Article from eMediaWire

Adoption Agency Sees Surge in Applications for Ethiopia Program

Children's Home Society & Family Services celebrates 200th child from Ethiopia placed with an adoptive family in 2006.

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (PRWEB) December 23, 2006 -- On Saturday, December 23, 2006, a couple from Burnsville, Minnesota, will arrive home from Ethiopia with their adoptive daughter, marking the 200th adoption placement from that country in 2006 through St. Paul-based Children's Home Society & Family Services (CHSFS). This is the family's second adoption from Ethiopia.

CHSFS' Ethiopia adoption program started in April 2004 and since then, 345 children have found stability and permanency through adoption and is the fastest growing adoption program in the 117 year history of Children's Home Society & Family Services.

CHSFS receives at least one adoption application each day from parents hoping to adopt from Ethiopia and averages 16 children placed into families each month. CHSFS is one of only a handful of US-based adoption agencies authorized by Ethiopia to provide adoption services and works with families across the country.

Some reasons for the increase in interest for adopting from Ethiopia are:

• The need is great. For years the media has shown images of the plight of children in Africa suffering from the effects of famine, disease, war and extreme poverty. Adoption provides a meaningful way to reach out to a child in need. There an estimated four million orphans in Ethiopia.

• The process is efficient. Once an adoption application has been approved, it only takes two to six months to get a referral from the country, a timeframe that is considerably shorter than other adoption programs. Also, the Ethiopian government has created an environment that is well-equipped to facilitate international adoptions.

• The cost is affordable compared to adopting from other international and domestic infant adoption programs.

Anyone interested in learning more about adopting from Ethiopia is encouraged to contact Children's Home Society & Family Services at 800-952-9302 or email.

About Children's Home Society & Family Services: Since 1889, Children's Home Society & Family Services (CHSFS) has met the needs of children and families through our adoption, child abuse and neglect prevention, early childhood education, and comprehensive family services. As a statewide non-profit 501(c)(3) organization, CHSFS is committed to help children thrive and to build, strengthen and sustain individual, family and community life. For more information please log on to www.chsfs.org or call 651-646-7771.

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/12/emw493606.htm