The Need in Ethiopia

* There are approximately 5 million orphans in a country less than twice the size of the state of Texas.
* One in six children die before their fifth birthday.
* One in ten children die before their first birthday.
* Half the children in Ethiopia will never attend school; 88% will never attend secondary school
* 82% of the population survives on less than 1 dollar a day
* Only 24% of households have access to safe drinking water
* Ethiopia’s doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000
* The average life expectancy is estimated between 45 and 55 years old
* 1 in 3 people are HIV+
* Children and family are honored above all else

We encourage you to research how you can help those in need. A little can go a long way! There are several organizations out there that can provide help to those who need assistance in getting even just their basic needs met. We have listed just a few that we know can make a difference with even just a small donation. We are so thankful to live in a country of abundance.

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one. ~ Mother Theresa

Ethiopian Orphan Relief

Into the Streets of Ethiopia  

SIGN

Wherever a man turns he can find someone who needs him.  ~Albert Schweitzer

Day of the African Child

We have always loved and appreciated all that Portland has to offer, however going through this adoption process has allowed us to become even more aware of the wonderful cultural events and celebrations in the community. This past weekend Portland State University hosted the 5th annual Day of the African Child Event. After watching the parade of nations (children holding flags from the various African countries) we enjoyed the delightful sounds of African music, delicious Ethiopian food and a bit of shopping from the fabulous vendors. We even saw an adoptive family or two. We look forward to attending next year, hopefully with our daughter.

“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned, everywhere is war and until there are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation, until the color of a man's skin is of no more significance than the color of his eyes. And until the basic human rights are equally guaranteed to all without regard to race, there is war. And until that day, the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, rule of international morality, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be pursued, but never attained... now everywhere is war.”

Popularized by Bob Marley in the song War

 Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia quote

It was wonderful to participate in this joyous day with a family member who was also enjoying and appreciating every minute of this day, celebrating Africa and our Journey of Love.

Wake Up and Live

"Anticipate the good so that you may enjoy it." ~Ethiopian Proverb 

We went for a beautiful hike on Mt Hood this weekend. Hiking always provides time for us to have lengthy discussions around the current topic in our household. Of course these days the biggest topic on our minds is our adoption process. As we get closer to submitting our dossier to Ethiopia, we have started to turn our focus from the dossier paperwork to our travel plans in Ethiopia. Since we don't know exactly how long we will be gone (we can take two trips or stay for one long trip) we have several possible itineraries. As we were pondering about our trip and thinking about the possibility of just staying in Africa the entire time...we looked down and noticed a very familiar shape. We stopped in our tracks and observed a beautifully shaped rock....to us it looked like the shape of Africa. We both just smiled. 

 

Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealous. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live! ~Bob Marley

Fingerprints

 Today we got our fingerprints taken for CIS, for immigration purposes. This is the last step towards obtaining the long awaited I-171-H form (the end result of the I-600A), which gives us approval to adopt a child from another country. The I-171H form is the last piece of paperwork needed to complete the list of 22 documents/items needed in our Dossier, the paperwork that we send to Ethiopia. So, if our fingerprints are clear enough for a reading, to provide the necessary background checks, we anticipate to receive our approval paperwork in a few weeks. Another step closer! 

Family Celebration

We had Vivi's brother and sis-in-law come into town for a visit. So of course we had to take them out to Ethiopian Food! We went to Beta-Lukas for the first time. We loved the food, ambiance and service! What a special evening. It is very important to us to continue celebrating the Ethiopian culture in a variety of ways.