Perspective of Ethiopian Birth Parents on Placing Their Children in Inter-Country Adoption

Ethiopia has long been one of the leading countries in inter-country adoption. This qualitative study, which involved 16 participants selected using the snowball method and a review of relevant documents, aimed to understand the experiences of Ethiopian birth parents before, during, and after the adoption of their children, as well as their efforts to reconnect with them. The interview results were analyzed alongside documents obtained from organizations, with sub-themes and main themes manually extracted from the data. The birth parents often viewed inter-country adoption as a means of rescuing their children. The limited capacity and quality of services available in Ethiopia for vulnerable children, along with insufficient alternative child care options, influenced these parents’ decisions relented to inter-country adoption. The study recommended that Ethiopians need to invest in various supports for families with young children, especially single parents and provide training in parenting, alternative child care options, and reconnecting strategies.