Ethiopian Adoption Over the Last 5 Years

5 years ago there were less than 300 Ethiopian adoptions. Last year there were a little over 1700. It's incredible to see how quickly this country has grown in international adoption rates.

Having just come back from Malawi, I'm still surprised at how difficult it is to adopt children from Ethiopia. Some of the reasons adoption is still so difficult is because of...
Corrupt or incompetent governments (Ethiopia is an exception to this!)
Social stigma of removing children from their countries

BUT one thing I love about Africa is that they take care of their children as best they can! One of the major reasons Madonna's had such a difficult time with her Malawian adoption is because the little girl she wanted to adopt has a grandmother who wants to care for her! In our American minds, we think we can care so much better for an orphan even if they have family alive, but what's really the higher value?

Baby Ethiopia will be a legitimate orphan. And I'm grateful for organizations like CWA that look out for the abandoned babies. But recently I am really challenged by the African solidarity to care for their children, even at such a great personal expense. I guess that takes me back to the "love comes close" idea...