's basically an amazing woman who
adopted a boy in the 80s (one of the most incredible stories I've ever
heard) and has since dedicated herself to placing African orphans in
adoptive homes. When I worked with her 10 years ago the total cost was
about $5,000.
She worked mainly in Ethiopia, Sierra Leone but also in other countries.
She is absolutely devoted to the kids she works with.
kt
If you are interested in adopting from Ethiopia, there are a only a few
accredited agencies in the US that you can work with. They work closely
with the Ethiopian govt and follow strict ethical guidelines--I believe
at this point that it is very hard to get an exit visa if you don't work
with the accredited agencies.
There is Wide Horizons for Children out of MA (our agency); Adoption
Advocates International in WA; Children's Home and Family Services out
of MN; there may be one or two more. There are many wonderful children
of all ages and both genders available for adoption, including infants
and sibling groups.
Compared to other international adoption (China, Russia, Guatemala), it
tends to be on the lower end, but it is not inexpensive. As there are
not that many agencies you can check fees yourself pretty easily. As of
2005, I don't think it was easy to do it for less than $15k with travel,
etc. Financial aid might be available from some agencies for ''waiting
children''
adoption, but it is not extensive. There is local network for adoptive
parents and children from Ethiopia on yahoo groups, ''bayethioadopt'' if
you want more dialogue/information.
(2005) adoptive mom of 2 ethiopian children
I didn't see the orginal post, but I recall that right before our last
trip to Africa, I had seen an amazing NYTimes story in July of 2005 on
children who have been orphaned (mostly but not
exclusively) by HIV-AIDS in Ethiopia. It includes info on the
significant amount of adoption of these children by Americans, and when
I blogged it, could be found at
http://www.melissafaygreene.com/pages/afraidsorph.html. I found the
article to be an amazing and very compelling news piece, including
informative, macro, and personal aspects. Best of luck slg
Hi -
I missed the original post (and only know that someone was seeking
advice on African Adoptions), but my younger sister was adopted from
Ethiopia. She came to the US when she was 6 and is now 21 (so it has
been awhile), but I'd be more than happy to put you in touch with my
parents if you'd like. Please feel free to email me if so. Emily
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