Since 2000, Buckner has been providing aid and supporting programs to serve needy children in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. In 2007, Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services, Inc. was approved by the Ministry of Justice, to begin providing adoption services for those children in need of a permanent family. Buckner Adoption and Maternity Services, Inc. operates a children's home in Addis Ababa to care for children until they can be placed in permanent families, in addition to the other programs Buckner provides to children and families in Ethiopia.
To learn more or to speak to an adoption professional, please call 1-866-236-7823 or 214-319-3426.
Buckner Adoption
5200 S. Buckner Blvd.
Dallas, Texas 75227
Effective July 1, 2011, we will place a temporary hold on accepting new applications from families desiring to adopt a child less than 4 years old from Ethiopia. We will maintain a waiting list of families who would like to be contacted when we resume accepting applications to adopt younger children. Please e-mail Anyra Cano with your name and email address to be placed on the waiting list at acano@buckner.org.
Unexpected Blessings.
The early steps of Brian Seay's adoption journey were uncertain ones, fraught with questions as he and his wife, Amy, considered adding to their already bustling family of four biological children.
(more)
Rockwall Family Listens to God, Adopts Son From Ethiopia.
It all started with a single word, scrawled into the margins on Cyndi Krawietz's Bible. Adoption? It was written with a question mark. (more)
August 5, 2011 - U.S. Dept. of State Issues Ethiopia Adoption Alert. (learn more)
April 5, 2011 - Significant Delays Remain Likely in Ethiopia Adoption Cases. (learn more)
March 25, 2011 - Q&A: Adoption Processing in Ethiopia from the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. (learn more)
March 16, 2011 - Updated Ethiopia Adoption Notice. (learn more)
March 9, 2011 - Government of Ethiopia Plans a Major Slow-Down in Adoption Processing. (learn more)
Children available for adoption in our Ethiopia program:
• Single children and sibling groups
• Older children ages 3 to 9 years old
• Some children with special needs
• Children receive excellent medical care while living in the orphanage
• Good medical records are also kept on each child receiving care
A recent UNICEF report states that more than 4.5 million of Ethiopia’s children are orphaned due to poverty and illness. This means that more than one child in 10 is an orphan. Additionally, the maternal mortality rate for pregnant women is very high – one in fourteen women will die in childbirth.
Click here to submit a screening form to view children who are currently available for adoption.
After completing the screening form, you will reach the waiting child photolisting page. If a specific child interests you, can click on the child's ID number to request more information about that child. Families who request more information on a specific child will receive a response within 24 hours. You can return to view the waiting children photolistings without completing the form again by bookmarking the page.
- Families complete a home study and then submit their dossier for the Ethiopian government's approval.
- Wait time for a referral once a family's dossier has been submitted is approximately 6-14+ months.
- Two trips are required to receive the child.
- Both parents must travel together to receive their child.
- After acceptance of a child referral, a family can anticipate traveling to Ethiopia in approximately 3-6+ months* to meet their child and appear in an Ethiopian court hearing to finalize the adoption.
(*This timeframe could increase based on recent changes made by the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs, or MOWCYA)
- The second trip will be approximately 6 - 8 weeks after the court hearing. Adoptive parents will return to Ethiopia to complete an Embassy appointment and receive their child's visa.
- Families should plan on a 1-2 week trip to Ethiopia to bring their child home.
- Families are responsible for their own travel arrangements to & from Ethiopia. Buckner will arrange for all in-country travel and lodging through our Buckner contacts.
- The majority of families will travel individually, however, there is a possibility of two families traveling simultaneously.
- Families will have the opportunity to visit the orphanage where their child lived and meet his/her caregivers and friends.
- Families will have opportunities for sightseeing and shopping to learn more about their child's culture and birth country.
- Register the child's adoption in the U.S. after completing three post-placement visits with the family's caseworker, which usually takes 12 months
- Provide annual post-placement reports to Ethiopia until the adopted child's 18th birthday.
Heterosexual married couples between the ages of 25 - 50 years old are eligible to adopt. There should be no more than 40 years age difference between the parents' age and the age of the child whom they are adopting.
Couples must have been married a minimum of two years. Second marriages must be a minimum of five years.
No more than 15 years age difference between husband and wife.
Families may not have more than five children under the age of 18 already living in their home to be able to adopt.
U.S. citizens in all 50 states are eligible to adopt from this program.
• Both parents must travel.
• There are two trips required to Ethiopia to appear in court for the adoption finalization hearing and to pick up the child.
• Buckner Adoption staff in Ethiopia will arrange all in-country logistics.
• Parents will have the opportunity to visit the orphanage where their children lived and meet his/her caregivers and friends.
• Parents will learn about child’s culture and country.
Specific fees are only due after a particular service has been rendered in the adoption process and are considered non-refundable after payment has been received. All fees are subject to change and services are charged at the rate that is current at the time of billing.
ESTIMATED ETHIOPIA PROGRAM ADOPTION COST:
For a complete breakdown of expected fees and services for Buckner's Ethiopia program, please contact our office at 1-866-236-7823 (toll-free) or 214-319-3426.
Other fees and expenses families will incur during the adoption process include:
home study and post-placement services, USCIS fees, refundable deposit,* and out-of-pocket expenses related to the family's state of residence and the country adopting from.
Buckner has relationships with licensed home study providers across the U.S. and can assist families living outside our service area in locating a licensed agency near them for these services. For families living in Oklahoma, Texas, Missouri, Kansas, Arkansas and southern California (counties of Santa Barbara, Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial), Buckner will provide their home study and post-placement services through our affiliation with Dillon International. Buckner's home study & post-placement fees = $3,150 (in California slightly higher)
The follow up reports, as well as pictures, are required for Ethiopia at:
- Three months after placement
- Six months after placement
- One year after placement
- Yearly reports until the child’s 18th birthday
Monthly medical and progress reports are required for Buckner during the first six months of post adoption support. The following is the required number of face to face contacts Buckner will make with families during the six months, depending on the needs of the child and/or family:
- Infants to 2 years: two visits
- Children 2 years to 15 years: monthly visits for the first six months
