If you look at most of the news coming out of Ethiopia, it seems that bad news about Ethiopia is a lot easier to find than good. Ethiopian adoptees growing up in America may get a wrong picture of Ethiopia if all they ever hear about Ethiopia is people dying of AIDS and families who cannot care for their children any longer. That's why I think it is important to also tell our children about Ethiopian people who are doing great things.

Meseret Defar is one such person. She was born November 19, 1983 in Addis Ababa, and is an Olympic runner. She won gold in the women's 5000 metres at the 2004... more

I read an interesting article in the New York Times on May 20th. It featured a new flashlight that runs on solar power and was designed with the poor in Africa in mind. The flashlight was developed by Mark Bent after he visited Africa and realized how awful night can be when there's no easy source of light.

Since August 2005, when visits to an Eritrean village prompted him to research global access to artificial light, Mr. Bent, 49, a former foreign service officer and Houston oilman, has spent $250,000 to develop and manufacture... more

I've written about some of the most common lodging options for families visiting Addis. Here are some more places to consider, especially if you end up traveling in August and September during the influx of visitors celebrating the Ethiopian New Year.

Name: Desalgne Hotel location: Bole Rd. Contact information: (011) 251 11 662-4524 Cost per night: $60 Details: This hotel is in an area of town where a lot of embassy workers live. Families report that the hotel and staff are great. Rooms are a good size and there are refrigerators in the rooms.

Name: National Hotel Location: Menelik Ave Contact information:... more

If you're bringing home a baby, you may be wondering how to navigate hotel rooms and baby bottles. Remember, even in the nicest hotel the water coming out of the tap is most likely unsafe to drink. And even the nicest of babies will likely be asking for bottles at all hours of day and night.

There are several things that make bottle-making easier in Ethiopia. First of all, most traveling parents find the kind of bottles with the drop-in liners to be the very easiest. This makes bottle washing much simpler, since basically all you are washing is the nipple.

The drop-in liners... more

This is the second part of the interview with John Bul Dau. (Part One here.) Dau wrote God Grew Tired of Us, the story of his experience as one of the Lost Boys of Sudan. John works with Direct Change, an organization created to help fund projects in Africa. Direct Change provides online fundraising tools to volunteer supporters and has recently expanded to raise money for groups working in Ethiopia including AHope and AAI's... more

I found an interesting post on a blog called Jessica's Rants. Jessica is an American woman working in Addis and living at the Hilton. She talks about observing the many adoptive families who now stay at the Hilton while in Ethiopia picking up their children. If you plan to stay at the Hilton, you'll probably enjoy her observations.

She mentions getting sick twice from eating at the Hilton. A few years back, the Hilton breakfast buffet had a reputation for causing stomach woes, but I hadn't... more

Though I am passionate about the benefits of adoption travel, I understand that there are perfectly valid and sensible reasons that people choose to have their children escorted. So how can you get a little taste of Ethiopia without getting on a plane?

BOOKS

Start by buying a good guidebook to Ethiopia (yes, even if you're not going!) The commentary that goes along with the maps and hotel recommendations can give you a good idea of what it is like to be there. The Bradt Guide to Ethiopia by Phillip Briggs is probably my favorite. I like the style of the writing. There are some good maps,... more

Looking for a way to talk with your children about the kids in the world who have less than they do? I briefly mentioned this project the other day after reading Erin's post about it, but I wanted to make sure you all didn't forget about the special Build A Bear project on Saturday, May 19th. If you are one of the first 200 customers at your local Build-A-Bear store next Saturday, you will be able to make a bear for an orphan for free.

The bears will be donated to the Joint Council of international Children's Services. The Joint Council will deliver the bears to domestic and international adoption... more

When you're planning to go to Ethiopia to pick up your baby, it can be hard to know what is important to bring. Here's my list of the most essential items to have in Ethiopia.

DIAPER SUPPLIES

Diapers--Plan for at least 10 diapers per day for every day you will be there. For a week I'd pack 70 diapers. Don't forget to account for the flight home. That sounds like a lot, I know. But many babies and toddlers have diarrhea and go through diapers REALLY fast. You can buy more diapers in Addis, but the quality is not nearly as good as those available in the USA. (translation:... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service. I've included a summary of each piece to help you decide if you are interested in reading the full story. ~~~~~~~~

Sudan: Ahead of Rainy Season, UN Wraps Up Ethiopia Repatriation Programme

UN News Service (New York) 7 May 2007

Over 600 Sudanese refugees were recently moved across the Ethiopian border and relocated back to Sudan. The UN provided returning families with... more