Where is Home For Our Children in Ethiopia?

I thought I should explain all about how the children come to being referred to us in Ethiopia and where and how they are cared for while waiting for us to go and get them.

We have two agencies. The BC agency and the facilitator who deals directly with Ethiopia. Our facilitator has an orphanage that they work with in Ethiopia. This orphanage is a little one run by an Ethiopian woman and her son. She and her son live at the orphanage and according to reports of parents who have picked up their children, the children are well cared for and obviously loved. You have to understand, though, that this is Ethiopia, and the level of material care and quality of building is not very high compared to our standards.

Once our dossier has gone to Ethiopia I will let you know that we are officially 'expecting' - because at the point we are waiting for a referral. It is estimated to be about 6-9 months for a sibling group. If we were waiting for a single child it would be about 8-10 weeks.

Once children that match our dossier enter the Ethiopian orphanage they are moved immediately (approx. 24 hours) to our agency's Transition House. That is where they will now stay until the court dates, medicals, and passports are in place and we are allowed to travel to get them. This is approximately 4-6 months after the initial referral. So it *could* be a long pregnancy! *laugh* But we know God has the perfect children picked out for us and it will all be in His timing!

In the meantime, let me tell you all about the Transition Homes that our children will be residing in. The purpose of these homes is so that the children will have a chance to adjust to making the transition from Ethiopia to North America. There are 3 large homes, that are joined with interconnecting properties, on the edge of Addis Ababa. There are two homes for infants and one for toddlers and preschoolers. The homes are very spacious and the care is exceptional. The homes are well-maintained and clean and the caregiver to child ratio is 1:4. The reports I have heard is how absolutely loving these caregivers are to the children.

To quote one of our agency fascilitators: "The children receive the highest level of care, nutrition and love possible, on a daily basis."

The original orphanage director visits the Transition Homes and children regularly. She knows each child and their files. Once a birth mother brings her child to the orphanage, the director gets as much information from her as possible. This information will then be passed along to the Kidslink representative and passed along from them to the prospective parents. If at all possible a meeting will be arranged between the birth parent and the adoptive parent. The agency recognizes the importance of this connection between the families and they work towards this. Unfortunately, a lot of the children are abandoned, and therefore, there is no family to talk to.

We are praying that we will have a connection with the birth family. It is our hearts desire to have written contact with them and be able to send photos and letters, so they can see how their children are thriving. We then plan to visit Ethiopia as soon as we are able, when the children are old enough to remember the visit and carry away memories with them.

Now back to the Transition House and what goes on there. Again a quote from the agency:

"Now I get to brag! I love being able to talk about our transition home! We are all VERY proud of it and our workers in Ethiopia . The children are constantly being held or played with or stimulated. Baby Bach is played softly in the background, the kids get to finger paint and play outside. They also receive wonderful nutrition and multi-vitamins. We have a Registered Nurse at our home 24 hours a day - who oversees the well-being of all of our children, and caregivers at our homes.

The homes are of North American quality with a superior standard of care. In fact, we had a surprise visit from a team of Government inspectors who came through our homes last week - and were very pleased with what they saw. They were given a full tour of all 3 homes, and found them to be excellent in terms of cleanliness, organization, and childcare. They suggested that our homes could be a model for others. The Government is currently in the process of inspecting all orphanages and foster homes - to ensure that children receive proper care."

I find this news so encouraging!! This shows you the level of care the Ethiopian government extends to their children. They may not have the funds to take care of them adequately, but they want to be sure that they are being taken care of by those that are getting involved in their lives.