Edited to add: the fundraising was more offensive to the Ethiopian officials. The family’s blog was turned in to the embassy by some vindictive person. Oh the humanity. I hope Karma bites that person in the ass hard….
There has been a new development concerning blogs/fundraising/photo posting in regards to Ethiopian Adoptions. It is against Ethiopian policy/law to post pictures of orphans online. That means until the child is officially yours (case has passed court) it is against the law to post photos of your children online–I posted pic of Minnow in 2006 before he was ours without incident and it wasn’t until the last 12 months or so that it has really become an issue. I think that as Ethiopian adoption becomes more popular and Ethiopia as a country is trying to regulate adoption more it has become an issue and a life-changing issue for one particular family.
I don’t know any details really except that there was a family using a newer agency who had photos of their referred children posted on their blog along with a place where they were fundraising. This families blog was reported to the embassy in Addis. The agency that this family is using received a phone call from an gentleman from the embassy and was told that this family would never be able to adopt from Ethiopia because they had broken the rules by posting a photo of an orphan. The worker also seemed to believe that the family could not afford to raise a child if they had to raise money for the adoption so overtly. The family had also done some writing on their blog about the sad life of Ethiopian orphans, etc.
International adoption is a complex process and it is a privilege we are given to be able to add to our families through the benevolence of another nation. It is our responsibility to respect the wishes and the culture of that country and to never forget that adoption is a privilege for us and not by any means a right. I am sad for this family that their hope of adoption from Ethiopia has been squashed forever, but I am also scared that these types of things will keep happening and adoptions from Ethiopia will become more restrictive. Ethiopians are a proud people who have allowed international adoption as they understand that they cannot for a variety of reasons care as a country for all of these children.
If you have pictures of your referred children up on your blog–please take them down. I know how much you want to share with the world–and by blogging you are sharing with the world even if you don’t realize it–but it puts all of our adoptions in jeopardy. I can only imagine how hard it will be for me to not post pics when we get our referral but I will not. Please respect the wishes of the country that is giving you their children. It is the least we can do.
Embracing Imperfection 
This is a really interesting post. Thanks for the heads-up. Someday Torsten and I might be interested in adopting from Ethiopia and in general, even if we adopt from somewhere else, this is good advice to keep in mind.
LikeLike
YIKES. Thanks for this – have just scrubbed photos of the Sprout from my blog.
LikeLike
Thank you so much for posting this. I was going to error on the side of not posting when I got my referral. This just cemented that.
LikeLike
Holy cow. I was wondering what was going on – I got a few emails saying blogs were going private until after court. That is sad for that family – especially if their agency didn’t explain the rules exactly? Who knows. And, the fundraising… woow. I’m with you on that karma – the person who did that is just wrong, wrong.
LikeLike
Let me know if I can link to this post on our blog – I was just looking around and there are plenty more out there with pics and fundraising…
LikeLike
Thank you the US embassy in Addis. Thank you the Ethiopian govt. Thank you Ethiopians and especial thank to you the wonderful parents in US and Canada for making the very wrong to right.
Although 99.9% Adoptive parents are adopting the children with full of love, there are few here and there acting as if they are doing this for fun or something else, which is not good for the innocent children and their native country. While we are hearing and reading from many of you about the Ethiopia good side knowing there are bad sides too but not mentioning them because of it hurts the feeling including the children, there are few trying to rise only bad things keeping in mind to humiliate, undermine, or with other negative motives against Ethiopia the country that has ancient and beautiful people and long and proud history.
For some it doesn’t matter either it is 6.4 or 4.6 million orphanage when they are trying to humiliate the oldest Christian nation this way. Almost 2 million orphanage differences seems maters nothing to them. First of all we have no idea from where they got this the kind of magic figure. Is it UN? Hahaha. They take some estimation figures in cities and towns, and then based on this they are describing the whole nation this way because of there is no a nationwide figure about. Whether it is about AIDS, Orphanage or anything that are good to tell the world in order to collect humanitarian assistances, they just are jumping higher to call the biggest number. The truth of the matter is, because of Ethiopia is a religion nation that is too conservative in rural areas, the AIDS victims and Orphanages are in a small single digit of percentage comparing in towns and cities. Despite about 80% the Ethio population is living in the rural areas, the statistics especially about negative issues are always based on the towns and cities where the AIDS and Orphanage centres and help assistance are. This is the same to other developing countries too if the govt to that particular nation allows to happen this way.
