How much does it cost to adopt a child in ethiopia
Poverty and International Adoption in Ethiopia
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Adoption, Africa, Ethiopia, Global Poverty
Due to decades of poverty and other factors, Ethiopia has one of the largest orphan populations in the world. In the past decade, Ethiopia has become one of the most common countries from which U.S. citizens can adopt children. However, Ethiopia’s ban on international adoption in 2018 has affected thousands of Ethiopian children living in poverty. International adoption in Ethiopia is an extremely complex process. Netsanet Waal, an international adoptee, explained to The Borgen Project that after she lost both her parents to AIDS, she and her little sister Mekdelawit lived in an orphanage in Ethiopia. Their adoptive parents, Rhonda and Tracy Waal, adopted Netsanet and Mekdelawit in 2007. Here are eight questions and answers about international adoption.
8 Questions and Answers About International Adoption
- How did international adoption become so common in the United States? As Europe’s refugees fled to the United States after World War II due to post-war developments, the Displaced Persons Act of 1948 helped introduce international adoption and migration into Western culture.
During the 1950s and 1960s, the number of international adoptions surged, notably among families compelled to adopt for religious reasons. Media coverage of global crises in impoverished countries increased in the 1980s. As a result, adoption became a more promoted practice in American culture and society.
- What are the benefits of international adoption? Every child deserves to have a family and international adoption provides a way for children to feel loved, safe and supported. When middle-class and upper-class families adopt children from impoverished countries, a child’s quality of life typically increases. Even more, international adoption improves foreign relations by facilitating dialogue between countries. International adoption also has a meaningful impact on those who come in contact with adoptees. In small towns with little diversity, adoptees can reshape many U.S. citizens’ perspectives on different cultures.
- What are the negatives of international adoption? The cost of international adoption is extremely high.
According to the Child Welfare Information Gateway, international adoption can cost between $20,000 and $50,000. The high price of international adoption makes it inaccessible to many families, suggesting that many capable families cannot adopt for financial reasons. Additionally, as immigrants, children adopted from other countries often enter communities that do not resemble their own. Therefore, adoptees can struggle with discovering their identity and personhood until later on in their lives, if they ever do. In an interview with The Borgen Project, Waal spoke about how her upbringing in the small rural town of Mount Vernon, Ohio affected the way she perceived herself as a black woman. Waal explained that she did not have any Ethiopian influences around her, and she struggled to connect with the culture of her home country because she grew up in a predominantly white town. - How did Ethiopia become a country known for orphan adoption? Ethiopia’s food shortage from 1983-85 caused an estimated 1 million deaths and forced millions more into extreme poverty.
The AIDS epidemic devastated Ethiopia as well. AIDS started spreading in Ethiopia in 1984; about 12% of women and 8% of men in Ethiopia were HIV positive by 2000. Children and youth also became more likely to contract HIV during the early 2000s through mother-to-child transmission. When BBC reporter Michael Buerk traveled with World Vision in 1984 and reported on famine and poverty in Ethiopia, it inspired Americans to aid the country. Waal explained how her adoptive parents had witnessed the famine on television as children. The parents felt that God was calling them to adopt later in 2007. At the time, Ethiopia was the fourth poorest country in the world. The Waal family wished to help by adopting two of the 4.9 million orphans in Africa at the time, and they were not the only family considering such a decision. - How does poverty affect Ethiopian children today? Ethiopia had a 24% poverty rate in 2016, which means that thousands of kids grow up without access to education and resources.
Less than 20% of children living in poverty can finish elementary school, while less than 25% have received basic vaccinations. - Why did the Ethiopian government ban international adoption recently? The Ethiopian government banned international adoption in Ethiopia in 2018. Ethiopian officials pursued this course of action as they believed it would protect orphans; officials were worried about the psychological problems and physical abuse that adoptees could suffer. When asked about the benefits of international adoption, orphanage administrator Abebayehu Fikad explained, “Even if we are poor, it’s better to be with our society,” in an interview with NPR.
- How did the ban of international adoption in Ethiopia affect orphaned children? Ethiopia continues to face an orphan crisis. Today, 800,000 of Ethiopia’s 4.5 million orphans have lost their parents to AIDs, and there are specific orphanages aiding children in such situations.
Many of the children will likely live in orphanages until they age out of the system. - Who is aiding Ethiopian orphans? NGOs including Save The Children are advocating for Ethiopian orphans and children. Save the Children has touched millions of lives through its work on the ground and its child sponsorship program. Save The Children has also assisted more than 1 million parents in helping their children and provided protection for more than 800,00 children experiencing crises. In addition, Save the Children has established programs to enhance education, literacy and career-building skills for unprivileged children.
