Haiti Orphan Adoption Blog
Wednesday Evening January 20,2010 Haiti Orphan Update
January/Wednesday/2010 19:13
Update on Haiti adoptions and Haitian orphans as of Wednesday, January 20,2010
Today, Haiti was hit by another powerful aftershock measuring 6.1 on the richter scale. The folks in Haiti are shaken and very afraid to go back inside buildings for fear they will collapse. Thank you so much for all of your inquiries about Haiti’s earthquake catastrophe and the current state of adoptions from that country. Here is the status as of this evening.
We are receiving thousands of contacts to our agency each day since the catastrophe. As a result, we recommend you use Email to communicate in the short term as our phones are inundated with inquiries. Contrary to rumors and reports of thousands of Haitian orphans coming to the United States - the facts are that NO Haitian Orphan children that had not been previously approved for adoption by the Haitian government are making it out of Haiti. There may be some “rogue” efforts at flying the orphans out to international locations, but that will only serve to enable the anti adoption forces within the world to cry accusations of child stealing and child selling.
We, therefore are proponents of an orderly process to get these kids adopted. One which ensures that the child is indeed an orphan, and protects the child’s best interests. As a result, we are working with representatives of the Haitian government to implement a workable emergency plan to make this possible. We expect our proposal to be reviewed by the proper Haitian authorities today.
The information here is the latest and is not information as it relates to our ability to process and adoption from Haiti - but rather the current state of all adoptions from that country. We did meet with a prominent representative of the Haitian government on Monday of this week. As a result of that meeting, we were asked to submit a plan to be reviewed by the proper Haitian minister in regards to setting up an emergency plan and system to process the thousands of orphans now in Haiti.
If nothing changes in the current Haitian immigration system, we expect that virtually no orphans will be adopted out of Haiti for many months if not a year or more. There is no current government capability to process a birth certificate, passport or order of orphan status as most government agency (15 of 18) buildings were reduced to rubble in the earthquake.
As many of you have heard, the Haitian President allowed a group of orphans to leave Haiti and come to the United States. This group however, had already been cleared for adoption at the time of the earthquake and the orphanages and US Adoption agency / state Dept had the paperwork. We are grateful they were released to the US.
The situation today is that there is some talk of a "adoption parole" system, where requirements may be relaxed, but here is the reality of the situation. Right now, we are receiving hundreds of inquiries per day regarding the adoptions. Through what we feel is a bit of divine guidance, we were afforded the opportunity today to meet in person with a representative of the Haitian government.
In that meeting, we laid out some specific ideas to devise an emergency system to process and facilitate the adoption of orphans in Haiti under a close supervision that affords the child medical care, food, shelter, clothing, and safety, while assuring every effort is made to find a living relative. This program is straightforward and we are anticipating it will be presented to the proper authorities in Haiti this week.
If adopted in whole or revised by the Haitian government, it will open up safe adoptions for the children of Haiti and will require an international force of volunteers to staff the facility. It will also require temporary housing structures. Folks of all backgrounds, especially medical and counseling will be needed. Please pray that important aspects of this program will be enacted immediately. If enacted, it will run into the millions of dollars to run this program for the next two years. Whether or not Hope For Families is ultimately asked to help organize the program, we are honored to have been given the opportunity to voice the need for efficient compassionate services for the orphans of Haiti.
There are fine men and women serving within the Haitian government that are honestly committed to saving their people from pain and suffering. We applaud them for their work and willingness to listen to us as we try to be part of the solution for Haiti's orphans.
There is no better chance of a foreign country adopting a Haitian orphan than an American citizen. Right now the issue lays squarely with the Haitian government.
In regards to the devastation - there is still no road open from PAP to the south (Jacmel). No supplies are getting through in sufficient amounts at this point. The military reluctantly started airdrops in an emergency effort to hold back rioting. The city in PAP is unsafe and not able to be accessed at night. Most supplies are bottle necked at the port and airport. There is concern that some of the supplies could be looted so they are being guarded. We are holding off sending in supplies until we can be guaranteed safe passage to the orphanages we work with. Commercial flights are still not allowed into Haiti. Our orphanage director is flying out tomorrow to the DR where she will buy supplies and then hand carry them to a DR Navy ship which is scheduled to port in Jacmel the end of this week. We are praying she makes it safely.
There is no form to fill out to get on a waiting list to adopt. The rules that are noted on all of our sites may very well be inaccurate as Haiti adjusts their policy on adoption going forward. If the emergency program we have suggested is enacted, we will have a need for hundreds of workers to do short term missions work in the orphan processing centers. We will need physicians and nurses and computer techs to care for the kids and staff the technical end of the process.
We will email you as the situation changes - and it will. We know you are frustrated and want to do something to help. When it becomes appropriate, we will let you know of material and financial needs. t this point please pray for wisdom and guidance for the authorities on the ground. And pray for the kids and workers on the ground there. We will regularly Email you as the situation changes and advise you of the requirements to adopt as soon as they are announced.
