National Suicide Prevention Month Begins With News of an Ethiopian Adoptee’s Suicide

Posted on September 3, 2026 by Maureen McCauley

My heart aches with the news that Gio Bollettieri, a 20-year old Ethiopian adoptee, recently died by suicide. I have heard this news from folks who knew him or know his family, and words fail me, as always. I send deep condolences to Gio’s family in the U.S. and in Ethiopia.

A loss like this is of course devastating for the family, and it is also wrenching for the entire adoption community. The questions, the reflections, the confusion, the sorrow–they all ripple through.

man standing on tree branch during sunset — Photo by Lukas Rodriguez on Pexels.com

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. Depending where folks live, it is also a time of seasonal transition, of less sunlight each day in many places, of movement back to school or off to college, of many holy days and holidays that create many emotions. Springtime, perhaps ironically, has the highest suicide rates. I’ve often wondered if that’s because the ideation percolates over autumn and winter. I could be wrong, of course. But still.

Please keep learning, keep talking, keep offering support as best you can. Take good care of each other and yourself.

It is very important to find a balance between pathologizing adoptees, who are not a monolith and for whom stress and mental health can vary widely in causes and manifestations. Given though that research on the effects of trauma and relinquishment is growing (and needs to grow more) in the adoption community, we cannot as a community ignore the mental health realities and challenges that many folks are facing.

General Resources:

In the U.S., 988 is a suicide and crisis line, available 24/7.

National Suicide Prevention Month information from the National Alliance for Mental Illness

American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

United Suicide Survivors International

Adoption Related Resources:

Understanding Adoption Through a Trauma-Informed Lens: An Interview with Lina Vanegas

Adoptee Remembrance Day (October 30)

What Are the Mental Health Effects of Being Adopted?

Adoptees of South America Information on Suicide Prevention Month

There are additional sources of information, of course, Please take some time to look into them.

Finally, here is a link to “A Life Remembered” about Giovanni Pietro Bollettieri, of Oromo origin, named Mesfin by his Ethiopian family. May his memory be a blessing. May his family find peace, May there be healing in our community.

New Book by Ethiopian Adoptee Abenet L. Joel

Posted on August 28, 2026 by Maureen McCauley

Abenet L. Joel, an Ethiopian adoptee raised in the Netherlands, has published a new book, “Against All Odds: A Life Journey.”

Abenet is one of our writers in “Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees.” In his new book, he explores in detail his life as a little boy in Addis, a time filled with violence and danger. His life growing up in the Netherlands had many challenges as well. His book is described as memoir, biography, and self-discovery: a powerful combination.

It is a survival story, and an immigrant memoir, through the lens of an adoptee. Again according to the description, the book proves “the human spirit can rebuild itself from nothing…(this is) an inspirational book that refuses to look away from the truth.”

Congratulations to Abenet for putting his voice and truth out into the world. We wish him all the best.

His website is here. Follow him on Instagram.

Aselefech Evans on “Roots Renewed” With Tami Garcia

Posted on July 29, 2026 by Maureen McCauley

Roots Renewed is a new podcast, hosted by Tami Garcia, that talks about reconnecting to heritage, especially for folks who are part of a diaspora or have otherwise lost their connection to their original culture, language, roots.

Tami’s latest guest was Aselefech Evans, MSW, LSWAIC; co-editor of Lions Roaring Far From Home; international, transracial adoptee; and part of the Ethiopian diaspora. Adopted at six years old along with her twin sister, she was raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and now lives in Seattle.

In this episode of Roots Renewed, Aselefech talks with Tami about losing her Ethiopian culture as a result of being adopted, and how she has reclaimed that culture, along with her Oromo heritage. She’s dealt with an eating disorder, raised a daughter who’s now in college, and reconnected with her Ethiopian family in Ethiopia and in the U.S. She discusses the challenges of reunion, and how different cultures intersect, not always easily, especially without a common language. She mentions the joys of Ethiopian food, and ways to reconnect with one’s original culture even when it seems daunting to do so.

And she talks about the groundbreaking book Lions Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees. Lemn Sissay (OBE, British-Ethiopian adoptee, award-winning poet and playwright) and Nicole Chung (editor, author, U.S.-born Korean adoptee, award-winning memoirist) are among those who praised the book.

All revenue from the sales of Lions Roaring goes to Ethiopian adoptees, for travel back to Ethiopia, or for school costs, or for rent, or for many other reasons.

It’s a great interview, well worth watching.

