Zahara's "Mom" wants her back.

[DawnCt1]

Apparently the daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt has extended biological family in Africa and they want her to come back. Whether they ultimately want to regain custody is unclear from the article. Considering the state of African politics and laws, I would stay clear of Ethiopia if I were Joli/Pitt. The last thing this little girl needs is to be snatched away from a loving and very comfortable home and returned to Africa. One wonders if its a "shakedown" rather than concern, since the child was near death when Jolie found her.


Zahara's family want Jolie to bring her back to Africa
15/11/2007 - 09:41:14

Members of Angelina Jolie's adopted daughter's lost family have come forward in an effort to reclaim the Ethiopian child who was close to death and riddled with disease when the actress rescued her from an orphanage.

Little Zahara Jolie-Pitt's grandmother claims the AIDS orphan's paperwork is not correct - insisting that her granddaughter's mother is still alive.

The adoption papers, which have been obtained by American magazine In Touch Weekly, clearly state that Zahara has a grandmother and extended family alive in Africa - but no living parents.

But now the grandmother insists her daughter, Mentewab Dawit Lebiso, never died - and she's Zahara's mum.

The woman claiming to be the mother tells In Touch: "I want my daughter to come home to see where she is from.

"Her grandmother and I both tried very hard to raise her, and I want her to come home to regain her identity."





And little Zahara's aunt, Zinash Haile Yenero, is upset that Jolie didn't make sure the child's paperwork was correct before adopting her, and she's angry the actress hasn't brought her daughter back to her homeland.

She said: "My mother was very sad. At one point she was even thinking of trying to find a way to bring her grandchild back, but she has no money, so she can't."

The new article is sure to upset Jolie and partner Brad Pitt, but friends insist the actress will stand firm.

On pal says: "She believes that Zahara is an orphan and the woman who claims to be her mom is mistaken."

"Zahara was days away from death and Angelina saved that child. As far as she is concerned, that bonded her to that little girl forever."

 

[CapeCodTenor]

There's always one way to prove she's her grandmother, a dna test.

 

[Chloe'sMom]

One of the things that bothers me about this article is that they claim that Zahara was "near death" and that Angelina "saved" her. I'm sure that neither is the case or the thoughts of Angelina.

If the adoption paperwork was incorrect then Jolie would have had no way to control that or do further investigation. The country is what handles the paperwork - the adopting parents has no influence at all when it comes to that.

If the mother is still alive and did not sign her rights away at the time of adoption there could be a legal remifications. But in the case of countries like Vietnam, where an advertisement is run for 30 days in which a relative could claim the child was done - then I doubt there is nothing legally the family could do.

In other words - I think this is a smear campaign along the lines of Madonna's adoption. At least with Jolie's adoption the Ethiopian adoption procedure has been going on for years, there is some precedent in there somewhere.

~Amanda

 

[kdibattista]

Figuring that "In Touch Weekly" is involved, I will refrain my comments.

 

[DawnCt1]

One of the things that bothers me about this article is that they claim that Zahara was "near death" and that Angelina "saved" her. I'm sure that neither is the case or the thoughts of Angelina.

If the adoption paperwork was incorrect then Jolie would have had no way to control that or do further investigation. The country is what handles the paperwork - the adopting parents has no influence at all when it comes to that.

If the mother is still alive and did not sign her rights away at the time of adoption there could be a legal remifications. But in the case of countries like Vietnam, where an advertisement is run for 30 days in which a relative could claim the child was done - then I doubt there is nothing legally the family could do.

In other words - I think this is a smear campaign along the lines of Madonna's adoption. At least with Jolie's adoption the Ethiopian adoption procedure has been going on for years, there is some precedent in there somewhere.

~Amanda

When she was adopted, I had heard that she was near death when she was found. I think it is easily believable in a third world country and her weight at the time (9 pounds) should be a matter of record. Here is an article two years old. I certainly think this could be an attempt to extort money from Jolie .

