It is difficult to believe that Ethiopian adoption has taken such a hit when the number of completed adoption cases from last year are reviewed. In 2011, 1732 adoptions from this country were finalized. Wow! That is an incredible number and serves to show just how dramatic the shift is going to be when the numbers from 2012 are counted. Ethiopia continues to struggle under the weight of misfiled paperwork and fraudulent activities. This has caused an almost complete shut-down on the part of the officials from this area in order to ensure that all of the children under their jurisdiction are being cared for properly.
Earlier in 2011, it came to the attention of officials that children who where not properly documented as orphans were being pushed through adoptions. Some of those children where reported saying that their parents thought they were being sent to America for schooling and would return. Of course, this caused the major slowdown in case processing that occurred. On top of that problem, many of the I-600’s were being sent back because they were not filled out correctly. All in all- 2011 was a hard year for adoption from Ethiopia.
The good news is that things are looking better for the year of 2012. Many of the kinks in the adoption program are being worked out by governmental officials and officials from other participating countries. Most of the major problems have surfaced. This helps in dealing with them in a timely manner. If all of them had not surfaced, they would pop up unexpectedly and cause severe problems at a later date.
The last information that I have read, showed a 90% slow down on case processing. This has caused an uncomfortable feeling of dread among many of the families that are waiting for their children. Questions like: “When are we going to be matched?” and “How long will it take us to bring our child home?” have become standard talk when Ethiopian adoption is the topic.
Unfortunately, I have no answers on that front. I research daily and keep up with the status of this country but have difficulty accessing any new information. This can be disheartening for the prospective parents involved in this program. If you are one of the parents that are waiting for a match, referral or paperwork- hang in there. There are many people trying to help Ethiopia regain their adoption program. I believe this year will be a year of rebuilding for them.
~Angie
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