Child’s Information
Gender of Child Boy
Year of child’s birth – give your best guess if you are unsure Born in 1998
Name of child at the time of adoption – include nicknames Tesfahun / Tesfa
Age of child at adoption 5 years
Year child was adopted 2002 Year of Adoption
Give information about child’s Ethiopian family, if known. No names or locations are known for Tesfahun’s family. Tesfahun was found in Addis Ababa, sleeping on the street in a ditch at about three years old in year 2000. A young woman named “Bitta” or “Beta” found him and told the police. A police officer named “Sayum” or Seyoum brought Tesfahun to the police station to wait for his family to find him. Several months passed and nobody came looking for Tesfahun. After this Sayum brought Tesfahun to Kibebe Tsehay, a government orphanage.
According to Abebe, a young girl and Tesfahun’s friend at the orphanage, Sayum may have known a family member of Tesfahun (his father or uncle). At Kibebe Thsehay, Tesfhuan was visited by Sayum and “Bitta” or “Beta whom found him in the ditch. Both brought Tesfahun food, gifts, and cared for Tesfahun very much.
Tesfahun was eventually transferred to AFAA House (Estimated around November 2000) where he was for about two years before being adopted and coming to the USA in 2002. He was malnourished and showed signs of abuse when he arrived to America. Sayum did not visit Kibebe Tsehay after Tesfahun left but Beta still visited the other children. Tesfahun as a child never spoke about his mother, it seems he was raised by his grandfather and grew up around men and guns.
Relinquishment or Abandonment Information
Age when child entered care center or orphanage 3 years
Year child entered a care center or orphanage 2000
City/town of origin Tesfahun was found in Addis Ababa
Give information about how the child became available for adoption Tesfahun was brought to Kibebe Thsehay at around 3 years in in 2000. He was found on the street in Addis. Tesfahun said he saw many difficult things in Ethiopia.
Adoption Agency Information
Adoption agency through which the child was processed Americans for African Adoptions (USA)
List people involved with the case Almaz (AFAA house nannie) Bitta or Beta (woman who found him) Sayum (Police officer who took Tesfa to station and then Kibebe Thsehay.
Adoptive Country USA
Orphanage/care center #1
Orphanage or care center used in the adoption Americans for African Adoptions Foster Home
Orphanage or care center workers and their titles, if known Cheryl Carter-Shotts (Founder and Director), Almaz (Nannie)
Region of orphanage or care center Addis Ababa Region
City/Town of orphanage or care center Addis Ababa
Orphanage/care center #2
Orphanage or care center used in the adoption Kebebe Tsehay or Kebebe Tsehaye
City/Town of orphanage or care center Addis Ababa