Jolie’s Emaciated Baby Now Turns Chubby
Angelina has retold the horror of meeting of daughter, Zahara, at the orphanage for the first time. Zahara was reportedly near death and so emaciated that her skin “stuck together” when you squeezed it. At six months old, she wasn’t even nine pounds yet. But, Zahara quickly gained weight once in Jolie’s care and is now so healthy that Jolie calls her “chubby”. Contact Music quoted Jolie as saying: “They [Zahara and adopted son Maddox] give me so much joy and I wanna make a better world for them. I’m just grateful everyday that I have the chance.”
Source: ContactMusic.com

September 13, 2005

 

[ZachnElli]

Figuring that "In Touch Weekly" is involved, I will refrain my comments.

LOL! I read this the other day and I wondered if this is all just a big fabricated story! I do remember when Angelina adopted Zahara (we just adopted, so I was interested) and this little girl was very, very sick. At the very least, IF this woman is her bio-mom, she abandoned her! And just because biological parents are found, doesn't mean they should be parents! JMO!

 

[DawnCt1]

Figuring that "In Touch Weekly" is involved, I will refrain my comments.

Ethiopian adoption agency backs Angelina Jolie
Thu 15 Nov 2007, 15:09 GMT
[-] Text [+]
ADDIS ABABA, Nov 15 (Reuters) - Angelina Jolie's adoption of an Ethiopian baby was legal, the agency involved said on Thursday, rejecting reports that the child's relatives want her back.

Newspapers have reported this week that relatives of two-year-old Zahara, including a woman who says she is her birth mother, want the child returned to Ethiopia. Jolie adopted Zahara in July, 2005.

"The court in Addis Ababa approved the adoption after studying the document her grandmother wrote ... saying her daughter, the mother of Zahara, had died and she was too poor to bring her up," Tsegaye Berhe, the head of Wide Horizons for Children, which conducted the adoption, told Reuters.

"The grandmother brought three witnesses to court who testified that Zahara's mother had died and that her father was unknown ... The court also investigated the social status of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt before approving the adoption."

Tsegaye said the adoption was "legal and irrevocable", and he blamed reporters who he said had paid the relatives to raise the dispute.

"The controversy is media hype by unethical journalists exploiting the poverty of the grandmother," he said. (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Michael Winfrey)

 

[kdibattista]

Let's also not forget that this is not the first time this story has surfaced. I knew this sounded familiar. From 2005, albeit from another "reputable" source:

Zahara Jolie is not an orphan

Despite every initial report claiming that Zahara Marley Jolie was orphaned when both of her parents died of AIDS, the Sun UK is reporting today that Wakka Wakka's mom is an 18 year old girl named Mentewab Dawit, and she is alive and well in Ethiopia.

The Sun also has a picture of the girl next to a picture of Jolie holding Wakka. This may or may not constitute legally binding proof that she is Wakka's mother; I don't know, I'm not a lawyer. She does kind of look like Wakka, but a closer look reveals that they have different last names, so now I don't know what to think.

Mentewab Dawit was brutally raped in 2004 and discovered she was pregnant four months later. She named her daughter Setota, which means "gift", moved in with her mother and took a job at a construction company but still found her bills impossible to pay and could only watch as her daughter lost a drastic amount of weight.

I was all alone after giving birth, but I was so happy to have my child, but I was thinking about its future. I could only eat a piece of bread each day, so it was very difficult to me to breastfeed my child. I assumed my baby was going to die."

Dawit eventually gave the baby up for adoption and was relieved when Setota/Zahara Marley was found a home in July but had no idea who had adopted her child until the Sun tracked her down in a town outside of the Ethiopian capital.

I am so grateful to this lady for giving my daughter a better life. I want them both to know I love them very much. I want to say thank you to Angelina for giving my baby this wonderful, loving family. I want to ask just one thing of Angelina - which is that she gives my child the education I would love for her. In the future I would like to know about her condition, but I will never try to interfere with their lives."

My, my, quite the change in tone... I guess especially when money is involved .

 

[ducklite]

Figuring that "In Touch Weekly" is involved, I will refrain my comments.

A true icon of respected journalism.

 

[barkley]

When she was adopted, I had heard that she was near death when she was found. I think it is easily believable in a third world country and her weight at the time (9 pounds) should be a matter of record. Here is an article two years old. I certainly think this could be an attempt to extort money from Jolie .

