Ndudi and George, Amara adoptive parents born in Nigeria and now living in the Puget Sound area, say many first-generation Africans return to their home country to adopt a child to keep the legacy and culture in the family. But Ndudi and George decided to adopt a child in America because they knew that many children here need an adoptive family too.

The adoption of their son, Chizarem, was finalized in August 2009. “We waited for a very long time to get pregnant,” says the couple, “and then our son came to us through another woman. We pray for his birth mother and we’ll tell him about her when he is old enough to understand.”

“When we first met our son in the hospital,” said Ndudi, “he was looking at us and he was smiling. He was just one day old and he was smiling! How can you describe that moment? It was just perfect; it was precious. We named him Chizaram, which means ‘God has answered my prayer’ in Nigerian.”

The birth mother of Ndudi and George’s son is a single, working woman who realized that she could not adequately take care of another child. She came to Amara to make an adoption plan and wanted to place her unborn child with an African-American couple.

Ndudi and George found Amara when they searched for adoption agencies online. “Amara means ‘mercy’ in Nigerian and we were attracted by its name.” Ndudi and George are very positive about their partnership with Amara. “We couldn’t have asked for more. We got support every step of the way. It was incredible."

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 The photo of Ndudi, George and Chizaem is courtesy of PhotoMura Images.