A 501(c)(3) Not-for-Profit

Child Welfare Organization and

International Adoption Agency

Licensed by the State of Georgia

1250 Piedmont Ave, NE.

Atlanta, Georgia 30309 USA

Tel: 404-815-1599

Fax: 888-892-7838

info@illienadoptions.org

Ethiopia Adoption Program

Illien Adoptions International, Inc. has been licensed by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of the Government of Ethiopia since the beginning of 2006 to find permanent families for abandoned children. Since beginning its work in Ethiopia, Illien Adoptions has partnered with the Illien Foundation for Children, Inc. to assist with humanitarian projects to benefit many poor and destitute children and help address the causes of abandonment. If you or your family or friends want to donate to any projects during the course of your adoption, you may make donations through Illien Foundation for Children, Inc..

Illien Adoptions International, Inc. maintains an in-country office and staff. These people's experience, energy, passion, and commitment to the children of Ethiopia are the heart and soul of Illien’s Ethiopia program. The Agency works in cooperation with NGOs (non-governmental organizations) licensed by the Ethiopian government to give orphanage care to children.

Children Eligible for Adoption in Ethiopia

Ethiopia is a wonderful program for families who wish to adopt a child of any age, ranging from babies to sibling groups and children with special needs. Families may state their preference for the gender and age range for the child at time of referral (with certain restrictions). Currently, our families are experiencing a longer wait time for a referral of a baby girl than for a baby boy. When our agency makes a referral to a Prospective Adoptive Parent(s), we send a complete Child Profile Report (CPR), which includes all available information on the child’s family history, as well as medical information including lab workups, which detail HIV, Hepatitis and venereal disease status. The child(ren) are referred to the orphanages by the Ethiopian government officials. In Ethiopia, it is not the custom to register a child at the time of birth. Therefore, the age of the child is estimated according to the information available. When the child comes to the orphanage, the age of the child is already established by the official documentation. Our Agency’s staff in Addis has the child examined by a panel physician of the US Embassy before we give the referral to a family. Therefore, an official / legal age, as well as a medically estimated age are both provided to families.

Requirements for Prospective Adoptive Parents

Single women and married couples are eligible to adopt. The government of Ethiopia prefers to place children with couples who have been married for five years, but couples married for at least one year are also acceptable. In general, the upper age limit for Prospective Adoptive Parents is 60. However, if the Prospective Adoptive Parent(s) are open to considering children age 10 and older, then these parent(s) may, on a case by case basis, be accepted to adopt. Prospective adoptive families are not limited by the amount of children currently residing in the home. Currently, single women are eligible to adopt (with some restrictions). However, please note, Ethiopian government policy regarding adoptions by unmarried women is one of the issues being studied as part of the government’s overall review of adoption regulations and practices. The Ethiopian government’s policies about adoption are subject to change at any time.

Travel Requirement

As of May 9, 2010, Prospective Adoptive Parent(s) are required to travel to Ethiopia for the Court Hearing for the adoption. The purpose of this requirement is for the Prospective Parent(s) to see the child, spend time with the child, and appear before the judge to affirm in person their decision to adopt this child(ren). The Ethiopian authorities hope that this will prevent disruptions and ensure a safe and permanent relationship between the parents and the child(ren). If a married couple is adopting, both parents are required to attend the court hearing. Adoptive Parent(s) are not required to attend the US Embassy appointment in Ethiopia. However, if no parent is able to attend, then the child may be escorted. Choosing to have an escort can add several months to the adoption process. If escort services are needed, this can be arranged through the Agency.

Why Ethiopian Children Are in Need of Adoptive Placement

Ethiopian children have become orphaned, relinquished, or are abandoned for a number of reasons stemming from the country’s overwhelming social issues of widespread poverty and disease. Many of the children are orphaned because their parents did not have access to adequate nutrition or medical care. There are many children without special needs or medical issues at the time of adoption. However, there are many special needs children, who are also available for adoption and in need of loving homes. In particular, there are many children, who have tested positive for HIV/AIDS, and they are considered special needs children. Because HIV/AIDS is affecting more and more children in Ethiopia, our agency has increased its efforts to help these children find loving homes.

How To Learn More About or Begin the Adoption Process for Ethiopia

First, if you are interested in learning more about our Ethiopia Program and our agency, go to our website's "How To Get Started" inquiry page. This is a form that helps us respond to your questions more efficiently, and there is no cost or obligation. Please fill it out completely, click on SUBMIT, and our staff will respond soon after.

Second, for more details about the Ethiopia program, feel free to email info@illienadoptions.org and request the extended edition of our Ethiopia Program Description. For a breakdown of actual and estimated fees, see also left sidebar of this Ethiopia Program page.

It is very important with any international adoption program that we make sure that you qualify for this program and that you understand how the country’s adoption process works. We always enjoy speaking with our prospective adoptive parents. We also encourage you to follow up your inquiry by calling the Agency at (404) 815-1599. You may speak with the Ethiopia Program Coordinator, Brett DuPree, who can personally answer your questions about this program. We also welcome you to fill out our online inquiry form to request information about our Ethiopia Program or any of our programs.

UPDATES from the U.S. Department of State re: ETHIOPIAN ADOPTIONS

As of mid-November 2011: USCIS has issued a few more Requests for Evidence, bringing the total to 15. They also noted that these RFE responses will be filtered through the Rome Field Office, instead of Nairobi. However, they will continue to use Nairobi's Field Office for any new cases.  Read the complete announcement here at adoption.state.gov } Country Information } Adoption Alerts & Notices.