Date:  February 1, 2010
From:  The Executive Director

The January 12 earthquake in Haiti has captured the hearts of the world, concerned about the safety and welfare of all the people, but especially the children, left vulnerable, by this tragedy.  We, too, are deeply concerned for these children, and receive numerous requests from caring families willing to open their hearts and homes to these children.  The news tells the heartwarming stories of some children being adopted, as well as many families wanting to adopt those left orphaned.

 As God touches our hearts as believers, our first response is to pray for God to pour out His love, to send help, and to open doors for the people & babies & children where there appears to be no way.  It’s a time to pray Psalm 82:3-4 for the people of Haiti. “Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” God can do this. He is a God who sees their need, hears the prayers, and moves. He is moving – He has believers on the ground in Haiti, and is sending believers to help.  Churches and Christian organizations, locally and globally, are being mobilized to pray, give and to send.

Regarding adoption:  Amidst the chaos, the Department of State has worked with the Haitian government to expedite adoptions of children already in the process of adoption who were matched with a family. These are in progress. However, precautions are being taken, and new adoptions are not being allowed. Rumors are spreading of missing children – some said to have been taken from hospitals by strangers, and others taken across the borders. To protect the children, child welfare organizations have begun a system of locating and tracking children, issuing bracelets to each, as well as attempting to reunite children with parents. The Haitian government’s primary goal is the reunification of families that might have been separated in country, but alive. If it is found that their parents are deceased, then living relatives may wish to care for the child.  Imagine the devastation of a parent, separated from their child, desperately searching for them, only to find that their child was sent to another country to be adopted. Thus, the precarious legal situation, and daunting task, exists to protect and care for each child, all the while establishing their legal orphan status before any permanent adoption option would be offered.  Many ‘orphans’ in orphanages abroad are not legally available for adoption, because they were placed voluntarily by their families for care, due to poverty and not for purposes of adoption. 

So at this time, you can help by working with your local church, and by giving to those Christian organizations with programs on the ground in Haiti serving orphans. When tragedy occurs, we do not understand. But we can trust God that He can use this horrible devastation to draw the attention of the world – and the hearts and mind of the Church Body- to this tiny country that needs to know His love in a profound way. And we can be a part of this, as He leads. We will be monitoring this situation closely and are prepared to help as God leads. We will post updates on our Facebook page.