"It is wonderful of you to save a child from those conditions"
or
"God's plan is for you to find your child in Ethiopia"
We don't feel any of these above statements are true. The truth is is that we have sought her and believe that she is "saving" us by completing our family almost more than we are saving her. We have a huge space in our hearts to be filled. We are simply looking to connect with and to love a person.
But I do feel that, in a way (call it fate or whatever), we have turned our "unfortunate" situation of infertility to an opportunity of giving an already born child an extraordinary life; an opportunity that they may not have had otherwise. I quoted unfortunate because I do feel it unfortunate that I've had my ability to be able to choose to get pregnant taken from me at a young age, but at the same time, we have always had a feeling that things are happening for a reason and we have contentment and peace in that we now have no other choice but to adopt. We will now have a "fortunate" for everyone involved.
For most children, being a child in ET is not easy. Double that statement if you are a female.
Here's a few facts (cited from plannedparenthood.org):
Economic Status | Source | |
| Rank of development (2008) | 105th out of 109 on UNDP Human Poverty Index | Human Development Report |
| Per capita income (2008) | $280 | World Bank |
| Population subsisting below $2/day (2007) | Close to 78% | Human Development Report |
| Population below basic needs poverty line (2006) | 38% | CIA: World Factbook |
| Population subsisting food insecure (2005) | Over 50% | World Bank |
| Population affected by 2003 drought (2005) | 14 million | World Bank |
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Reproductive Health | Source | |
| Average births per woman (2008) | 5.24 | UNFPA |
| Average number of children, rural areas (2005) | 6.4 | World Bank |
| Females giving birth before age 18 (2005) | 24% | UNFPA |
| Females using contraceptives 15-49 (2006) | 14.7% | UNFPA |
| Males using contraceptives 15-49 (2004) | 17% | World Bank |
| Rural population using modern contraceptives (2004) | 4% | World Bank |
| Women approving family planning (2005) | 60% | World Bank |
| Husbands approving family planning (2005) | 34% | World Bank |
| Adults wanting family planning services to space or limit childbearing, if available (2001) | Over 45% | Central Statistical Authority and ORC Macro, in Haile |
| Women with access to prenatal care, in 2000 (2007) | 28% | UNICEF |
| Births attended by skilled personnel, from 1996-2004 (2007) | 6% | UNICEF |
| Births in health facilities (2005) | 5% | World Bank |
| Deaths during childbirth (2006) | 850 per 100,00 live births | World Health Organization |
| Deaths from pregnancy-related causes (2000) | 1 in 14 women | World Health Organization, in Haile |
| Deaths from pregnancy- and abortion-related causes (2006) | 1 in 7 women | Population Action International |
| Deaths from unsafe abortions (2004) | 90 per 100,000 live births | World Health Organization |
| Percentage of females seeking abortions who are under age 18 | Over 50% | PPGG |
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Primary Health | Source | |
| Population with use of adequate sanitation facilities (2007) | 13% | World Bank |
| Rural population with use of adequate sanitation facilities, in 2002 (2006) | 4% | UNICEF |
| Population with use of improved drinking water sources, rural (2009) | 12% | World Bank |
| Population with access to public health facilities (2006) | 61.3% | USAID |
| Population more than 10 km (6 miles) from nearest health facility (2006) | Over 50% | World Health Organization |
| Physicians per 100,000 people (2008) | 3 | World Health Organization |
| Population moderately to severely underweight (2009) | 33% | UNICEF |
| Population stunted (2006) | 47% | World Health Organization |
| Population at-risk for malaria (2006) | 3.1 million | World Health Organization |
| Women dying from tuberculosis (2006) | 96 per 100,000 | World Health Organization |
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HIV/AIDS | Source | |
| Country rank of HIV infections in sub-Saharan Africa (2005) | 5th | World Bank |
| Percentage of HIV/AIDS cases in the world (2005) | 7% | World Bank |
| Overall HIV prevalence, adults 15-49, in 2003 (2006) | 4.4% of population, or 3 million people | World Health Organization |
| Adults infected weekly (2006) | 5,000 | World Health Organization |
| Age group with highest rate of infection | 15-24 years; female prevalence 3 times greater than among males | USAID in PPGG Fact Sheet |
| Women living with HIV, 15-49, per 1,000 (2009) | 770,000 | UNAIDS |
| Mother-to-child HIV transmission | 2nd highest number of new infections per year | USAID in PPGG Fact Sheet |
| Children living with AIDS (2009) | 230,000 | UNAIDS |
| Children orphaned by AIDS, estimate (2009) | 989,000 | UNICEF |
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FGM | Source | |
| Women aged 15-49 with FGM (2007) | 80% | Population Reference Bureau |
| Girls undergoing FGM | 62% | Population Reference Bureau |
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Women's Status | Source | |
| Women marrying before age 18 | 57% | National Committee of Traditional Practices of Ethiopia |
| Women experiencing rape, in total population (2007) | 25% | World Bank |
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Children's Status | Source | |
| Newborns dying before age 1 (2006) | 1 in 7.7 | UNICEF |
| Children dying before age 5, often from preventable diseases, from 1995-2000 (2005) | 1 in 6 | World Bank |
| Main causes of early childhood deaths (2008) | Diarrhea and pneumonia | World Bank |
| Orphans, 2003 estimate (2006) | 4 million | UNICEF |
| Children under age 5 stunted from lack of nutrition (2006) | Over 50% | USAID |
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Education | Source | |
| Literacy, adults (2009) | 43% | US State Department |
| Literacy, women (2007) | 35% | CIA World Factbook |
| Primary school attendance, females (2006) | 55% | Ethiopian Economic Association, in Haile and UNESCO |
| Primary school attendance, males (2006) | 75% | Ethiopian Economic Association, in Haile and UNESCO |
| High school attendance, females (2006) | 25% | Ethiopian Economic Association, in Haile and UNESCO |
| High school attendance, males (2006) | 42% | Ethiopian Economic Association, in Haile and UNESCO |
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