The Ethiopian Adoption Dilemma

I read this article by Mohammed Adow. It is a couple of years old but I still think that it is relevant and a good read for parents adopting from Ethiopia. Here are some excerpts or you can read the complete article.

Aids impact

Apart from abandoned children, there is also a steady increase in the number of Ethiopian children becoming orphans because of Aids.

Strict watch

But Hadush Halifom of the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs says that though adopting from Ethiopia may be easy, the government keeps a strict watch on orphanages that keep children for adoption. Ethiopia's adopted children rarely have the chance to return to their birthplace.

Racism

In a country where she looked different from most other people, Hannah says that it became too common for her to answer all kinds of questions about her looks - such as how she washes her hair. She adds it was not always easy to tell her adoptive parents about the trouble she was getting. "Somehow white people have a mentality of black people that they are poor, can't think and that the only thing they know is dancing and singing," says Hannah. And how does Hannah view adoption in general? "I am not saying adoption is bad or should be stopped, but it should not be as easy as it is today," she says

Identity

Hannah's biggest concern is that there are no guidelines for black children being adopted by white families. She says that it is a psychological disaster for the child if the family doesn't talk about the colour of their adopted child's skin. "It is because of the neglect of the issue of identity that you see many adopted children going down the drain despite getting the best food in the world," she concludes.