Sebilu Bodja & Kristi Gleason: Domestic Adoption in Ethiopia

Sebilu Bodja, MPA & Kristi Gleason, LMSW, outline Ethiopia's transition from being a sending country for international adoptions toward developing and prioritizing domestic foster care and adoption programs. They highlight ways that Bethany Christian Services has worked in partnership with the Ethiopian government and local communities to establish policies promoting family-based care, expand the social work workforce, and move towards deinstitutionalization of children previously cared for in orphanages. They identify ways that, historically, funding from NGOs, churches, and individuals may have inadvertently led to proliferation of institutional care and provide suggestions for ways to direct funds and volunteer efforts to promote family-based care for vulnerable children globally. For a transcript and more information visit https://emilyhelder.com