Adera childcare is a community-based kinship type of care arrangement that has been practiced in
many parts of Ethiopia for years. Research evidences indicate that this practice avails alternative care
and support that make important contribution in the life and development of children. However, some
evidences also indicate that there are concerns and challenges that would compromise the quality and
contribution of care particularly compared to experiences of the intact family care. Hence, there is a
need to explore the family dynamics that is at work in households hosting both Adera and biological
children together. This study attempted to examine this dynamics beginning from the time the children
were inducted into the new home. A total of 36 Adera children, a corresponding 36 biological children
and 9 parents were selected as participants of the research. While questionnaire was administered to
the children to solicit opinions about their relationship with parents and their siblings, interview was
held with parents regarding the behavior of Adera children, their treatment of the Adera children and
their own biological children. Extended case narratives were also captured from two former Adera
children (now Adults) to enrich the data obtained through interview. Findings generally indicated that
the Adera care arrangement cannot be viewed as a unitary practice, having uniform arrangements,
making similar kinds of provisions, and with only one type (positive or negative) of outcome across the
board. Rather, it is multifaceted in practice and impacts; in our present case suggesting both
encouraging as well as discouraging results when read respectively from parents’ and children’s
perspectives. Hence, its arrangement needs to be participatory enough to involve all the stakeholders
(parents, biological children, and the Adera children) at the time the Adera family is to be established
rather than making the Adera arrangement only with one of the parents as it has been culturally
practiced.
Key words: Adera, community-based care,