Full disclosure: Aselefech is my daughter, as well as my co-editor, along with Kassaye Berhanu- MacDonald, of Lions Roaring. Aselefech mentions in the podcast that there will soon be a fundraiser to translate the book into Afaan Oromo, Amharic, and Tigrinya, as well as an audio version of the book.

You can watch the podcast on YouTube, and you can listen to it on Spotify and elsewhere. Enjoy.

Wishing Mike Davis a Very Happy Birthday–And Hoping for Good News

Posted on November 28, 2025 by Maureen McCauley

Happy 63rd Birthday, Mike!

Today must be bittersweet at best.

Mike is an Ethiopian adoptee, raise by his U.S. Army adoptive dad on military bases. Mike settled in Georgia. He got married, had children, and ran various businesses.

Over 30 years ago, he got into trouble with the law. He served his time, and has had no trouble with the law since then.

As is true for too many adoptees today, Mike was unable to prove his citizenship, despite his dad’s efforts: documents had been lost, government agencies failed to respond, and his lawyers were unreliable and uniformed about adoption and immigration laws. Mike was deported back to Ethiopia in 2005, and been separated from his friends and family since then. He has yet to meet his grandchildren in person.

We started a GoFund Me for Mike in June 2023. Mike is deeply grateful to all who have donated.

A total of $5250 has been raised over the last two and half years. Mike has used about $5000 of it, so roughly $2500 each year, to cover rent, food, access to water, legal fees, and medical care. His other sources of income are minimal at this point.

While that $210 a month goes fairly far in Ethiopia, it’s not much. He lives a hard life. His efforts to attain citizenship have involved document fees, lawyer fees, and more, at U.S. prices. It’s been an uphill climb in many ways.

Many folks in the adoption community want to let Mike know he has not been forgotten. Mike has had a rough time in Ethiopia, though he does not complain. He had no friends, no money, and no work when he arrived 20 years ago. He’s done his best to survive alone. Safe housing, food, and medical care haven’t always been easy to find. He’s dealing with health issues now in his early 60’s.

Please help. Donations have slowed significantly, and inflation/expenses are rising these days in Ethiopia.

Please join me in wishing Mike a Happy Birthday, and donate to our GoFund Me. Please share the GoFundMe with others.

So many people support international adoption. Please support international adoptees as well, in this case a now-63 year old man who made a mistake over 30 years ago, and who believed (as many adoptees do) that he had citizenship (he paid taxes, he paid into Social Security). His wife, his sons, and his grandkids would love to have him back.

Mike is a good person. Adoptive families and adoptees have met up with him in Addis, which has brought him great joy.

As a community, I invite everyone to wish Mike a good birthday, and to send your prayers, blessings, and hopes that he might return to the U.S., which was supposed to be his forever home.

Many thanks. Amasegenallo (thank you in Amharic).

Please also support the valuable work of Adoptees for Justice, who have helped Mike and many other adoptees in positive, productive ways. They are a hard-working, amazing organization.

Hanna Wallensteen, Ethiopian-Swedish Adoptee, Speaks About Reclaiming Identity and the Importance of Adoptee Community

Posted on October 27, 2025 by Maureen McCauley

Hanna Wallensteen is a psychologist, an adoptee, a mom, and an advocate for Ethiopian adoptees. Here is the link to her wonderful, insightful YouTube discussion.

While I have not yet had the joy of meeting Hanna in person, I know her through her beautiful essay in “Lions Roaring Far from Home: an Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees.” We chose her essay intentionally to close out the book. If you’ve read “The Return” from our book, you know its gentle power.

The YouTube discussion was presented by the Ethiopian Adoptee Collective, as well as Adoptee Diaries, and Ethiopian Adoptees of the Diaspora. Please be sure to follow these groups!

Deep gratitude to Hanna and to the Ethiopian adoptees and groups who produced this great video.

Ethiopia Tourism Ministry Announces Plan for Adoptees to Reconnect With Homeland

Posted on October 25, 2025 by Maureen McCauley

The Addis Standard yesterday posted on X that the Ethiopian Ministry of Tourism has created a new program for adoptees, “Journey to Root.”

Here is the Addis Standard post from X:

“#Ethiopia Launches “Journey to Root” Initiative to Reconnect Adoptees Abroad with Ancestral Heritage Addis Abeba –The Ethiopian government has unveiled a new initiative titled “Journey to Root” to help Ethiopian-born adoptees living abroad reconnect with their ancestral homeland and strengthen their cultural identity, the Ministry of Tourism announced. In a press briefing held on 24 October 2025, the ministry said the program is designed to enable adoptees to “learn, appreciate, and experience the country’s diverse culture, natural beauty, and historical heritage,” while fostering deeper emotional and cultural ties with Ethiopia.