Therefore, those acting they are adopting children not because of they love them, but because of poverty to humiliate the children, need to stop talking about the Ethiopian negative side with estimation including UN figures. Don’t underestimate any human being because of the level of consumption but values. Ethiopians are too worry about the values elsewhere especially the children are adopted/ing. Remember, these are beautiful people tested by many hardships throughout their long history mainly because of religion and they are still there keeping their religion as it was given to them since 2000 AC.
Ethiopians are appreciating and giving the Ethiopian citizenship right in their heart to the wonderful adopting families that are up to 99.9%. It is impossible to mention all of them. But Watching the Illinois Ethiopian kids, the first annual Ethiopian Christmas party (2008) in Canadian; Ray Ray’s, Micha’s, Maya’s, Addison’s, Amara’s, Lucy’s and many other communities and wonderful parents is the kind of pure satisfaction and giving deep and happy emotional rest. Through their blog, they are contributing with very, very important messages in order the Ethiopian adoption mainly to US and Canada to continue.
Because of their history and unique natural look, Ethiopians are very close people and they are always interesting what is going on among them especially with those are not able by themselves. Ethiopians see the children like Gold more than any human made use values. They prefer to die with dignity rather than humiliated by those irresponsible concentrating highlighting the Ethiopian negative past and present, too.
So, the wonderful parents in this blog, please continue the way you are doing. This will help other wonderful parents that are looking to adopt the beautiful Ethiopian kinds with/for love. The legacy of those who are adopted/-ing up to four Ethiopian born children sacrificing their life for the children’s sake will live on forever with the children’s children live and the Ethiopian people, too.
Wonderful parents;
Thank you for raising your children the best way as much as you can. Thank you US and Canadian govt and social workers facilitating and following the issue very closely for the sake of the children. Thank you those are following very closely surrounding the children including beyond the Blog. Opposing and exposing those doing wrong about is the way the adoption process continues in the future.
Thank you for allowing me posting this long message on your blog.
LikeLike
Pingback: Apparently I have been busy! | Matt + Stephanie - doubling our family size
It’s so easy for anyone to follow blogs on the internet… The reality for that family is harsh, but it sends a message. Maybe the party that “turned them in” to the Ethiopian government was in fact a member of the Ethiopian government. Let’s just trust that nothing happens by accident and not wish harm on anyone. Peace starts in our hearts! Thank you for posting.
LikeLike
I know many people who can afford adoption who do fundraising to raise money for children still in those countries or to care for their children while they are in country. ie: we collected clothing and money to send to our son’s orphanage in Russia and sold adoption bracelets and earrings to help supplement our second son’s care in Guatemala. We can afford adoption but are those considered fundraisers?
However, rules are rules and they should be followed. We followed every rule during our first adoption and never posted a picture (and it killed us) but we have pictures posted this time because we can with Guatemala.
I wish you all luck in your journey. I know it can be long and it takes a strong heart.
Marcie
LikeLike
Dawn – thank you for the interesting post. Solomon – thank you for the heartfelt and thoughtful comment. As an adoptive parent, it has always been SO meaningful when Ethiopians have allowed me to see from the inside.
LikeLike
I’m not sure I follow this story…
Someone turned the family in to “the embassy in Addis”–that must be the U.S. Embassy. Then someone from the embassy–an American official then–contacted the agency to say the adoption was cancelled.
Where does the Ethiopian government come into play? Perhaps the writer should have said Ethiopian government instead of embassy, or else it just doesn’t track for me as the American embassy would have niether the power nor the interest to cancel the adoption in the name of breaking Ethiopian rules.
Can someone clarify?
LikeLike
In this case, the “government” refers to the judge that rejected the adoption at the assigned court date.
Blogs are public, even if you just send the link to friends and family. I think posting pictures of a poor child to raise money is simply awful. It’s one thing to ask for help from friends, family, community. It’s quite another to use a medium that trades on quick visual exploitation. I don’t think this person was being awful, though. Just, perhaps, a bit thoughtless.
If these children were adults, would we post their pictures? I think we would find that a violation of their privacy. The fact is, folks use the vulnerable beauty of these children, and the sentimental feelings that evokes, to raise money in an anonymous medium. That is exploitative, no matter what the particulars of this case are.
LikeLike