Blessings on you in your desire to help Haiti’s orphans,
Today, Haiti was hit by another powerful aftershock measuring 6.1 on the richter scale. The folks in Haiti are shaken and very afraid to go back inside buildings for fear they will collapse. Thank you so much for all of your inquiries about Haiti’s earthquake catastrophe and the current state of adoptions from that country. Here is the status as of this evening.
We are receiving thousands of contacts to our agency each day since the catastrophe. As a result, we recommend you use Email to communicate in the short term as our phones are inundated with inquiries. Contrary to rumors and reports of thousands of Haitian orphans coming to the United States - the facts are that NO Haitian Orphan children that had not been previously approved for adoption by the Haitian government are making it out of Haiti. There may be some “rogue” efforts at flying the orphans out to international locations, but that will only serve to enable the anti adoption forces within the world to cry accusations of child stealing and child selling.
We, therefore are proponents of an orderly process to get these kids adopted. One which ensures that the child is indeed an orphan, and protects the child’s best interests. As a result, we are working with representatives of the Haitian government to implement a workable emergency plan to make this possible. We expect our proposal to be reviewed by the proper Haitian authorities today.
The information here is the latest and is not information as it relates to our ability to process and adoption from Haiti - but rather the current state of all adoptions from that country. We did meet with a prominent representative of the Haitian government on Monday of this week. As a result of that meeting, we were asked to submit a plan to be reviewed by the proper Haitian minister in regards to setting up an emergency plan and system to process the thousands of orphans now in Haiti.
If nothing changes in the current Haitian immigration system, we expect that virtually no orphans will be adopted out of Haiti for many months if not a year or more. There is no current government capability to process a birth certificate, passport or order of orphan status as most government agency (15 of 18) buildings were reduced to rubble in the earthquake.
As many of you have heard, the Haitian President allowed a group of orphans to leave Haiti and come to the United States. This group however, had already been cleared for adoption at the time of the earthquake and the orphanages and US Adoption agency / state Dept had the paperwork. We are grateful they were released to the US.
The situation today is that there is some talk of a "adoption parole" system, where requirements may be relaxed, but here is the reality of the situation. Right now, we are receiving hundreds of inquiries per day regarding the adoptions. Through what we feel is a bit of divine guidance, we were afforded the opportunity today to meet in person with a representative of the Haitian government.
In that meeting, we laid out some specific ideas to devise an emergency system to process and facilitate the adoption of orphans in Haiti under a close supervision that affords the child medical care, food, shelter, clothing, and safety, while assuring every effort is made to find a living relative. This program is straightforward and we are anticipating it will be presented to the proper authorities in Haiti this week.
If adopted in whole or revised by the Haitian government, it will open up safe adoptions for the children of Haiti and will require an international force of volunteers to staff the facility. It will also require temporary housing structures. Folks of all backgrounds, especially medical and counseling will be needed. Please pray that important aspects of this program will be enacted immediately. If enacted, it will run into the millions of dollars to run this program for the next two years. Whether or not Hope For Families is ultimately asked to help organize the program, we are honored to have been given the opportunity to voice the need for efficient compassionate services for the orphans of Haiti.
There are fine men and women serving within the Haitian government that are honestly committed to saving their people from pain and suffering. We applaud them for their work and willingness to listen to us as we try to be part of the solution for Haiti's orphans.
There is no better chance of a foreign country adopting a Haitian orphan than an American citizen. Right now the issue lays squarely with the Haitian government.
In regards to the devastation - there is still no road open from PAP to the south (Jacmel). No supplies are getting through in sufficient amounts at this point. The military reluctantly started airdrops in an emergency effort to hold back rioting. The city in PAP is unsafe and not able to be accessed at night. Most supplies are bottle necked at the port and airport. There is concern that some of the supplies could be looted so they are being guarded. We are holding off sending in supplies until we can be guaranteed safe passage to the orphanages we work with. Commercial flights are still not allowed into Haiti. Our orphanage director is flying out tomorrow to the DR where she will buy supplies and then hand carry them to a DR Navy ship which is scheduled to port in Jacmel the end of this week. We are praying she makes it safely.
There is no form to fill out to get on a waiting list to adopt. The rules that are noted on all of our sites may very well be inaccurate as Haiti adjusts their policy on adoption going forward. If the emergency program we have suggested is enacted, we will have a need for hundreds of workers to do short term missions work in the orphan processing centers. We will need physicians and nurses and computer techs to care for the kids and staff the technical end of the process.
We will email you as the situation changes - and it will. We know you are frustrated and want to do something to help. When it becomes appropriate, we will let you know of material and financial needs. t this point please pray for wisdom and guidance for the authorities on the ground. And pray for the kids and workers on the ground there. We will regularly Email you as the situation changes and advise you of the requirements to adopt as soon as they are announced.
Blessings on you in your desire to help Haiti’s orphans,
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