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KidsFirst Adoption Services, LLC.
KidsFirst International Adoption, Inc.
9135 North Meridian St., Suite B-4
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Phone: (317) 843-2300
Email: info@kidsfirstadoption.com |
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 Ethiopia is one of the fastest growing international adoption programs for United States citizens. Ethiopia is a country of approximately 82,544,840 in 2008 and is located in West Africa. The ethnic make up of this country consists of Oromo 34.49%, Amhara 26.89%, Somali 6.2%, Tigray 6.07%, Sidama 4.01%, Gurage 2.53%, Wolayta 2.31%, Hadiya 1.74%, Afar 1.73%, Gamo 1.5% (Census, 2008).
KidsFirst works in partnership with Children's House International, Inc. of Washington. CHI is licensed to place children in Ethiopia. KidsFirst will assist you throughout the entire adoption process, including the preparation or review of your home study and post-adoption reports, the preparation of all required dossier documents, the provision of all adoption education, the screening, evaluation and review of child referrals, travel, and dealing with any issues that arise during the adoption process or post-adoption. The staff of CHA will meet and accommodate families in the country.
Poverty, disease and war have left a large number of children without parents. The one thing we want adoptive families to know about Ethiopian children is that even though they have been through so much in their lives, they remain joyful, strong and resilient. Some children are available for immediate placement, or parents may receive a referral within 3 - 5 months for a boy and 6 - 9 months for a girl, after their dossier is approved by Ethiopia's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs. Very young children (4 months and up), toddlers and older children can be referred. All children are examined by doctors in Addis Ababa and are tested for HIV and other major illness. Adoptive Parents will receive a complete child study which includes a general medical abstract with test results, legal documentation and proof of orphan status, photos and sometimes a video. Children that have been accepted by a family are transferred into foster care at our facilitator's foster care home. Having your child live there during the adoption process allows us to assure that they receive the best care possible. We are able to send our adoptive families photos and updates of their children during the adoption process.
These children are available for international adoption for many reasons. Most often, this is due to their birth families inability to parent based on poverty. In many countries, birth control is not widely offered nor is it taught in the family, community or in school. Birth mothers also often do not have the capability to earn a living wage to support the child. In some situations, when a birth mother does become pregnant she may be shunned by both her family and her community. Many times this leads to desperate situations that force a birth parent to either abandon or relinquish their child. Sadly, there are other factors that create orphans: war, worldwide famine, drought and in some countries the AIDS epidemic have also created a need for adoptive parents.
Couples must be married for at least three year prior to application. Ethiopia does allow singles to adopt but the cases must be approved by Ethiopian officials on a case-by-case basis. The current waiting time from the time the dossier is approved until a referral is given is one to four months, although infant girls likely will take longer. There is a great need for the adoption of older children and boys - there are always waiting children in these categories. Two to four months after a referral is accepted you will be asked to travel to pick up your child.
Only one trip is required to bring your child home and one or both parents may travel. The stay in Ethiopia is approximately one week. You may travel prior to the court date also, which will allow you to return to the United States after the finalization of the adoption on an IR-3 visa, which gives your child immediate and automatic citizenship. You may also have your child escorted, but we highly encourage you to travel to bring your child home. Ethiopian Airlines has a direct flight from Washington Dulles to Addis Ababa. There are also numerous connections in Europe.
You may stay in a beautiful guest house which is available for our families to stay in. Our overseas team will be with you during your stay to assist you with the guest house, hotels, transportation, official meetings, etc. Most people in Ethiopia speak English and the hotels are beautiful, the food is great, and you will have a wonderful time.
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