US State Department - Abandonment Requirements Ethiopia
1 May 2009
ยท Abandonment Requirements: When a child is abandoned, by law it comes into the custody of the Government. MOWA places abandoned or orphaned children in orphanages or foster homes, pending adoption. When a child is found to have two HIV/AIDS-infected parents, or one living HIV/AIDS-infected parent, the Government routinely declares that the child is an orphan and assumes legal guardianship of the child. Many AIDS-orphaned children adopted by Americans come from the HIV/AIDS hospice run by the Missionaries of Charity in Addis Ababa.
Waiting Period: It is common for the Government of Ethiopia to require that a child be resident in an orphanage for three months before they can be adopted.