Today, Ethiopia has an estimated 5 million homeless children.

Finding homes for children...
Many homeless children in Ethiopia have living parents or relatives whose lack of resources, not lack of love, compelled them to relinquish their child. Before pursuing adoption for children living outside of family care in Ethiopia, Holt first strives to reunite them with their birth families. Our efforts, however, are not always successful. For children unable to rejoin their families, adoption is often the best avenue to a stable, loving home.

Children who are still waiting for a family...

Since 2007, Holt has worked to place children from Ethiopia with adoptive families in the United States.

An evolving process...
Adoption officials in both U.S. and Ethiopia – including Holt International – continue to support international adoption as an important solution for homeless children. But we do recognize: as the rate of adoption has grown, so has the task of ensuring important protections for children and their birth families. Officials in Ethiopia and the U.S. are working to strengthen these safeguards, while also carefully reviewing a high volume of applications.

A continuing need...
Holt continues to work with the Ethiopian government to develop practices that are ethical, protect children and families, and ensure adoption for every child who truly needs it.

We also continue to place children from Ethiopia with families in the U.S. Currently, Holt's Ethiopia program is accepting applications from families open to children who are 5 years or older or are interested in a specific waiting child.

To learn about the many different ways Holt serves children and families in Ethiopia, click here.

Children recently home from Ethiopia