Beteseb Felega – Ethiopian Adoption Connection was begun by one adoptive mother named Andrea. In 2000, when she and her husband met their first child from Ethiopia, Andrea was overwhelmed with the knowledge that his mother in Ethiopia did not know where he was. So, she set about to try and find her. In 2004 she found her Ethiopian daughter’s mother, however after two decades, six searches, numerous trips to Ethiopia, thousands of dollars, and radio and newspaper ads, she still had no leads on her son’s family.
It was then that Andrea founded her nonprofit, Beteseb Felega – Ethiopian Adoption Connection, with the hope not only of finding her son’s family, but of helping other Ethiopian adoptees learn their birth history.
There are few places for adoptees to turn for help researching their roots. They are truly on their own, and in many cases, it costs hundreds to thousands of dollars to search, with no guarantee of success. For their Ethiopian mothers and fathers, the situation is worse; there are no resources for them to find their children after adoption, despite having been promised updates.
BF-EAC started in Andrea’s kitchen with $3,000 and the tech skills of birth mother Claudia Corrigan D’Arcy. Today, the organization is registered in Ethiopia, has reunited over 200 adoptees at no cost, provides free services to Ethiopian family members, and maintains a search registry of over 1000 cases. BF-EAC has three highly trained social workers in Ethiopia and volunteers all over the world lending their skills to the cause. Andrea and the team work tirelessly on a volunteer basis.
Adoption is more than joining a family. It is also losing a family or a child, and often, trying to find them later in life. Adoptees and birth families deserve lifelong post adoption services. BF-EAC is proud to provide these services ethically and compassionately.
