Now is Not the Time for Adopting from Haiti

BY JANET HUNTINGTON
Placement Supervisor Marjorie Clay Bluder LCSW for the Adoption Homestudy Agency understands the rush of sympathy which can drive a person to want to adopt one of the lost children in Haiti.
“The orphaned and abandoned children in Haiti were having a rough time before the earthquake hit,” Bluder said. “Some are so hungry they will mix dirt in with what little food they have so they can at least feel full. There are approximately 320,000 orphaned children in Haiti.”
“Haiti has always been a tough place to adopt from. Not because they don’t welcome American adoptions but because their paperwork is so extensive and their efficiency is almost non-existent,” Bluder continued.
“The children in the orphanages who are already U.S. citizens (or other adopting countries) will make it to their adoptive parents . There might be delays but as long as the children are all right their adoptions should proceed.
“The children’s birth certificates and paperwork were destroyed in the earthquake. The building which housed the paperwork is gone and the people who processed the paperwork have been killed. If the children don’t have their paperwork they aren’t going anywhere.”
Bluder feels the Haiti adoption process could take as long as three or four years at this time.
“What the Haitian children really need right now is food, shelter and medical care, adoptions are going to be at the bottom of the priority list,” she added.
“Only adoption agencies which are already licensed and certified will be able to help at this time. The best assistance an individual can give right now is a monetary donation to the orphanages.”
To donate directly to the orphaned children of Haiti, or to avoid rumors and find accurate information, go to the Joint Council on International Children’s Services at http://www.jcics.org/.