Ethiopia – Layla House

It is Thursday afternoon, loud singing and clapping noises are coming from the dining hall in the center of the Layla House compound. It is the going-away party which takes place nearly every week. The children being honored get to be first to choose a treat and children all clap and cheer as they move to the front of the room to fill their plates. Their new adoptive parents gather at the back and chat with other parents discussing their experience during the past week. Children who are leaving will usually pass by their friends to share this experience with their new parents. They have watched others leave over the weeks and months since they came to Layla and now it is there turn, and within a few hours they will leave Layla House to go to their new adoptive homes and lives in America.

Layla House is a child care facility operated by Adoption Advocates International, an agency licensed in Washington State and an NGO in Ethiopia with authority from the Ethiopian government to arrange adoptions of orphan children with qualified and loving American parents. Located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Layla House is a one acre compound composed of four smaller compounds, situated on a hillside in a nice residential area of the city, with lots of space for outdoor play for the children.

Babies and young children are cared for in the upper compound, called Wanna House. The buildings form a U shape with a courtyard in the center where little ones can play safely. In the morning on nice days, the babies are brought outside into the courtyard to spend time in the sunshine and fresh air. There are several sleeping rooms, but during much of the day babies are in the main room watching the activity and being held for each feeding.

Children ages three to six attend preschool classes each day where they sing, play games, do crafts and begin learning their ABC⁏s. There is plenty of staff to meet the needs of each child. One person weighs and measures the babies on a regular basis and assures that they get to their medical appointments for immunizations and check-ups as needed. Older children may visit younger siblings and some older kids like to come and play with the babies and small children.

Below this area there are sleeping, bathing, and dining areas for the older children. Children sleep in bunks in small groups with a housemother near by at night. Each child has possessions of his own and a place to keep them. He is responsible for making his own bed and keeping things tidy. Again, buildings are arranged in a U-shape with a garden area in the center, with a large and very popular swing set. This is the place for outdoor play. The dining room can be used for play during rainy weather and there is a TV and VCR for the children in the dining room where they watch American children⁏s videos. Children often gather in the dining room to play games and sing as well and after school children can “check out” a basket of legos, toy cars, Barbies or other games and activities.

Next to this compound is the soccer field and space for active play. Also children enjoy playing basketball, volleyball, hop scotch, and gymnastics and jump rope. This is where the P.E. classes are held. Generally the children are very athletic and when they arrive in America they are able to excel in sports, however many struggle to catch up in other academic areas.

The lower compound has the school house. It is adequate but not ideal and there are plans to build a new school house once funds are available. Here children have classes in math, science, English, Amharic, geography, crafts, and music.

While at the Layla House, the children are prepared for life with their new adoptive families. Learning conversational English is emphasized and the children learn to sing songs in English as well as to count, name the colors, and recognize letters of the alphabet. Children like to study the map of the U.S. to see where their new families are located and where their friends are going to live. They have their first experience with crafts, and puzzles. Volunteers and visiting adoptive parents are encouraged to spend time with them playing games and reading to improve their skills in English.

The children have chores to do and they learn that in American families they will be expected to help in the kitchen, with cleaning and laundry. They go on field trips and they have experienced horse back riding, bowling, eating in a restaurant, and even camping. A special treat is a visit to the shoe shop for new shoes and a stop for ice cream on the return trip.

Meanwhile, adoptive families are sought for the children. Staff from Adoption Advocates International visits the children and takes video and photos. Medical information is gathered. The Ethiopian social worker meets with the child and often makes visits to the extended family and neighbors to obtain information on the child. All available information is shared with prospective families. When a family makes a commitment to a particular child, they prepare a Welcome Bag for the child containing a T-shirt, small gifts and a photo album to acquaint the child with the new home and family. This is a happy day indeed for each child as they eagerly examine the family photo album, check the toys, and wear the new shirt from their new family with pride.

For the families, the adoption process usually goes quite smoothly. The requirements for adoptive parents are few. Singles women or couples, with children or without, are accepted. The fees are some of the lowest for international adoption.

Layla House has a staff physician, small clinic and nurse. Children are taken to a well trained nearby dentist for dental exams and needed dental work. All children are tested for HIV as they come into the Layla House at the clinic recommended by the U.S. Embassy in Ethiopia. They are tested again just before leaving Ethiopia. All children are tested for Hepatitis B and venereal disease and they are screened for TB. They are given immunizations.

The kitchen, where cooking for 250 staff and children takes place, is a traditional Ethiopian kitchen in many ways but boasts a few innovations such as screen doors, vents over the stove, and a stainless steel sink. Children receive a balanced diet and are allowed to eat as much as they want—something many tell us they have not been able to do before. Many meals consist of the traditional Ethiopian food injera and wat. Injera is a pancake like bread made with from a local grain, and served with vegetable or meat stew spiced in a uniquely Ethiopian way.

New children come. Babies are often thin and malnourished, older children may have spent some time in another orphanage and been referred to Layla House for adoption. They are lovingly greeted by the social workers or head house mothers, and given a meal first thing. They are then helped to bathe and dressed in new clothing. Most children join the routine eagerly. Most have not held a crayon or cut with scissors, so they have many things to learn. Immediately the process begins to get then ready to join new families in America. Typical is Sammy, age 7 who came with a group of half a dozen orphan children referred by the welfare department in a rural area. Sammy’s feet were cracked and bleeding, he was thin and in many ways looked like a little old man. He spoke a tribal language and could not communicate with his new caretakers. He was withdrawn and sad for about three days—then he suddenly became aware of the soccer game going on outside. His feet were now protected by new shoes and he joined the game and was soon running and playing with the other youngsters. Less than a year later, he is with his new family, the youngest boy, loved and cared for, learning new things very quickly in his new home in America.