Endegena Abebe (PhD), State Minister of Tourism, said during the briefing that the initiative draws inspiration from Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s earlier call for people of Ethiopian descent around the world to visit their homeland. That call led to the “Back to Your Origins” campaign, which sought to encourage greater diaspora engagement. According to the ministry, Journey to Root will organize guided visits for adoptees from various countries across #Europe and #North_America, providing opportunities to explore Ethiopia’s languages, traditions, and national identity.

The program is described as “a bridge of understanding and belonging” for those separated from their roots at a young age. Ambassador Fitsum Arega, Executive Director of the Ethiopian Diaspora Service at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said the government remains committed to supporting all Ethiopians abroad, including adoptees, who wish to take part in the country’s cultural and development efforts. The Journey to Root initiative was jointly developed by the Ministry of Tourism, the Ethiopian Diaspora Service, the Addis Ababa Tourism Commission, Hareg Audio-Visual Production, and members of the adoptee community in Sweden, according to the ministry.”

I hope this is a positive development for Ethiopian adoptees. It will be interesting to see how the program rolls out. Will adoptees’ travel be funded? Will there be access to their records? Will programs go to all regions? Will there be social work support for the emotional journey of visiting their motherland?

Beyond the many questions of logistics and funding, there could be concerns about the current security levels in the country, pressure for adoptees to bring more dollars (and other currencies) to Ethiopia as other members of the diaspora often do, and a rekindling of unregulated cottage industries that faded when adoptions were ended from Ethiopia in 2018. Adoptions of Ethiopian children brought in huge amounts of money to the country, via drivers, bed and breakfasts, translators, tourist spots, and more. Not all of them, including the adoption agencies, were as scrupulous and transparent as would have been hoped. The role of capitalism, the imbalance of wealth, and the impact of privilege all played a complex part.

I don’t mean that to sound cynical on my part. Perhaps cautious. And I am happy to be proven wrong.

I am heartened by the fact that members of the Swedish adoptee community were involved–they are an older (many in their 40’s and 50’s) group–and so they have an important perspective on this.

I am hopeful that this will be a positive, viable, feasible program for adoptees from around the world. Ethiopia is a complex country with astonishingly beautiful nature, mountains, waterfalls, and wildlife. Many adoptees have been unable to return because of the costs, though many (at least via GoFundMe and similar) very much want to go. May the adoptees who are able to travel there be welcomed back to their homeland.

Research on Ethiopian Adoption: An Informal 9-Page List

Posted on September 17, 2025 by Maureen McCauley

If you’ve ever wondered about research on Ethiopian adoptions, here is my informal, incomplete, unannotated list of academic theses, sociology and law journal articles, books, and reports. Much of the research here, though certainly not all, has been done by Ethiopian scholars.

I am especially interested in research on Ethiopian birth parents. I’ve included in my list the few theses and articles I am aware of, and would welcome more.

For years, and as recently as yesterday, I have railed about the astonishing lack of adoption services to international birth parents. Ethiopian Adoption Connection/Beteseb Felega has worked hard in the realm of search, reunion, and other services. Funding is a challenge; I am among the donors, and invite others to contribute as well.

I do not have a strong sense that the pre-adoption services are stellar; I’d love to read research on what services were and are provided to international birth families by adoption agencies prior to placement. Many countries no longer send children for international adoption. Pre-adoption services remain important, and I am uncertain about their current and past uniformity or utility: has there been any evaluation?

Post-adoption services for international birth families, including in Ethiopia where international adoptions ended in 2018, remain vital, and almost nonexistent. I understand, intellectually, the reasons: many birth families live in remote areas, they speak various languages so would need translators, many are illiterate, many move without any useable address, and so on. Adoption agencies theoretically don’t have the infrastructure to provide services. I believe nonetheless they have a fierce ethical responsibility to do so.

The likelihood that will happen in any meaningful way is heartbreakingly small.

Original photo by Maureen McCauley. Addis Ababa, 2018.

Maybe, however, there will be more research. It’s not a substitute for services (such as informing mothers that their children are alive; or helping them deal with grief or shame), but more information will keep those birth families somewhere on our radar.

For now, here is my list. The research and articles cover a range of information on Ethiopian adoption. If you have additions or corrections, please let me know.

Aselefech Evans, MSW–Clinician, Co-Editor “Lions Roaring,” Writer, Ethiopian Adoptee, More–Is Now on Substack

Posted on September 9, 2025 by Maureen McCauley

Aselefech Evans, MSW, LSWAIC, has launched on Substack.