Looking Ahead
Although international adoption in Ethiopia does have negative aspects, millions of children in Ethiopia do not have basic access to family, shelter or food. Although the international public cannot adopt in Ethiopia, individuals can still support Ethiopian children living in poverty by donating to the Save the Children cause.
– Abby Adu
Photo: Flickr
“The Borgen Project is an incredible nonprofit organization that is addressing poverty and hunger and working towards ending them.”
Ethiopia International Adoption Program Costs
Application Fee
$250
1st Installment of Program Fee
$2,950
Home Study (varies by state)
$1,200 - $2,500
Additional Home Study Documentation Prep. Fee (varies by process)
$0 - $100
Home Study Visit Travel Fees
(could include mileage, etc. based on current federal mileage rates)
$0 - $200
Adoptive Parent Training (2 adults)
$140 - $200
Documents/Background Checks/Miscellaneous
(varies by state and number of states previously lived in)
$100 - $1,000
USCIS Fee & Update Fee + Fingerprinting
$890
Notarization, Certification & Authentication (varies by state)
$400
Courier Service
$175
2nd Installment of Program Fee
$2,950
Post Adoption Report Deposit
(fully refundable if all post-adoption reports are returned on time)
$1,000
Dossier Service & Translation
$1,400
1/2 International Program Fee (1 child) •••
$6,750
International Specialist Consultation (varies by specialist)
$100 - $400
3rd Installment of Program Fee
$2,950
Post Adoption Administrative Fee
$1,250
1/2 International Program Fee (1 child) •••
$6,750
Trip 1 - Airfare (2 adults; prices will vary by season and location)
$2,400 - $4,000
Trip 1 - In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ••••
$1,400 - $2,500
Trip 1 - Visas (2 adults)
$100
Trip 2 - Airfare (2 adults; prices will vary by season and location)
$2,400 - $4,000
Trip 2 - Airfare
(1 child; prices will vary by season, location and ticket - ie: lap pass or child seat)
$250 - $1,000
Trip 2 - In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ••••
$1,000 - $2,000
Trip 2 - Visas (2 adults)
$100
Visa/Embassy Fee (1 child) •••••
$325
Post Adoption Visits (varies by state)••
$600 - $1,300
Post Adoption Visit Travel Fees
(varies by state and location from social worker)
$0 - $300
Post Adoption Report Refund
(refunded in installments as, and only if, each report is returned on time)
($1,000)
Re-Adoption
(highly recommended; state dependent)
$50 - $1,500
• Fees are based on national average and can vary.
Fees may be subject to change without notice. All costs are estimated for the placement of one child. Please contact our office
for estimates for multiple child placements.
•• Cost estimate for first year of post-placement reports only. In addition to reports during first year, annual reports prepared by the adoptive family will need to be translated and submitted every year until the child turns 18.
••• Families adopting two children will pay additional international program fees at the time of referral. Fees vary based on unrelated adoptions versus sibling adoptions. This fee includes the following expenses:
- America World Development Project program fee
- Child's medical exam(s)
- Orphanage donation
- Transitional child-rearing fee
•••• Includes the following expenses
- Travel Coordination and Processing
- Accommodations
- Some Meals
- Tour guides/Translators
- In-country transportation
•••••
There is an additional $720 Visa filing fee per each family adopting 2 or more unrelated children.
See our Financing Adoption page for resources to fund your adoption.
Last Updated 1/4/2023
Foreigners banned from adopting children from Ethiopia
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Image copyright, GETTY
Image caption,Angelina Jolie adopted an Ethiopian girl in 2005
Ethiopia has banned foreigners from adopting Ethiopian children for fear that they may be mistreated abroad by their new parents.
In the United States, most of the children adopted abroad were in this country - 20% of the total number of adoptions.
Ethiopian children have been adopted by celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
- A bitter experience: "We are afraid of our adopted son"
- A country where parents apologize for their adult children
- HIV-positive Russian women want to be mothers
the murder of a 13-year-old daughter and the infliction of grievous bodily harm on her younger brother, both children were adopted by the family in Ethiopia.
