Ethiopia post-adoption guidelines
Reporting requirements
The Ethiopian Country Program closed in 2013, however there are ongoing post adoption reporting requirements.
Australia supports open adoption practices. This means many adoptees and adoptive families want to learn about their birth families and, where possible, stay in contact with them.
The Ethiopian Government also supports this approach. It recognises that adoptees have a right to information about their birth families.
The Ethiopian Government requires adoptive families to send a post‑adoption report every year for each child adopted from Ethiopia.
The government department responsible for intercountry adoption in Ethiopia is the:
Ministry for Women and Social Affairs (MOWSA).(Opens in a new tab/window)
Reporting process
Complete the report each year as either a PDF or Microsoft Word document.
Email your report to: ICA.Ethiopia@dss.gov.au and CC (copy) the state or territory authority that handled your adoption
The Australian Central Authority (ACA) will record that your report was received and send it to the Ethiopian Government
You do not need to send paper reports however, if you want to send a hard copy or include physical items, you can post it to:
Mr Bantider Getachew
Child Support and Protection Officer
MOWSA
P.O. Box 1293
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
If you send a report by post, you must also email ICA.Ethiopia@dss.gov.au and CC your state or territory authority to advise that the report was sent.
Please note: The ACA does not keep copies of post-adoption reports. However, it does keep a record of which reports have been received and sent to the Ethiopian Government.
Ethiopian supports
Support services
Ethiopian adoptees and their families can contact MOWSA if they need information, documents, or support.
This includes help with:
- post-adoption support
- getting adoption documents
- searching for family or learning about their origins
Please contact:
Mr Bantider Getachew
Child Support and Protection Officer, MOWSA
Email: BantiderGetachew@gmail.com
Phone: +25 1 933 199 542
Access to adoption files
To access adoption files, first contact the state or territory central authority that managed your adoption.
You can also contact the Ethiopian Government to request files held by MOWSA.
Please direct enquiries to:
Mr Bantider Getachew
Child Support and Protection Officer, MOWSA
Email: BantiderGetachew@gmail.com
Phone: +25 1 933 199 542
Privacy
The department collects personal and sensitive information when adoptive families email post-adoption reports to the ACA.
Your information is protected by law and handled under the Privacy Act 1988.
The department collects this information so it can send your report to the Ethiopian Government. This helps meet their post-adoption reporting requirements.
By emailing your report to the ACA, you agree to your information being collected and shared for this purpose.
Information about the department’s Privacy Policy, including how to access or correct your information or make a complaint, is available on the Privacy Policy page.
More information
If you have any questions or concerns about Ethiopian post adoption reporting, contact your relevant state or territory central authority. They are listed in the intercountry adoption contacts.