Konjit, reunited with adopted Ethiopian siblings - ABC

Thursday was a special day for some children adopted from other countries. Not only were they celebrating their new families, but also their new country. They were sworn in one-by-one at the State Department, as each child received his or her citizenship.

One of the children at Thursday’s ceremony was Margo Dumouchelle, 8. In 2010, she was adopted from Ethiopia by her family in Ashburn, Virginia. The Dumouchelle’s hadn’t planned on adopting, especially after five biological children, but fate would change that.

A few years ago, Margo’s adoptive mother discovered a long lost cousin. It turns out that cousin had adopted two children from Ethiopia.
“Low and behond there was another sibling left behind that nobody knew about,” explained Tom Dumouchelle, Margo’s father. “And we heard this story and it struck us almost instantly that there was a 6th child waiting to join our family and also to be reunited with this other family.”

Today, the reunited American cousins have reunited Margo with her Ethiopian siblings who live nearby. They have regular get-togethers as one, big extended family – several years and thousands of miles in the making.

“I was so happy,” said Margo Konjit Dumouchelle. “I couldn't wait to see my brother and sister.”

In all, 20 children were honored at Thursday’s special citizenship ceremony, representing seven countries from around the world.The event was hosted by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano.

By Mike Conneen