Anything Ethiopian?

Ethiopia is diffinitely on the map- which map and whether it does us any good is another question. The condition of the country's families, torn by poverty, HIV/AIDS, hunger and political strife has made way for another line of "involvement" with Ethiopia- Adoption.

Over the past couple of years a steady stream of foreigners have been seen in Addis with Ethiopian babies and toddlers. Some parents travel in groups, so that if you run into a bunch of Spaniards with a whole load of babies on thier chests, backs, in their prams and trolleys on a day out in Bole, you shouldn't be alarmed that your vision is deteriorating in the fume-ridden air of Addis. Most of the children are between 3 months and 3 tears old, some of them look slightly pasty and ill, most however look like ordinary babies raised on a budget in Ethiopia.

Even Angelina and Brad did it and called their child Zahara- glad that it wasn't another monstrosity of a name like Maddox (noble meaning I know, but evil sounding).

So what does this mean for Ethiopia and the children themselves?

The issues of the adoption itself is not so controversial to me- if the children are from genuinely poor and desperate circumastences what are their options for a better life? Orphans get passed from auntie to uncle to grandmother etc, and with the growing number of children in general, the economic bottlenecks tightening and the increase of parentless children is it not better to try and give them a better future, even if that means taking them away from their cutural and familiar roots and ties. Culture does not feed a hungry child. The question is on the side of the adopters- what are their motives, their capacity to engage with a foreign child, if they want children, should they not adopt from their own country? There are plenty of blogs that detail the experience of the parents in adopting children.

They read ok, but they always leave a sense of unease in their self-assured, almost self-reighteous, confidence that gives the impression that they see themselves as some crusading knight in shining armour. They short-sightedly decry the whole situation of the country if something gets in the way of their adopting a child; true, Ethiopian bureaucracy and officialdom are the devil's own creation, but the desperate, wall-climbing aggressive impatience make you wonder at the capacity for good parenthood.

I watched an interview of someone responsible for adoption within the Ministry of Social Affairs about 18 months ago, he was describing the application for adoption process and the monitoring system that the government uses to ensure the children go to a good and caring home. The usual scrutiny of familiy history, employment and financial records takes place, after which the prospective parents pay a visit to Ethiopia to choose "their" child from a children's home. 6 to 12 months after the adoption some ministry officials pay a visit to the new home of the child, where they take in the surroundings and relationship that the child has been placed into. Is this an effective means of checking? Will the government official not be bamboozled by the glories of the full-grown wealthy and materialistic societies of the west and perhaps be prepared to overlook some "irregularities" in exchange for some perks of high living?

I have been in the embarassing situation of bumping into fellow country men on their return from an experience sharing visit to Europe, where they had spent 3 weeks to look at sustainable eco-tourism and forestry practices. Bad tempered at having to return "home" and having to account for all their spending they were loading up on duty free booze, mobile phones and other gadgets before the flight; eyeing thestaff of the airport with a mix of chauvinistic disdain, desperate need for human contact outside their intrigue-ridden clique, and surpressed aggression born out of envy.

This was an isolated case and maybe the visit was misconstrued from a start, but it means that officials from a developing country odo not neccessarily have the skills or psychological knowledge, especially when it come to vulnerable children with new western families. And this does not bode well for a child that has been entrusted to their attention and observations. To give credit, there are plenty of government officials who are serious about their mission and care about the fate of the child- but what mechanisms are there that ensure they can report any irregulaties, abuse and neglect. Do the social services of the host country really care, would they engage with the official outside his/her "turf"? See the case of Victoria Calimbie in the UK 5 years ago, that child died of the most depraved and inhuman abuse and neglect right under the clucking eyes of the social service workers that had visited her a few times before her death.

What does it mean for the whole nation? In a generation's time tens, perhaps hundreds of young people will return to Ethiopia- will it be a fresh breeze to reverse the brain-drain and stem the evils that are coming out of a misjudged embracing of western values? Or will it simply be another sad story of people without true roots and identity crises, not belonging here nor there nor anywhere.