Frequently Asked Questions about our adoption

Here as some of the frequent questions that we have been asked :)

1. Which agency are we using ?

We are using CAFAC (Canadian Advocates for the Adoption of Children) and they are operating from Manitoba and Alberta. I cannot say enough about this agency, Deborah Northcott and Roberta Gailbraith are two adoptive parents themselves that have both adopted children from Ethiopia and have biological children as well. They are always available to answer any questions that we have either by email or phone calls. They are wonderful to work with and always make you feel like they are there for you no matter what. Its nice as they have already been in our shoes and that they can relate to everything that we go through in our adoption process. They always make you feel as they are by your side and they even accompany us on the travel to Ethiopia when we meet our children for the first time.If you would like to visit our agency's website, I have provided the link below:http://www.cafac.ca/Their website also provides information on others countries.

2.When will we be able to bring our children home?

I have listed below the estimated timelines for an Ethiopian adoption and in red have indicated how long it took us for the different steps... Please remember that every adoption is unique because of different circumstances that arise.

At this point in our journey, we hope to be able to bring the girls home within the next 4 to 6 months. We hope to have them home before their birthdates in August actually :)

ESTIMATED TIME LINE OF ETHIOPIAN ADOPTIONS WITH CAFAC

Gathering of Documentation

Home study completion
2-7 months (Our Home Study took 2 months and 1 week to complete and be approved)

Collection of Dossier documents
4-7 months (From start of dossier to have it sent to our ageny, this part took 5 months)

Provincial letter of Approval
1-2 months (This part only took a week for us but is different in other provinces or even different part of the province as well)

Preparation Notarization
2 weeks (this took 2 weeks)

Legalization by Foreign Affairs
3 weeks (this took 3 weeks)

Authentication by Embassy
3 weeks (this took 2 weeks)

Processing of file in Ethiopia

Translation, legalization, and authentication
4 weeks (this we are not made aware as its done in Ethiopia)

Adoption Committee Approval
4-8 weeks (this we are not made aware as its done in Ethiopia)

Child Proposal
1 – 9 months (our child proposal took 9 months)

Immigration paperwork
3-7 months (na)

Adoption Finalization
2-8 weeks (na)

Travel to country
4-7 months after child formally accepted by family (don't know yet !)


3. What is the process to adopt from Ethiopia?

Overview of Steps for Ethiopian AdoptionsCAFAC Inter-Country Adoption Agency

1) Contact CAFAC Agency for Introductory and Registration PackageSend $25 with written request for package to Box 1587, Minnedosa Manitoba, R0J 1E0

2) Register with CAFAC AgencyReturn registration forms, contracts, and fees to begin process with CAFAC Agency

3) Register within your province for Home StudyCAFAC will help you contact a recognized Social Worker/Agency within your province to complete a home study on your family and to meet provincial regulations for approval.

4) Complete Education Component of AdoptionCAFAC will send education information for you to complete by correspondence. You may be asked to complete a seminar by your Social Worker /Agency to meet your provincial regulations

5) Prepare Dossier Documents for EthiopiaCAFAC Agency will send you instructions and forms to compile a dossier for Ethiopia. You will be asked for 14 pieces to complete this dossier. This is done while working on your home study

6) Send Completed Dossier to CAFACCAFAC will prepare your documentation for submission to Ethiopian Authorities- and send overseas

7) Immigration PaperworkCAFAC will assist you to submit immigration paperwork to bring child to Canada

8) Waiting for a Child ProposalCAFAC agency will help you connect with other families adopting from – or home from Ethiopia within your province and Canada. CAFAC monthly updates on what is happening in the country with adoptions will be sent to you by email or hard mail.

9) Travel PreparationCAFAC Agency will send you a travel preparation package so you can begin immunizations for travel to the country. The travel package will give you a complete information guide on what to expect in the country during your trip there

10) Child Proposal A proposal from CAFAC Agency of Ethiopia will be sent to your family through your provincial channels. Photos, medical exam, lab reports and known social history will be given. Hard copy of forms for formal acceptance will be sent to you from CAFAC. Once accepted, updates and photos on the child will be sent to you while you wait to travel to bring them home.

11) Finalization of AdoptionOnce child is accepted, and Immigration medical completed, adoption is finalized and paperwork sent to CDN immigration for visa to be issued

12) Travel to EthiopiaGroups for travel will be coordinated through CAFAC- and as paperwork comes to finalization. Communication before travel will be facilitated so families can support and get to know one another before you travel

13) Departure for EthiopiaTravel to the country is usually 10- 14 days. A CAFAC Staff person will travel with the group to assist as guide and travel coordinator. Travel is routed through Frankfurt Germany with Lufthansia Airlines into Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

14) Meeting Your ChildYou will meet your child the first full day after your arrival – for a three hour visit at CAFAC foster home. The next day you will take full custody of the child and have them with you for the remainder of your trip.

15) Time in Ethiopia. You will spend a week receiving the last of your child’s documentation, and touring the areas around Addis Ababa. This is a great time to meet, understand and absorb the Ethiopian culture

16) Coming Home, CAFAC will assist you with re entry into Canada with post placement report schedules, provincial health, name changes, and any other paperwork that is needed to help your child be home in Canada.

