By Christina Harper
Herald Writer
Adoption Advocates International in Port Angeles is one of only two adoption agencies in the United States approved to conduct adoptions from Ethiopia. Their program has been running for five years.
The agency placed more than 50 Ethiopian children in U.S. homes last year, director Merrily Ripley said.
The Ethiopian government looks at international adoption as being a good option for waiting children, Ripley said, although that has not always been the case. The number of children who need homes is hard to count, because most of them live on the streets or with extended families.
"There are not enough orphanages," Ripley said.
Ninety-five U.S. visas were given to children coming to live in the United States from Ethiopia from Oct. 1, 1999, to Sept. 30, 2000, according to the State Department. That country ranked 16th for the year, with China coming in first with 5,553 visas and Russia next with 1,000.
Preliminary numbers for 2001 show 117 visas for Ethiopian children being adopted into the United States, more than 4,100 from China and more than 4,200 for Russia, said Edward Dickens, a spokesman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the State Department.
To adopt a child from Ethiopia usually takes less than a year and costs about $10,000. Because the standard of living is lower there, it can be less expensive than some other international adoptions.
Adoption Advocates helps people interested in adopting older children and siblings. Babies are available, but there is a longer waiting time, Ripley said.
For more information on Ethiopian adoptions, contact Adoption Advocates International, 401 E. Front St., Port Angeles, WA 98362; 360-452-4777; www.adoptionadvocates.org/Eth.htm.
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