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Adoptions from Ethiopia in numbers:
- One in five children adopted in the US from abroad was born in Ethiopia
- 15217 children from Ethiopia were adopted in the US between 1999 and 2016 Several hundred each year 902 Ethiopian children are being adopted by families from Spain, France and Italy
children by foreigners. nine0005
Ethiopian legislators have now decided that the care of orphans and children deprived of parental care should be entrusted to the appropriate local organizations, although a number of parliamentarians questioned whether the country has the necessary resources.
Russian experience
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In Russia, on January 1, 2013, a similar law came into force prohibiting US citizens from adopting Russian orphans, known as the Dima Yakovlev Law.
The law, which caused a great resonance in Russian society, was named after a Russian child who died three months after he got into a new American family. It was adopted in December 2012 in response to the American Magnitsky Act, which provides for sanctions against Russian officials. nine0005
In January 2017, the European Court of Human Rights recognized the ban on US citizens to adopt children from Russia as discriminatory, thus satisfying the claims of 45 US citizens and 27 orphans from Russia filed against the “Dima Yakovlev law”.
According to the ECtHR, the Russian authorities violated Article 14 of the European Convention on the Prohibition of Discrimination and Article 8 on respect for family life.
Recently, the question has been raised in Russian society whether the time has come to abolish "Dima Yakovlev's law", but no concrete steps have been taken in this direction. nine0005
Two years ago, Denmark also introduced a law banning the adoption of children from Ethiopia by Danish parents, for fear that in some cases the slave trade could be hidden behind visible adoptions.
American families annually adopt about 10,000 foreign children, 10% of them from Russia for adoption. According to official statistics, about 10 thousand foreign children are adopted annually by American families, of which 10% are from Russia (China and Ethiopia are also in the top three). According to US agencies, local orphans are much more likely to be adopted in this country. nine0005
According to US Department of State statistics, since 1999, the largest number of Russian children adopted by Americans was in 2004 – 5,862 children found parents and a home in the United States.
However, after that, the number of adopted from Russia steadily and rapidly decreased every year. According to 2011 data, American adoptive parents managed to adopt only 970 Russians. Nevertheless, over the past six years, Russian orphans who have become members of American families still occupy a confident third place. nine0005
Every year, the citizens of this country adopt about 10 thousand children from all over the world - and 10% of orphans who find a family in America are residents of Russia.
In addition to Russia, the main countries where homeless children come to the US are China (2,857 children were adopted from there in 2011), Ethiopia (1,732 children), South Korea (736 children) and Ukraine (640 children) . American foster parents are not afraid to take on foreign orphans with disabilities - and it is precisely on them, according to experts, that the “Dima Yakovlev law” being adopted will now hit. “It is precisely cripples, children with Down syndrome and other babies with incurable diseases and deformities that are going to be denied adoption by foreigners,” experts say on condition of anonymity.
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The website of the US Department of Health and Human Services lists about 200 adoption agencies, about a quarter works with orphans from Russia. According to the Internet portal Adoption Guide (“Adoption Guide”), American foster families have to wait for their children from Russia for years, collect a bunch of paperwork, travel to Russia several times, pay impressive amounts for each document necessary for the happiness of an orphan.
In general, the procedure takes from 2.5 to 7-8 years, although this time may vary depending on the circumstances. nine0005
According to experts, within 1-3 months after the adoption decision is made, future parents collect information to find out what lies ahead for them. At this time, they can attend support groups for foster parents, read relevant literature. Financial costs at this stage are minimal.
The adoptive family or parent then needs to choose the type of adoption – domestic or international.
According to the Adoption Guide, it takes the average family three to six months to explore options and make a final decision.
Once an American couple has made a decision for themselves whom and how they want to adopt, they have to collect an impressive package of documents, the so-called "Conclusion of the study of social conditions" (Homestudy). The list of documents includes, among other things, birth certificates of future adoptive parents, family tax history, marriage certificate (or divorce certificate if the adoptive parent is single), medical report and medical test results, letters of recommendation. nine0005
Foster parents also need to prepare for a detailed interview.
The sample interview plan includes up to 20 questions regarding the applicant's history of infertility, their religious beliefs, their childhood, the presence of genetic and chronic diseases and addictions in the family. Spouses should describe their relationship and give examples of conflicts and ways to resolve them. It is necessary to talk about possible problems with the law, drugs and alcohol, report possible consultations with a psychotherapist, provide a certificate from the place of work and describe the financial condition of the family.
