When families decide to adopt from Ethiopia, often their eyes are opened to the tremendous need there. That need is way too enormous to be addressed through adoption alone. Currently there are 4 million orphans in Ethiopia. In 2006, 732 children came to new adoptive families in the U.S. Though adoption was a great solution for those children, it is obviously not helping the vast majority of the needy people in Ethiopia.

So what can a family do? Some adoption agencies have programs that help the community from which children come. Adoption Advocates... more

Many families consider bringing another child along with them on an adoption trip. Here are some things you should think about when you are making your travel decisions.

What's Your Child Like?

One big consideration is probably the age of the child. In my experience, kids over 10 or so tend to do really well with this type of trip. A younger child is going to be more needy and take more of your time, especially when jetlagged. With younger kids you'll want to take a hard look at their personality before you decide to bring them.

For example: -- Is your child fairly easy-going? -- Can she fall asleep in unusual places? -- Is she... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. I've included a summary of each piece. You can click on the title of each story to go read the full story. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Ethiopia: Finland, Amhara Region Sign Agreement Worth 9 Million Euro

From the Daily Monitor (Addis Ababa) June 29, 2007

One of the Millennium Development Goals that Ethiopia is currently trying to implement calls for a reduction in the proportion... more

The other day at the clothing store I spotted two adorable little green and pink sleeveless dresses for my preschoolers. They were on the clearance racks for $6 each. I brought them home, happily imagining the girls looking utterly adorable wearing them at their big sisters' embassy appointment in Ethiopia.

But then I remembered what our agency had told us about clothing in Ethiopia. No shorts. No dresses that show off the knees. No tank tops. Nothing sleeveless. Ethiopia, you see, is a very conservative country, and all of these things are considered immodest-- on adults anyway. Suddenly wondered if the adorable dresses would really be okay. I tossed off a question to our... more

I’ve been on a hunt for the perfect purse. I want one that is small enough to be called a purse. But since I’ll be traveling with two kids on the way over and four on the way back, obviously I need it to have some serious storage capacity. Pockets and partitions are a must. Ideally it should be usable as a backpack if I need both hands free. But, again, it can’t be as BIG as a full sized backpack because I want it to fit easily under the seat in front of me.

Incidentally, one of the serious downsides of getting bulkhead is that you have no underseat storage... more

When I was in Ethiopia in 2005, I found my daughters some cute little knitted hats at one of the little shops I visited. The hats were knitted in the colors of Ethiopia. After I bought them, someone told me they were Rastafarian hats. That got me wondering who on earth the Rastafarians were. Basically all I knew was that they usually wore their hair in some really amazing-looking dreadlocks.

Research uncovered some interesting facts about this group. The Rastafarians are actually a religious group that worships Haile Selassie I, the former Emperor of Ethiopia, as God incarnate. The name Rastafari comes from Ras (Prince) Tafari Makonnen, the pre-coronation name of Haile Selassie... more

Any time you head out of country on a trip, you are leaving a certain level of safety behind. Thankfully there are things you can do and bring on your trip to safeguard your visit.

Insurance

There are a variety of different insurances that you might consider buying when you travel to Ethiopia. Travel insurance will protect you if your luggage is lost or if your travel is delayed due to illness or paperwork problems. Your travel agent will be able to help you purchase it.

Look into the rules of your health insurance. Ours will reimburse us for their portion of medical bills paid while we are outside the U.S. but we must show them the bills when... more

One of the toughest things about adoption travel when you already have a family is deciding who gets to go. John and I were talking about our trip the other day, wishing we didn't have to leave the bigger kids at home. We have tons of willing relatives who all live nearby, and the kids will be well taken care of. But still it is hard to leave them -- so hard, in fact, that the last time John and I were gone overnight without the kids was in 1998. For our adoptions since then, John stayed home and I traveled with a teenager.

We've been planning to bring our two year old with us this time around, since I don't think it would be good for her to be away from me for a week. When we... more

Lots of people wonder which shots are necessary for Ethiopia. Most people will need to an international immunization nurse to get shots for Ethiopia. Check with your county health department to find out where the international travel nurse is located in your area.

Keep in mind that most insurance companies view international travel as optional and will not cover the cost for most international vaccines. If you get the full complement of recommended shots, you can come away with a bill of $500 or more.

John and I talked over our options ahead of time, and so he already had an idea of which shots he wanted to get. The nurse that we talked with was very helpful. She said that... more

Here are some news highlights from Ethiopia this week. I've included a summary of each piece. You can click on the title of each story to go read the full story. As always, links are only good for a few weeks, unless you subscribe to the news service.

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Ethiopia: Country Likely to Take Highest Share of Bush's $30 Billion HIV/Aids Plan

It was reported by the Addis Ababa Daily Monitor that Ethiopia will receive the highest share of President George W. Bush's $30 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Kimberly... more