Approved Partner: Adoption Advocates International (AAI)
Adoption Advocates International (AAI) was established in 1983 in Port Angeles, Washington. The founders envisioned an adoption agency that would serve children in need of adoptive families. Emphasis was to be given to geographic areas of the world that were underserved and to assist children who needed extra help in finding families because of disabilities, age, or the need to be placed in sibling groups.
AAI has placed children from many different countries. At this time AAI has programs in China, Thailand and Ethiopia and is also placing children from the foster care system in Washington State with families located within the state.
AAI is staffed by experienced people who have been involved in the processing of hundreds of adoptions. AAI believes that prospective adoptive families should be treated with dignity and respect. They should be provided with detailed information on the process, fees, country of origin and the child; and staff should be available to answer questions as completely as possible during the process.
In addition to providing adoption services, AAI believes that the agency -- and adoptive parents -- have a responsibility to help in the country of the origin of the children by providing supplies and financial assistance to assure that orphan children who may or may not be adopted are served. To satisfy this, AAI provides numerous sponsorship programs designed to keep orphan children in school and living with extended family.
The Orphan Student Education Fund began in early 2005, when a school official approached AAI’s attorney in Ethiopia suggesting that AAI could help to assist those orphan children not available (for a variety of reasons) for adoption by helping them stay in school and off the streets. AAI committed to sponsoring 75 students that first year, and the number has been steadily growing ever since. |
