A lot of folks have been asking us about adopting from Haiti. It has been incredible to see the response and the interest. I pray that continues to grow and does not wane as the news coverage does. The challenge is with the current devastation there is no infrastructure to facilitate adoptions. We hope and pray that will change in the near future as the children who were orphans and have become orphans because of the earthquake desperately need permanent families.
I will be following the developments as close as I can and will try to update the blog. In the meantime, my good friend Aaron Ivey, who has adopted from Haiti and is currently waiting to bring home their son from Haiti, shares the best advice on this that I have read:
If you are wanting to pursue Haitian adoption, we advise you to wait and pray. Pray for all the children that just lost one or both parents. Pray for the orphanages there. Right now they are working to take care of the kids that were already there due to lack of supplies since the earthquake. There will be a massive need for families to adopt from Haiti in the near future. The Haitian adoption process is not an easy one, and it could potentially be even harder. Ask God to guide your heart in the direction it needs to go.
The most pressing need right now is humanitarian aid, and getting needed supplies to current orphans and new orphans affected by this crisis. People have asked for our contacts in Haiti regarding initiating adoptions. Right now, it’s impossible for these orphanages in Haiti to process new adoptions, as all efforts are in “survival mode.” Before overwhelming these orphanages with new adoptive parents, we must address the pressing needs of humanitarian aid in the crisis along with releasing the thousands of pending adoptions immediately. For the thousands of pending adoptions already in Haiti, THE SOLUTION IS HUMANITARIAN PAROLE FOR ADOPTIVE CHILDREN. These children have willing families to care for them and can be brought to the US for care. While granting a humanitarian parole is outside the normal procedures, the United States government has granted them in the past (e.g. Cambodia and Romania). THIS IS NOT AN EXPEDITED ADOPTION. The adoption process is now completely incapacitated, but when it resumes the United States seeks to honor the adoption process established in Haiti. This is a humanitarian effort to care for these kids, and the adoption will be processed using the usual procedure at a later time.
If you would like to contact an agency here in the USA that deals with Haitian adoptions I’m sure they could give information, but we would suggest waiting before contacting anyone in Haiti for the time being. We will know more in the next few weeks about how adoptions in Haiti are progressing, along with any new systems that might be in place for families to initiate new Haitian adoptions. This is not meant to stifle any stirrings that families in the USA are experiencing right now as they see the plight of orphans rise in Haiti, but realistically we must address the most pressing issues without overwhelming the orphanages and embassy more than they already are in this crisis.
keep praying. keep longing for adoption. and keep advocating for orphans. and pray specifically that in the coming weeks, pending adoptions are released, orphanages are given vital supplies and food so that they can bring in the many new orphans and begin addressing how to progress with new adoptions.
There are many huge cruise ships all arround Haiti. One, would be able to transport 1,000’s of children to miami where Americans will come in doves to adopt the children.
Today a Princess Cruise Ship anchored 60 miles from Port au Prince to shuttle their passengers to a Haitian beach where they swam and drank fruity cocktails. What a shame!
I have had similar thoughts! Thanks for commenting! Keep praying and advocating for these children!
My waife and I had been for long time wanting to adopt a child. Her hard and my his bliding for haiti and its children. we want to give or love and care to a chaid in Haiti. We was bles with two girl and boy of or owen children but we whant to have the opertunity to give other chiled the love and care we gave to are owen children,please let us give the opurtunity to save and give a family and love to a chiled or two.My preager is with Haiti.
Greetings and Prayers,
With the current tragedy in Haiti – I have never been more compelled to rescue some babies from Haiti! My husband and I have always wanted to adopt from there! But now we want to reach out even MORE some how!!! I’ve been reading that legal adoptions are on hold right now …pending paperwork lost in the rubble, awaiting parents-to-be have lost contact with their adoption agencies… I pray for them!!
My husband and I just wanna go down there and sweep up the babies into our arms and bring them home to our safe, warm, plentiful, loving home!!! Keep me in the forefront of your mind if you hear of any babies who need a safe place here in the US – whether permanently or even if only temporarily! Are there any emergency foster programs in effect right now?
I have 3 bedrooms ready and waiting – a baby safety proofed home and many toys and comfortable beds/cribs ready! I have infant and children’s clothing readliy available to me (hand me downs from children & babies in my immediate family) I even have “to code” safety car seats/booster chairs! But most importantly – I have an open door and and an open heart!!
Thank you and God bless…
Jen Dean
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I could have been the one who wrote Jen Dean’s first two paragraphs! I really thought that this tragedy in Haiti would have opened a new door to make adopting from there easier. I thought the need for loving and caring permanent families for orphans would cause the governments to put the peacock feathers down and get as much help as possible. I thought exactly like Tori Hansen’s comment… I would drive all night to get to Miami if they brought ship loads of orphans there for adoption. There were 400K orphans before the earthquake, how can we allow that to continue? It’s heartbreaking. I’m discouraged, though, by the above note from Aaron Ivey. My heart was to reach out and help. I wanted to do more than talking, praying and sending money as we already have been. Now I just can’t see it happening for our family. I will keep praying, but I guess I’m praying for a miracle.
Why $40,000 to adopt who is getting rich and why? we have room in our house but why such a penalty to help
The tragedy in Haiti has been pulling on my heart strings ever since news broke. I have been praying for the little survivors ever since their little pracious faces appeared on my television. After looking into adoption I was very overwhelmed at the amount of money that it took to adopt. This is very disappointing as I feel that God has been calling my family in this direction for some time now. We have been very blessed and would love to share our wonderful life with a child in need but financially it is impossible for us to do. I pray that the government sees the needs of these children and opens up doors for loving families, such as ours, to adopt a precious child and give them a life they otherwise couldn’t dream of. We will be praying for this organization, and others, who are the voice for families who are desperate to adopt. May God bless you and the work that you are doing daily.
See http://www.adopteesofcolor.org/
and then
http://outlandishremarks.wordpress.com/2010/01/19/whites-make-pact-with-god-expedite-haitian-adoptions/