 Ethiopia
Adoption FAQ
How
does the partnership work between Wasatch Adoptions and Illien Adoptions?
Wasatch Adoptions
will be completely involved during your entire adoption process, but the
foreign process is handled by the staff of Illien Adoptions. Therefore,
some of the work needed to complete the adoption will be done by Wasatch
Adoptions, and some of the work needed to complete the adoption will be
done by Illien Adoptions. The duties of each agency are clearly defined
and our partnership in offering this program works well for our clients.
There is no difference in the cost to adopt from Ethiopia as both Wasatch
Adoptions and Illien Adoptions fees are exactly the same.
What
services does Wasatch provide and what services does Illien provide?
Wasatch
Adoptions will be the agency you will work with throughout the process.
Our staff at Wasatch Adoptions will accept your application for adoption
and work with you throughout the entire process. However, the staff of
Illien Adoptions will help you prepare your dossier documents, but your
case manager at Wasatch Adoptions will be here to help you with any questions
you have regarding this dossier preparation process. Once your dossier
is submitted to Ethiopia, the foreign staff in Ethiopia will send an appropriate
child referral to Illien Adoptions. Once the referral information is received,
the staff of Illien will send the referral information to both you and
Wasatch Adoptions. At that point your Wasatch case manager will help you
sort through the medical information so you can make a decision on accepting
or declining the referral. We will also help you prepare for your travel
when you are ready to pick up your child and will be in contact with you
while you are in Ethiopia. And, once you return Wasatch Adoptions will
be there for you to help you with post placements reports and any after
care needed.
What
if we don’t live in Utah – can you still help us with an adoption
from Ethiopia?
Absolutely!
We work with U.S. families living all over the United States and U.S.
citizens living abroad. You will have no problems with Wasatch Adoptions
being located far away from you. Much of our work together is done via
email and we have placed children with families in almost every state
in the U.S. and with many U.S. citizens living in many diverse places
around the world.
How
do I know if I qualify to adopt from Ethiopia?
Adoptive
parents must meet the following requirements:
- Are married
couples and single women; some restrictions apply to single women.
- Are couples
married for at least one year, but Ethiopia would prefer to place children
with couples who have been married for at least 5 years. This is not
yet a strict requirement but is under review.
- Have
no more than 43 years of age difference between the child and the parent.
There is no upper age limit for prospective adoptive parents. However,
common sense guidelines apply in all countries.
- Are not
limited by the number of children currently residing in the home.
The government
of Ethiopia is currently reviewing its adoption laws and considering some
changes to these guidelines. Wasatch Adoptions will update these guidelines
as necessary.
What
kind of documents do I need for my dossier?
The following
documents are needed for a dossier:
- Vital
Statistic Documents such as birth certificates, marriage licenses, etc.
- Employment
letters verifying employment and salary earned.
- Copies
of Federal Tax Returns
- Medical
Exams
- Copies
of State Background Clearance
- Reference
Letters
- Power
of Attorney
- Letter
to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs.
We will provide
you an explanation of how to obtain these documents and will give you
the examples and forms needed so you can compile your dossier.
How
do I get these documents authenticated?
Authenticated
documents are needed for any adoption dossier. The term “authentication”
means the verification of the authenticity of a document which has been
notarized or certified. We will help you with the authentication process
when it is time to get this done.
What
part of Ethiopia do the children live?
The children
live in orphanages in Addis Ababa. This is also where the office for the
foreign staff is located.
How
young are the children available?
There are
very young babies only a few weeks old, young toddlers and sometimes older
children. It is more difficult to obtain a referral for an older child
than it is for a very young child.
Can
I choose the gender of the child I want to adopt?
Yes, you
can. Both boys and girls are available and there are often sibling groups
available for adoption.
What
happens when I get a referral – will I get detailed medical information
and pictures of the child I am referred?
You will
first receive a photo and a brief description of the child referred to
you. If you decide this child might be an appropriate referral for your
family you will then receive more detailed information. The child profile
is created from information gathered about the child that includes the
results of a medical exam and a development milestone observation. The
complete child profile takes about 2 weeks to obtain if you decide to
move forward with the first child profile. All children are tested for
HIV, Hepatitis B, venereal disease and are screened for TB.
How
long does it take to finish the adoption once I receive a referral?
There are
many different things that need to be done during the adoption process
and the time can vary depending on how quickly the Ethiopian government
handled the case. Once you accept a referral for a child, it takes approximately
6 to 9 months to complete the adoption.
Who
will take care of us once we fly to Ethiopia?
Illien has
a wonderful in-country staff that will take care of you the entire time
you are in Ethiopia. You won’t have to worry about anything and
the people there will do all that is needed to make sure your experience
in the country is a memorable one.
Once
we get home, who will we work with for the post placement reports and
any after care support?
You will
work directly with the staff of Wasatch Adoptions. We will track the schedule
for the post placements when they come due and send you a reminder about
a month before the report needs to be submitted to Ethiopia. If you live
in the state of Utah, our social workers will come to your home to visit
with you and write up the report. If you live outside the state of Utah,
Wasatch Adoptions will work directly with your home study agency so these
reports are submitted on time. Our social workers at Wasatch Adoptions
are also available for any questions or problems you may encounter once
your child arrives home.
If
you are interested in more information about adopting from Ethiopia, please
email Kathy Junl at kathy@wiaa.org. |
