Why Adopt from Ethiopia?

When we explain our adoption story to people sometimes they ask, "Why Ethiopia?" The main reason we are adopting from there is that God opened our eyes to the need and after much prayer, we felt led to adopt there. However, I wanted to include these facts on Ethiopia. We did actually research adopting from the foster care system and adopting from the United States prior to making our decision.

Facts on Ethiopia:
*There are over four million orphans.
*Ethiopia is ranked by the UN’s Human Development Index as one of the four poorest countries in the world.
*Annual per capita income is less than $160.
*1 in 10 children die before their first birthday
*1 in 6 children die before age 5
*Over 50% of children are stunted
*Malnutrition is the underlying cause of more than half of all child deaths
*Average life expectancy is 48 for men, 50 for women
*1 physician for every 34,988 people
*Only 50% of children attend primary school (K-3)
*Average class size in government schools – 85-100 children
*44% of Ethiopia’s population is under age 15

Our family has room. We have food,clothing,and lots of love to give. God has called us to love the orphan. This is what we will do.:)

p.s. We are very supportive of those who choose to adopt from foster care or domestic. All children need a safe, loving, and secure home.