In July of 2006, we decided that our third child should come to us through adoption. Our goal is to adopt a toddler girl, and we will hopefully be able to bring her home by August 2008. We'll be adopting from Ethiopia.

The beautiful country of Ethiopia is located near the Red Sea, in Eastern Africa. It is one of the oldest countries, and was once ruled by the Queen of Sheba. Ethiopia remained free from colonial rule, except for five years of Italian occupation (between 1936 and 1941). The empire that began with the Queen of Sheba's son, Menelik, continued until 1974 when the Emperor, Haile Selassie, was deposed and Ethiopia became a socialist state. Civil war and droughts plagued Ethiopia until 1991, when a transitional government was formed. The Ethiopian constitution was adopted in 1994, and the first democratic election was held in 1995. The years of civil war and drought bankrupted the country and left many dead.

Ethiopia is still one of the poorest countries in the world. It is estimated that 90% of the population living in the capital, Addis Ababa, live in slums. At least 60% of the population is unemployed, and many believe the actual number to be quite higher. Many women and children are forced to carry huge loads of lumber (wood and coal are the main sources of energy and Ethiopia) for miles over hilly terrain, and only earn a few pennies for their labor. Between extremely high infant and maternal mortality rates and deaths caused by diseases of poverty, there are many orphans needing homes. 441 orphaned children were adopted by American families in 2005.

Adopting from Ethiopia can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $20,000. Below is a rough breakdown of the costs.

Application fee - $250
Homestudy/Agency fees - $4,000
Dossier-associated fees - $350
CIS I-600A - $545
Fingerprints - $70 per person over 18 (total of $350)
Ethiopia Country Fees - approx $9,000
Airfare - $1500-$2000 per adult, less for the one-way ticket for your child
Lodging - $500 if staying in an agency's guesthouse, or $50 per night in a hotel, plus costs of food

Right now, we're in the process of researching agencies and trying to raise enough money to start the adoption process. We'd like to have about $10,000 in the bank before we apply, which we're hoping to have by August 2007.

As of August 26, 2006, our adoption fund is at $222.67. We have a long way to go.

Update - 8/26/06: I've just been hired to work for my old employer. I'll be working per diem, doing evening, night, and weekend shifts. I'm hoping to get between 12-20 hours a week, but we'll see if that's actually possible. It's going to be really hard working and taking care of the kids all day, but I'll do whatever it takes. I've also got a possible babysitting job in the works.. I'm going to meet a family who's looking for someone to watch their 2 year old during the evenings every now and then. We've had a major setback.. our only car needed repairs that cost $2500. As we had no money saved, we had to borrow from my parents and are still having trouble paying them back. We won't dip into the adoption fund, though, save for life-threatening emergencies. So, we're working hard and selling off what we can (I sold a stroller for $100, and Doug is trying to sell some guitar stuff), but it's really slow going. I'd love it if I could get some clients for my scrapbooking business, Dream Sea Designs, but it still hasn't really gotten off the ground yet.

Home

Questions, comments, queries? Email me at ferrets@quiddity.cc.