Jolie’s Emaciated Baby Now Turns Chubby
Angelina has retold the horror of meeting of daughter, Zahara, at the orphanage for the first time. Zahara was reportedly near death and so emaciated that her skin “stuck together” when you squeezed it. At six months old, she wasn’t even nine pounds yet. But, Zahara quickly gained weight once in Jolie’s care and is now so healthy that Jolie calls her “chubby”. Contact Music quoted Jolie as saying: “They [Zahara and adopted son Maddox] give me so much joy and I wanna make a better world for them. I’m just grateful everyday that I have the chance.”
Source: ContactMusic.com

September 13, 2005

while this child could have had health issues i don't understand why anyone would nesc. consider a baby at 6 months of age being shy of 9 pounds as shocking. when my kids were born the were both on the smaller size (5/3 and 5/7) but both were full term and in good health. i'm not sure if it's still the 'goal', but at that time pediatricians were pleased if a child tripled it's birth weight by their first birthday. with both of mine, neither was more than 9 pounds at the half way mark, but by the time they reached a year they had tripled in weight.

 

[Chloe'sMom]

When she was adopted, I had heard that she was near death when she was found. I think it is easily believable in a third world country and her weight at the time (9 pounds) should be a matter of record. Here is an article two years old. I certainly think this could be an attempt to extort money from Jolie .

Jolie’s Emaciated Baby Now Turns Chubby
Angelina has retold the horror of meeting of daughter, Zahara, at the orphanage for the first time. Zahara was reportedly near death and so emaciated that her skin “stuck together” when you squeezed it. At six months old, she wasn’t even nine pounds yet. But, Zahara quickly gained weight once in Jolie’s care and is now so healthy that Jolie calls her “chubby”. Contact Music quoted Jolie as saying: “They [Zahara and adopted son Maddox] give me so much joy and I wanna make a better world for them. I’m just grateful everyday that I have the chance.”
Source: ContactMusic.com

September 13, 2005

My neighbor just adopted a child from Vietnam who was 5months old and weighed 11 lbs. While creepy looking as her head looked huge in comparison to her body this child was no where "Near Death" - underfed and mal nutirition yes. And she as Zahara gained weight as soon as she was no longer rationed to how much formula she could have a dya.

I am not trying to undercut what Jolie has done for Zahara - I just think it is poor media reporting that they sensationalize the story. They make it sound like the only reason Jolie adopted Zahara was to be her "savior" adoptive parents do not like that assumption as people then feel like the child "owes" them something. Adoption is because of love - not because of a savior complex.

Again - not undercutting how she has grown her family. I have always found Jolie to be responsible in her adoption processes - I'm sure we will find out this is no different.

~Amanda

 

[Beth76]

while this child could have had health issues i don't understand why anyone would nesc. consider a baby at 6 months of age being shy of 9 pounds as shocking.

My kids were both nearly 9 lbs at birth, so yeah, I'd consider that weight at 6 months to be unhealthy. Besides, it's well documented that she was unhealthy.

This does sound just like what Madonna went through. I certainly hope it's not gossip magazines that are convincing these people to make these claims.

 

[DawnCt1]

My kids were both nearly 9 lbs at birth, so yeah, I'd consider that weight at 6 months to be unhealthy. Besides, it's well documented that she was unhealthy.

This does sound just like what Madonna went through. I certainly hope it's not gossip magazines that are convincing these people to make these claims.

I can see reporters "encouraging" the family towards reunion. That Jolie and Pitt are wealthy, etc. It would not surprise me. With regard to the baby's health. Her skin turgor sounded indicative of dehydration and starvation, so it wasn't just weight, but a child of 6 mo. or more in age, who is not a premie usually does not weigh 9 pounds.

 

[Tink&SquirtsMom]

I know a bit about this case as I personally know Dr. Tsegaye who is quoted in some of the articles (he represents WHFC in Ethiopia, which is Jolie's agency, is President of Ethiopias Adoption Board and was personally involved in Jolie's adoption).

