exposing the dark side of adoption
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AHOPE, Ethiopia

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http://www.ahopeforchildren.org/index.html

Relations to other organizations

Organization Relation Type Organization Country Date from Date to
Ministry of Women’s Affairs (MOWA) Approved AHOPE, Ethiopia
AHOPE, Ethiopia Cooperates with Human Capital Foundation 2005 Jan 01
AHope for Children Founded AHOPE, Ethiopia

BACKGROUND AND HISTORY OF AHOPE FOR CHILDREN

      In 1997, Adoption Advocates International (AAI), based in Port Angeles, Washington, began to provide adoption services for orphaned children in Ethiopia.  It was obvious from the first that there were huge numbers of orphans in that country and that there were not enough orphanages to care for them all.    In response to this need, Adoption Advocates established Layla House in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia.  Layla House is a model of care for orphaned children, described by some visitors as an “oasis” in a desperately impoverished city.

     Every child referred to Layla House is tested for HIV/AIDS upon arrival at the children’s home.  ONE IN EVERY SIX HAS TESTED POSITIVE FOR HIV. So Adoption Advocates established a second home in Addis Ababa, this time one that was exclusively for the care of children orphaned by AIDS who tested positive for HIV.  In 2002, Merrily Ripley, the director of AAI, asked me (Kathryn Olsen), to establish a non-profit corporation to assist in the funding the home for HIV positive children, a local NGO called ENAT HIV Children’s Center. The result was AHOPE for Children, now licensed by the State of Washington as a non-profit corporation and recognized as a tax-exempt charity by the United States Treasury Department.

     In July of 2004, ENAT HIV Children’s Center was replaced by a new NGO, AHOPE Ethiopia.  The former ENAT HIV Children’s Center children and facilities were turned over to AHOPE Ethiopia on July 12, 2004.

Documents

Title Publication date
Gail Gorfe's reflections on "the AAI difference" 2009 Oct 21
Haunted by the babies’ cries 2008 May 9

Location

Addis Ababa