Most of the interview is occupied by questions related directly to adoption. Future parents are asked how they decided to take a child into the family, what kind of child they want to adopt, whether the race of the child and the state of health of his biological mother during pregnancy matters, they learn about the attitude of relatives of future parents to adoption. nine0005
USCIS approval ($560), police clearance certificates ($20-40), passport photos ($10-25), international passports ($170) with Russian visas ($300), family photos ($15). Certification of documents by a notary will cost about $500-1000. At the same time, the agency selects a child in Russia for its clients, the process takes up to nine months. nine0005
Immediately after choosing a future son or daughter, the adoptive parents fill out an application for adoption and submit it to the court in Russia. In the next 2-3.5 years, parents come to Russia 2-3 times: to get acquainted with a new small family member and participate in court hearings regarding adoption.
After the Russian side approves the adoption of the chosen child, the American couple applies to the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the US Citizenship and Immigration Services for permission to bring the child into the country. Having received the approval of the American side, the newly-made parents collect documents for the child (Russian passport, birth certificate and US visa) and return home. nine0005
According to the Adoptoin Guide, at this stage, the American family spends about $24-45 thousand: this includes the services of an adoption agency, registration at the Russian consulate, gifts for the orphanage in which the child lives in Russia, a medical report from the US Embassy in Russia , Russian passport for a child, US visa, air travel, food, accommodation for two, driver and translator services in Russia.
Adopting a Russian child costs US citizens $26,000-50,000. For comparison, it takes up to $35,000 to adopt a adopted child from China, experts calculated.
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There are a number of requirements for parents on the Russian side. Single parents who want to take a baby into the family must be at least 16 years older than their unborn child, although the age of married couples is not specified separately. In addition, Russia does not allow the adoption of children by people suffering from tuberculosis, diseases of the internal organs and the nervous system, infectious diseases, dysfunction of the limbs, drug addicts and alcoholics, mentally deranged, as well as anyone who, for one reason or another, cannot work. nine0005
Patrick Mason, founder and medical director of the International Adoption Clinic at Inova Fairfax Hospital for Children in Virginia, claims that the “fashion” for adopting foreign children first appeared after World War II.
"The reasons why Americans choose one or the other adoption vary, but in general, families want to provide a good life for a child who has been in a troubled country and an unfavorable environment," says Mason.
“Sometimes the requirements for “international” adoption are easier to fulfill than for “internal”. This also affects the decision of future adoptive parents, ”the doctor said. nine0005
At the same time, exact data on the number of US orphans recently adopted in America is not publicly available. There is only information on the 2000 census. At that time, there were 1,586,004 orphans living in foster families, of which 1,386,868 were natives of the United States.
According to the agency American Adoptions, the number of adopted children at home in the United States continues to grow, while abroad, on the contrary, it is declining. The cost of adoption within the country is comparable to "foreign" - and basically does not exceed $ 50 thousand. At the same time, this amount for "home" adoption may include the cost of caring for and maintaining a pregnant woman who, after the birth of a child, will give him to a foster family. U.S. domestic adoptions have increased from 14,000 to 19, according to the latest study by the National Council on Adoption.
82 to 20 thousand cases in 2007. Representatives of the American Adoptions agency argue that the information that the biological parents of an orphan from the United States can come and easily take their child from foster parents through the courts is a myth. Once the adoption process is completed by court order, the adoptive family is recognized as the family of the child by law.
At present, the US agencies prefer not to talk about the adoption problems that arise between Russia and the USA. nine0005
Chris Burrow, head of the department for the adoption of orphans from Russia at the Adoption Associates agency, told Gazeta.Ru that her organization works according to the same scheme as it has for the past few years. “We work well with Russia. In the United States, we must follow the requirements of all countries where foster children come from very carefully. It depends on whether the adoptive parents of the child will receive it or not. These mandatory legislative procedures are designed to protect every child and find a home for everyone.
We follow all such orders from Russia, just as Russia follows ours,” Burrow said diplomatically. nine0005
After a pause, she added: “I know that there is a lot of discussion in the press about further cooperation between the United States and Russia regarding the adoption of children, but I myself cannot comment on anything.”
Dillon International representative Susan Serrano listened silently to the reporter's questions and, after thinking for a minute, said that she would send all the information by e-mail, but as a result did not answer anything. Inna Pekar, who is responsible for the adoption of Russian children in the Adoptions of Indiana service, almost verbatim repeated the words of her colleague from Adoption Associates. “We focus on the law. We have a wonderful attitude towards Russia and respect its rules, ”Pekar said. “American parents have very high expectations for Russian children,” she elaborated, adding, “I can’t tell you anything else.” nine0005
However, Gazeta.