From her first post: “…I am Aselefech, proudly Oromo from the Oromia region of Ethiopia. Mother, Daughter, Auntie, Author (Lions Roaring Far from Home), family preservationist, and Black clinician—a title I hold with pride, as we make up only 4% of the field—and the owner of Stillness Therapy.”

Aselefech will be focusing on adoption, on neurodivergence, and on eating disorders and recovery. Her Substack is titled “From Stillness to Storytelling,” She will be writing primarily about three areas: adoption, eating disorders and recovery and neurodivergence. Aselefech has lived experience and extensive professional training in all three areas.

She notes “I’ve found deep connections with others whose paths to self-understanding have been anything but linear. I’ll share reflections, resources, and community voices that honor the diversity of our brains and experiences.”

Please read, subscribe to, share, and learn from this new Substack writer.

In full disclosure, Aselefech is my daughter. I could not be more proud of her. She brings a knowledgeable, compassionate heart to her writing and her work.

Update on Mike Davis, Deported Ethiopian Adoptee

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Maureen McCauley

Mike is, of course, much more than a deported Ethiopian adoptee. He’s a very good person, husband, father, grandfather, an entrepreneur who ran a pizza place, a gas station, a convenience store, and more. He and his adoptive father, a U.S. Army Master Sergeant, both thought Mike had citizenship. Bureaucratic errors apparently won out. When Mike got in trouble with the law in 1991, he served his time, and has had no legal trouble since. Nonetheless, he was deported, alone and without money, employment, or knowledge of the language, to Ethiopia in 2005.

Mike does not complain about his life there, but it is very hard. He has learned Amharic, and he has found ways to provide food and basic shelter.

In June 2023, we started a GoFundMe for Mike. We’ve raised about $5000 since then, and that money has made an enormous difference for Mike. He’s been able to get medicines, and to see doctors for his gout and dentists for his teeth pain. The funds have helped with legal costs, including filing fees for documents and other attorney charges. He’s used the funds to get shoes and socks, as well as a water tank and water for his home.

If you have helped in any way, many thanks!

Thank you also to all the folks who have visited with him. Recently, a group of Ethiopian adoptees spent a bit of time with Mike in Addis. The young people are part of the Ethiopian Adoptees Foundation, and Mike loved visiting with them. Thank you to Mari and each of the wonderful visitors.

Visitors like this, plus the adoptees who visit Addis with their families, mean the world to Mike.

His efforts to return home have not yet been successful, especially in the current US political climate. You’d think a 63-year-old man who was adopted to the US as a little boy, who committed a crime over 30 years ago, who took responsibility for his transgression and served his time, and who was deported over 20 years ago: you’d think he’d be allowed to return to his wife, children, and grandchildren. That hasn’t yet happened. We keep Mike and his family in our hearts. We are deeply grateful to his lawyers. We remain hopeful and optimistic. We appreciate all the prayers and good wishes.

Over the last two years, Mike has been frugal and thoughtful about his expenses, spending small amounts on life necessities: rent and food mostly. He is always gracious and appreciative when visitors bring him socks, tee shirts, and the occasional bag of Snickers bars.

Please help us keep Mike’s spirits up. His health is fair, but being elderly and alone in Ethiopia is not easy. His legal costs have added up, and we are hopeful that there will be good news.

We have had no donations for 6 months.

If you can donate, that would be wonderful, Even small amounts make a big difference. Please share the GoFundMe with others as well, and please send good wishes that Mike can return home.

You can read Mike’s essay, “An Ethiopian Adoptee Deported to Ethiopia,” in our anthology Lions Roaring Far From Home. All revenue from sales goes to help Ethiopian adoptees.

“Lions Roaring” on Goodreads: 4.8 Stars Rating

Posted on August 17, 2025 by Maureen McCauley

We are proud of our book, Lionss Roaring Far From Home: An Anthology by Ethiopian Adoptees” for many reasons. Its sales have greatly surpassed the majority of independently published books. On Amazon, it has a 4.8 Star rating. Revenue from sales goes to Ethiopian adoptees; we’ve contributed close to $2000 to GoFundMe and similar to help cover school costs, pay rent, pay medical bills, contribute to homeland travel, and more.

We also have a 4.8 Star rating on Goodreads, which is wonderful. We have 15 ratings and 3 reviews there.

Many thanks to everyone who has bought, read, shared, left stars, and supported our groundbreaking book.

Thank you as always also to Ethiopian artist Nahosenay Negussie for the brilliant cover art. We are so grateful to our Ethiopian community.

It’s an amazing book. Please share it with others!

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