Newsletter #1

Welcome to the Routly Adoption Newsletter

I will be posting these letters periodically to update you on our adoption progress. In this first letter I will answer some of the questions we have been receiving most frequently.

What are you doing?
We are adopting 2 small boys (who we will be paired with at a later time) from Ethiopia. We are told they will mostly likely be a 6 month/old and a 2 year old.
Why adopt?
Dave and I were challenged at church recently to assess our life priorities. We were encouraged to determine whether we were attempting to live a life of ease or living a life that had eternal significance. This led us to make several changes in our lives the greatest being the decision to make a life-long personal commitment to children in need.
Why Ethiopia?
We researched domestic and international adoption intensely over the past 5 weeks. Dave found he has a real passion for international adoption so we decided to go that route. After that it was easy. Ethiopia is a country in abject poverty with a program that is very large with many children, mostly boys, waiting for adoptive families. Ethiopia is also a country which will allow you to adopt even if you already have 4 children in your home.
Why more boys?
We know boys. We have boy things. We love boys and boys are waiting. Plus what boy wouldn’t love to be a part of our happy boy chaos.
How much does it cost?
International adoption is very expensive. Many government hands have to touch your paperwork and they all require a fee or salary. The general total is from $25,000 to $27,000 in estimation. I will include a breakdown of the fees on the next page for those who are interested. We as a family have determined to give up unnecessary things until our boys are home. This includes family vacations, dinners out, haircuts (Maia will be cutting hair), and children’s activities. The boys have stated that the new boys are worth more than karate and Six Flags passes and they want them home.
Can we help?
Yes, contact us and we will tell you how.


Here is the breakdown of expenses as listed by CWA. Some of these are variable and we are trying to find the lowest cost options available.

Agency Application Fee $350
Agency Professional Services (first child) $5000
Agency Professional Services (second child) $2500
NCFA Online Parent Training Course (single / couple) $95 / $175
Post-Adoption Administration & Translation $1500
Home Study $1300
US authentication of documents $400-800
Document translation and authentication $650
International fee (first child) $7000
International fee (second child) $4000
Ethiopian visa per adult $60-100
Airfare per adult $1700-3500
Airfare per child $500-1500
In-country expenses per day $200-400
Child Medical Exam, Consul Fee, Visa Photos, Ethiopian passport per child $670