I received an email from a friend this week checking on how our adoption was going. She also wanted to know if we were going to look into adopting a child from Haiti. Here's what I know about possible Haitian adoption plans. It is from the "AdoptUsKids" website.
Adopting Orphaned Haitian Children
AdoptUsKids has received a number of inquiries from families that are interested in adopting Haitian Earthquake Orphans. At this time, the first priority of government and disaster recovery officials is to address the immediate medical and physical needs of the people affected by the earthquake and assist in the reunion of family members who have been displaced or separated by the disaster. Therefore, it may take a long time before children affected by the disaster may be available for adoption. The U.S. Department of State provides information on the adoption of children affected by natural disasters and conflict on their website at: http://adoption.state.gov/news/Haiti.html. You also can locate contact information for adoption agencies that place children from Haiti through our resource list of U.S. Adoption Agencies That Place Children From Abroad at: http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/country_resource_lists.cfm
I remember after the Tsunami all our friends thought we should try to adopt a child from Thailand. I did look into it and was shocked to be told something very similar as above. I was just beginning research about adoptions and it just didn't make sense. Those children needed homes and there were plenty of willing people to take them into their families. But now, armed with much more knowledge, it makes more sense.
Yes they will need homes. But should they really be yanked away from their own country and everything familiar? Haiti is a poor country for sure. But it has its own culture and national identity like any other country. I think it is important to do all that is possible to keep those recently orphaned children safe and find a way to keep them in their own country. They are, after all, the future of that nation. I have been reading up on the Holt International Blog about their efforts on the ground on behalf of the children and it is truly inspiring.
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