The statistics vary, some reports claiming as high as 5 million, but one thing is certain, the number of orphans in Ethiopia is staggering. UNICEF data shows there to be close to 4.6 million orphaned children in Ethiopia, 1 million of whom are believed to be orphaned due to HIV/AIDS. UNICEF data also states there are more than 300,000 orphaned children relegated to living on the streets nationwide, 100,000 alone in the capital city, Addis Ababa.

In 2007, Joy Casey, director of YWAM’s Adoption Ministry, traveled to Ethiopia. After contacting the director of the YWAM base in Addis Ababa she traveled the length of Ethiopia meeting Christian leaders, visiting orphanages and asking God to show her His purposes. Little did she know that this contact would catapult Adoption Ministry into the very heart of Ethiopia's urban squalor to bring hope to marginalized children and mothers.

“We are now working with three orphanages - the YWAM Children's Home in Addis Ababa, the Orphan and Widows' Home and Joseph's Children's Home in Nazaret - to find permanent homes for some of their children and to help with their ongoing ministries to the poor. Building on the success of our domestic adoption program, Adoption Ministry is now reaching all the way around the world to aid these existing orphanages,” Ms Casey said.

The goal of Adoption Ministry is to participate in culturally sensitive, humanitarian aid and adoption efforts for orphans and widows in Ethiopia through a partnership with YWAM Ethiopia and other Christian organizations in Ethiopia and abroad.

“One of the special things about Adoption Ministry is the individualized attention each child receives. The staff has nurtured and discipled them, lived with them and understands their individual personalities. We, perhaps better than most, will know the child you might consider for adoption,” said Ms Casey.

Like the story of Baby M, his mother had no resources or strength to care for him, so she brought him to Children’s Home wrapped in rags. There he was cleaned, fed and tenderly cared for, but he was in a weakened condition and became quite sick. One of the nurses took him to the doctor who placed him in the local hospital on antibiotics for his pneumonia. Pneumonia in Ethiopia can be, and quite often is, fatal.

Over the next month or so, this tiny baby struggled to survive. “When I went to see him in October nothing could have prepared me for the condition of this extremely poor, crowded and dirty hospital. A nanny stayed with Baby M around the clock providing full care. I was alarmed at this tiny patient’s condition and obvious deterioration. He was not gaining weight, so we made the decision to pack him up and take him to Addis Ababa where more sophisticated care could be provided,” Ms Casey recalled.

He was immediately hospitalized at the Korean Christian and put on a broad-spectrum antibiotic. With his nanny at his side, Baby M made progress. However, the doctor was concerned about his heart and ordered additional tests. The results showed he has a ventricular septal defect, a small hole in his heart. This can be corrected with surgery, or many times it closes by itself over time.

“Now Baby M is back in our nursery and is doing very well! With his pneumonia finally cleared up, he is gaining weight and is a happy boy. Every month our staff takes him back to the cardiologist in Addis Ababa and the doctors feel confident that his heart problem will resolve on its own,” said Ms Casey and adding, “And now he is available for adoption!”

In a country where hope for so many children is dim Adoption Ministry is a bright beam of light, one child at a time.

For more information on adoption in Ethiopia visit www.ywamethiopia.com.