4. Do you know who your child or children are at this point?

Families only find out who their children are once they receive the child proposal (referral). This only happens once their file has been sent to Ethiopia and the children are matched with their family.

(We now have the refferal of our two daughters Marika & Karelle)

5. Can you choose the sex or age of the children that you are adopting?

With the Ethiopia program as there are milions of children available it is possible to request a preference for a gender. In our case, we felt that our children had already made their way into our hearts so we left it up to fate !

In regards to the age, you can also make this request. We indicated on our dossier that we would accept twins, siblings or unrelated children under 18 months at time of referral.

6. Where will our child or children stay while they wait for us in Ethiopia.

Our agency (CAFAC) has a foster home where our children stay when they wait for us to bring them home. As children seem to do much better in home like settings, rather than larger institutions, this is a "family like" foster care for children while they wait for their families. I have added some pictures of our new foster home where our children will be living while they wait for us. The home has a beautiful private yard for the children to play in. From donations acquired some bunk beds for children and bunk cribs for the infants have been purchased. CAFAC have also used donated funds to help purchase the fridge, stove, couches, enjera cooker, table, chairs and other fixtures.They have also acquired two new staff persons for caregivers in the foster home - this because of the increase in the number of children in the home. One of the positive features of the Ethiopia adoption program is the fact that the Ethiopian people respect and care for children in a way that allows them to be more emotionally intact than other countries. It is noted that all children seem to do exceptionally well in the areas of attachment and developmental milestones. This is probably attributed to the "hands on" care they receive from those who care for them.

7. Will you be traveling to Ethiopia?

Yes, we will be traveling and staying in Ethiopia at our agency's Guest House for 10-14 days. We will travel with other families (usually 2-7 families) that will also be bringing their children home to Canada at the same time. When we arrive in Ethiopia, we meet our children the first full day that we are in their Country at the CAFAC foster home. The next day we get to bring them with us for the remainder of the trip in the Guest House.

8.How much does an adoption from Ethiopia cost ? (this is more for other adoptive families that would be looking into the Ethiopia program)

If you are adopting one child, here is the approx breakdown of the fees (2005-2006)

Home study fee $2,000 CAN(that is in NB, it varies depending on where you live)
Paperwork fees $200 (criminal check, birth and marriage certificates and doct. apts)
Passports fees $174
Immunizations $700 CAN (each if it is not covered by your insurance company)
Immigration application $150 CAN per child
Agency fees $4,500 CAN
Country fees $5,500 US
Flight fees $2,500 USD (per person)
Additional fees (lodging, food, visas, souvenirs) $2,800 USD
Aprox total $23,844 CAN

If you adopt two children you pay the same fees as above and the following additional fees for the additional child that is refered to your family.
Additional Agency fee $1,500 CAN
Additional Country fee $3,800 USD
Immigration application fee $150 CAN

Total aprox for adopting two children would be $30,000 CAN plus any other expenses needed.

9.Is this amount all paid at one time?

Fortunately no, these amounts are paid at different times on the span of the adoption which gives you time to save between the amounts that need to be paid. We are very blessed to have been able to buy a rental property in the past year which is providing us with a lot of the cost of our adoption. We have also both been doing a lot of overtime at work as it has been very busy this past year so that helped a lot as well.

We have also had to make a few sacrifices of things that we were looking forward to buying or doing (trips) in the next few years but we know that it will all be worth it and that these other things will still all be there once we are home with our children.
It is also possible for couples to borrow for adoption loans through National Bank. They offer great interest rate and repayment options even on 15 years so this is another great option for couples adopting.

If you would like more information on these types of adoption loans, I have provided a link below:
http://www.nbc.ca/bnc/cda/content/0,1008,divId-2_langId-1_navCode-13374,00.html

10. Why did we decide to adopt from Ethiopia?

We firstly put our names on the list to adopt here in NB, however our
social worker told us that the wait would be around 10 years so we were not
ready to wait that long so we decided to look into internationnal adoption.

Each country has different requirement, some you need to be infertile to
adopt, some you need 5 years of marriage, some you need to both be at least 30
years of age and some you even have to stay in the country for longer
periods of time (like 8 weeks or travel more than once to the country
to finalize the adoption).

So after a lot of research, we felt drawn to Ethiopia. We really liked that we would maybe be able to adopt two at the same time (maybe even twins or siblings). We would really like for our children to have each other to go through the different stages that life will bring them. I also joined a forum online from families that had adopted from Ethiopia in the past got really positive feedback from their experience.
We were also very fortunate to meet a family here in NB who have adopted from Ethiopia and they were also able to give us a lot of great information about Ethiopia and their adoption process. We also very much liked the idea that the adoption was finalized here in Canada and that they would be our children even before we travelled to pick them up. This means that we do not have to attend any court hearing and things like that when we are in Ethiopia.

If I have missed any important questions that you may have or think other people may also have, please let me know and I will add them to our list. :)

Lisa