Illien/EAC has an excellent and highly experienced staff in Ethiopia; they are our eyes and ears. All of our staff, at home and abroad, is committed to good communication with our families. We strive to keep you informed as to the progress of your case. We are proud of our level of service. We look forward to being a part of your adoption team as we work together to complete your adoption.

Ethiopia is a country comprised of many different ethnic groups and the children available for intercountry adoption are representative of these ethnic groups.

Children available for intercountry adoption range in age from infants to older children, sibling groups and special needs children. Families may state their preference for a boy or girl.

Families seeking to adopt two or more unrelated children must be pre-approved by the Agency. For sibling groups presented as biologically related, Illien Adoptions International, Inc. may require confirmation through DNA testing. This cost may be passed along to the Prospective Adoptive Parent(s).

Ethiopian children have become orphaned or are abandoned for a number of reasons stemming from the country’s overwhelming social issues of widespread poverty and disease.

When a child has been orphaned or abandoned, he or she must be registered with the government to initiate a two month waiting period, after which the child can be declared legally eligible for adoption. In Ethiopia there are many waiting children of every age who have been declared eligible for adoption.

There is much disease in Ethiopia brought on by poor nutrition, medical care and sanitation. Many of the children are orphaned because their parents did not have access to adequate nutrition or medical care. All children available for adoption have been tested for HIV, Hepatitis B, and venereal disease and screened for TB.

The medical care available to orphaned children is generally very good. By US standards, children are typically small for their age and present with mild to severe developmental delays. In many cases, the children may be small for their age due to poor nutrition, and the developmental delays may be due to the lack of appropriate stimulation and interaction. With proper nutrition growth can be stimulated to some degree and with appropriate evaluation and intervention, developmental delays can be overcome in many cases. Typically, Ethiopian children tend to be very social and interact well with other people. However, this does not necessarily mean that attachments are secure and that they have not suffered from abuse or neglect prior to their placement in the orphanage.