Children Meet Their New Families

Stephanie Gibson, Program Assistant, Ethiopia

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia—What an amazing privilege to watch our families meet their children for the first time. I found it hard not to cry. The infants attach quickly to their new families and adore the attention. While it takes a bit for the toddlers to warm up, I can tell these are the perfect families for these little ones.

I am also amazed at how warm and caring the staff has been. For each child who is going home, the nannies to whom they are closest came to speak with the families about their child, answer questions, and be a support to the children while they transition from Holt’s care to the care of their new families. Some nannies are from the Durame Intake Center and some from Bethzatha Children’s Home Association, one of our in-country partners. What a wonder it is to watch parent and child begin the process of bonding to each other. But how hard it is for them to have to leave the Transitional Center to sleep in the evenings.

The proximity of the Transitional Center and the guesthouse is such a plus. Some families have rooms with a view of the center and can hear the children playing next door. The center opens at 9 a.m.—not soon enough for anxious families, but it does give the families time to interact and bond with each other over breakfast. In the evenings parents can lull their children to sleep before returning to the guesthouse for dinner. After the visa interviews on Tuesday parents will have freedom to bring their children to the guesthouse with them.

This afternoon we will head out to see the sights around town and visit a museum, and in the evening we will have dinner at a restaurant called Top View.