What I was told was that the mom was a single parent, became overwhelmed and abandoned her baby leaving it with the child's Grandmother. The Grandmother wanted to keep the baby but couldn't support it so the baby was given up and papers were signed to place the child for adoption, saying the mother had passed away (which would not be unusual for her to say in the culture as abandonment is very shameful and babies who are abandoned by law must wait a significant length of time before being adopted out, in case the parent comes back). This is backed up by the current In Touch article, but is only one of the MANY senarios floating around so take it for what its worth.

It is not at all uncommon for people surrendering children to create a story that they believe will make the children "more adoptable." Kids who are 7 are said to be 3, since kids over 4 are harder to adopt out, some believe a child who is abandoned may be considered less desirable than one who is orphaned, etc. The government and agencies are working hard to put a stop to that. Still, the agency at the time had no reason not to believe the grandmother.

With WHFC the vast majority of families chose to meet the child's Ethiopian family and maintain contact. However there is no obligation. Jolie chose not to. It is very reasonable to believe the family thought they would see Zahara again. They were likely told that most of the families choose to continue contact.

WHFC is acknowledging that the Grandmother quoted is in fact Zahara's Grandmother. It has also shown the authorities the legal documents the Grandmother signed saying the mother had passed away.

WHFC also offers a sponsorship program so that parents who are unsure about placing their child for adoption, or who are doing so only for financial reasons (despite perception it is usually a myriad of reasons, including financial but not only financial), can keep their children and be sponsored by an American family who helps financially. All families are offered this option before placing their child for adoption. The families parental and legal rights are severed when they want, before the American family is ever involved. So they relinquish the child, not knowing who the family will be, if they will want contact, etc. But again they could have chosen a sponorship program instead if their decision was based purely on financial hardship.

Zahara was in fact VERY near death with Jolie recieved her. Unfortunately it is not at all rare for children in orphanages in Ethiopia to die before their adoptive parents reach them (not ultra common either but it happens a number of times each year). Malnutrition prior to placement and being in a facility with numerous children who have been exposed to MANY dangerous thing (HIV, HEP A, TB, Scabies, many parasites, etc) leaves them extremely vulnerable regardless of the level of care they recieve.

It is important to note though that Zahara was sick from an infection (I'm thinking it was ecoli or samonella, but can't remember exactly) she recieved at the orphanage which was in no way a result of the care she recieved from her Ethiopian familiy. Dr. Aronson (a renowned international adoption Dr) cared for Zahara. Once they found the cause of her illness, Jolie arranged for Dr. Aronson to coordinate with Drs in Ethiopia and to treat all the kids under WHFC's care (many were sick from the same thing) and MANY children were saved. Jolie also funded an entirely new building that was built to much higher safety standards for all the kids under WHFCs care.

I also wonder about the quality of the translation the journalists are getting. There are hundreds of languages in Ethiopia. Many times tribal language is translated to national language and then to English. Lots of opportunity for missed nuance.

Anyways, take that for what you will. I can see both sides. I think the Ethiopian family thought they would see Zahara again. I think the agency did what they could and Jolie honestly believed her child was an orphan. However, if I was in Jolie's case I would be trying to get to the bottom of it rather than dismiss it. It is easy enough to prove if the woman is Zahra's mother (and again WHFC is saying the other woman is the Grandmother). Then she could fly to Addis and meet with the family with social workers present. Zahara is legally hers and an American citizen so their would be no need to be fearful of doing that, and I think it would benefit Zahara in the long run.

A disclaimer: My own son is from Ethiopia and was placed thru WHFC however our situation is very different as I have met his family, and we are maintaining contact.

ETA: It was Salmonella that Zahara and the other kids at the orphanage had.

 

[DawnCt1]

I know a bit about this case as I personally know Dr. Tsegaye who is quoted in some of the articles (he represents WHFC in Ethiopia, which is Jolie's agency, is President of Ethiopias Adoption Board and was personally involved in Jolie's adoption).

W

Thank you for taking the time to post this detailed information. It certainly gives two sides to a complex story and it sounds as if Jolie has gone above and beyond to do the "right thing". I personally would have qualms about entering a foreign country with a baby that someone else may have a claim to, no matter how slight but you indicated that there is no concern about that. A better life for Zahara is clearly where she is, as it is for your son.