After we chose Ethiopia, the next step was to choose an agency. Ethiopia does not allow independent adoptions from non-Ethiopian citizens so everyone else works through an agency. Some people choose to go through what is known as a partner agency, which is an agency that works with an agency that is licensed in Ethiopia. We wanted to go directly to the source and work with an agency who is themselves licensed in Ethiopia. When we adopted, that list was 21-23 agencies long. It might be more now.
Why is agency selection so important? Well, that is a long and complicated question. The short answer is that agencies differ more than you would believe. The way they care for children in Ethiopia is different. Fees are different. What kind of kids are adopted from each agency is different. But what is most important, and something we didn't find out fully until later, is that certain agencies have a more ethical reputation in Ethiopia than others. Some agencies have done some unethical things, and one agency has even been shut down over it. Ethics were a primary concern for us, and so we really took some time to research an agency.
Our first inclination was to choose an agency that was local to us. But we quickly learned that wasn't important. An agency that is halfway across the country can give you just as good of service as one that is down the street. We also quickly found out that an agency's staff in Ethiopia and what happens over there is many times more important than what happens in the US. Even though you are communicating with the US office, it is the Ethiopian office where things go right or wrong for your case.
We researched in a few ways. We went to each agency's website and looked at their materials. We called agencies and asked questions. The thing that probably helped us most was going to several different yahoo groups. There are groups specifically for picking agencies that can really help sort out what is a confusing process. From there, you can learn from families who have gone before-both good and bad.
We eventually settled on Adoption Advocates International out of Port Angeles, WA. Why did we choose them? Of all the agencies who are still working in ET, they have been working the longest. They place babies, older children, HIV children, and special needs children for adoption. They are well respected in ET. They try to keep fees down for adoptive families by running efficiently. Their care center is excellent. The only real negative we heard about them before we chose them is that their communication can be spotty. And we were willing to sacrifice a little comfort in order to get somebody who we could trust would work well on the ET side.
So how do we feel about them now? After two years, everything we were told is true. The care of their kids for an orphanage is very good. They do seem to be well respected in Ethiopia, and we have no questions about their ethics. Their communication has been just as poor as we expected, although it is more of a question of understaffing and organization than anything else. They have always been nice and willing to help when we talk with them.
But we weren't done when we picked AAI. Since they are not in our state of Indiana, we had to pick yet another agency to do our home study and to see how we were doing after Rogi comes home. For that, we chose Kids First in Indianapolis and we have never regretted that decision. They have been wonderful to work with. The first home study was easily done, and after that we have had to do two home study updates and those were made so much easier by the wonderful social worker we have worked with.
So picking agencies can be something you may think can be rushed through, but it really shouldn't be. You entrust a large part of your life to these agencies, and you want to have total trust that they're working for you as best they can.
Why is agency selection so important? Well, that is a long and complicated question. The short answer is that agencies differ more than you would believe. The way they care for children in Ethiopia is different. Fees are different. What kind of kids are adopted from each agency is different. But what is most important, and something we didn't find out fully until later, is that certain agencies have a more ethical reputation in Ethiopia than others. Some agencies have done some unethical things, and one agency has even been shut down over it. Ethics were a primary concern for us, and so we really took some time to research an agency.
Our first inclination was to choose an agency that was local to us. But we quickly learned that wasn't important. An agency that is halfway across the country can give you just as good of service as one that is down the street. We also quickly found out that an agency's staff in Ethiopia and what happens over there is many times more important than what happens in the US. Even though you are communicating with the US office, it is the Ethiopian office where things go right or wrong for your case.
We researched in a few ways. We went to each agency's website and looked at their materials. We called agencies and asked questions. The thing that probably helped us most was going to several different yahoo groups. There are groups specifically for picking agencies that can really help sort out what is a confusing process. From there, you can learn from families who have gone before-both good and bad.
We eventually settled on Adoption Advocates International out of Port Angeles, WA. Why did we choose them? Of all the agencies who are still working in ET, they have been working the longest. They place babies, older children, HIV children, and special needs children for adoption. They are well respected in ET. They try to keep fees down for adoptive families by running efficiently. Their care center is excellent. The only real negative we heard about them before we chose them is that their communication can be spotty. And we were willing to sacrifice a little comfort in order to get somebody who we could trust would work well on the ET side.
So how do we feel about them now? After two years, everything we were told is true. The care of their kids for an orphanage is very good. They do seem to be well respected in Ethiopia, and we have no questions about their ethics. Their communication has been just as poor as we expected, although it is more of a question of understaffing and organization than anything else. They have always been nice and willing to help when we talk with them.
But we weren't done when we picked AAI. Since they are not in our state of Indiana, we had to pick yet another agency to do our home study and to see how we were doing after Rogi comes home. For that, we chose Kids First in Indianapolis and we have never regretted that decision. They have been wonderful to work with. The first home study was easily done, and after that we have had to do two home study updates and those were made so much easier by the wonderful social worker we have worked with.
So picking agencies can be something you may think can be rushed through, but it really shouldn't be. You entrust a large part of your life to these agencies, and you want to have total trust that they're working for you as best they can.
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