DNA Project – Beteseb Felega Ethiopian Adoption Connection
Please read this page for important information about our Databases.
Our Project at FTDNA Donate to our DNA Project
Many adoptees were abandoned or adopted without any information about their families. DNA will be the only way to definitively prove relationships for these cases. Therefore, we have initiated our own DNA Project. Through the generosity of FTDNA, we are able to provide adoptees with discounted Family Finder (Autosomal) kits. Kits and associated costs for searching Ethiopian family are paid for by Beteseb Felega – Ethiopian Adoption Connection. If you would like to donate to this effort, you may do so here.
Fees
Adoptees abroad purchase their own kit directly from FTDNA at a the reduced cost of $49 +$3 shipping. We will give you the discount code for our project; see the detailed instructions below. We are covering fees for searching Ethiopian families, with help from our generous donors.
Because DNA only works when the “other side” is also tested, we require everyone who signs up for this project to pay it forward by donating the funds for one Ethiopian family to be tested ($52 ($49 + 3 for shipping)). We had hoped to be able to support this project through voluntary donations. Unfortunately, we do not receive enough to support the entire project.
Community Support is Vital to this Project
In order to have match possibilities, Ethiopian families must be tested. The costs of such a project are high, and community support is a must. Here are a few of the associated costs: kit cost for every Ethiopian in the database; our social worker time finding, interviewing, and vetting mothers/fathers who are good candidates for this project; meeting and getting samples; traveling to meet and interview family members to get their full story after a match is made; transport; work with the DNA company; posting the cases; keeping track of all the information; fundraising; the infrastructure which allows us to do this (website, social workers for whom this is their full time job, legal and legalization fees, office rent, taxes, internet, computers, phones, etc.).
For those who are interested in supporting this vital work, we have a private donors group. Members of our recurring donor group are privy to some ‘backside’ information as well as early news updates, the ability to participate in discussions, and other special privileges. To join our army and help us test more Ethiopian family members, you can find the group here. We would love to have you, and we most definitely need the financial and moral support!
Testing Instructions for Adoptees and Adoptive Parents
Please note that we do not run FTDNA. If you have questions about their system, you must contact them.
If you have already tested at FTDNA, send an email to DNA @ EthiopianAdoptionConnection.org requesting an invitation to the group. Include the following information with your request: adoptee’s real name, Ethiopian name of adoptee (full name if you have it), adoptive parent’s name if applicable, status as adoptee or adoptive parent of minor child, adoptive country, and the location you believe you/your child was from in Ethiopia (Region and Zone). This is only for Beteseb Felega and it will not be associated with your kit number at FTDNA.
If you have a kit from MyHeritage or AncestryDNA, you can transfer your raw data to FTDNA and receive matches for a fee of $19. To do this, download you raw data from AncestryDNA or MyHeriage. Then, go to FTDNA and click on Upload DNA Data in the menu at the top. Follow the instructions. Then email DNA @ EthiopianAdoptionConnection.org for an invitation to the group. Include this information: adoptee’s real name, full Ethiopian name of adoptee, adoptive parent’s name if applicable, status as adoptee or adoptive parent of minor child, adoptive country, and the location you believe you/your child was from in Ethiopia (Region and Zone). This is only for Beteseb Felega and will not be associated with your kit number at FTDNA.
If you do not have a kit to transfer from another company, follow the instructions below. This information is used solely to determine who meets the requirements of the project; it will not be associated with your actual DNA kit or account. Once you provide the information requested, we will send you a coupon code for a discounted kit along with the link to join. Emails will be responded to in bulk so please be patient.
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- Send an email to DNA @ EthiopianAdoptionConnection.org.
- Include adoptee’s real name (first name is fine if minor), Ethiopian name of adoptee (full name if you have it), adoptive parent’s name if applicable, status as adoptee or adoptive parent of minor child, adoptive country, and the location you believe you/your child was from in Ethiopia: Region and Zone. This is only for Beteseb Felega and will not be associated with your FTDNA account.
- You will be sent a coupon code for a discounted kit along with the link to join.
- Purchase your kit with the code at FTDNA.
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This is the Activity Feed of the group. If you can see this when logged in, you are in.
Finally – to have access to all possible matches in all databases, you should enter your DNA into all of them, including GEDmatch. We will send a FAQ about this when you join our project.
