Rumblings in Latvia

International adoption laws and legislation are constantly changing and evolving, sometimes leaving agencies, families, and children unaware of how things will end up. It never gets any easier to hear that proposed changes can negatively impact the overall welfare of the children. That unfortunately is the case we are seeing with Latvia currently. The political climate in Latvia has been very tense lately, since the Minister has been getting a significant amount of domestic pressure to prioritize keeping the children with Latvian families in Latvia. As ideal of a situation this is, it is sadly unrealistic, continues to build more barriers, and narrows their chances from finding their forever homes.

On December 8th, the U.S. Department of State issued a notice confirming that the Latvian government has proposed changes in regulations of hosting programs and international adoption (full notice can be found here). To summarize what is being proposed, they would like to limit the hosting program to only children living in orphanages who are 12 years old and up. For adoption, they are seeking to limit intercountry adoption to only children living in the orphanage or those living in foster care with serious medical conditions.

We’ll keep you updated on whether or not the Latvian government passes this legislation on our website blog and Facebook page. Even if these legislative changes go into effect, that does not change our agencies’ goal to help advocate for as many children as possible. If anything, this is a call to action to help be the voices for these children. If your family is ready to make a lifelong impact on one of these children’s lives, please consider hosting during our summer program or beginning your adoption process. Contact me today at katie@childrenofallnations.com for more information!

-Katie, Latvia Hosting Program Coordinator and Latvia Adoption Counselor

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Cake Packages

By sending a cake package to an orphanage, you brighten up the children’s day! Imagine their excitement and happiness when they discover that a special cake was gifted to them to celebrate a birthday or another occasion. Anyone can order a cake package and spread joy to these kids! Our staff in the country will arrange for a cake to be made and delivered to the orphanage. Afterwards, you’ll receive photos of the children enjoying the cake. Read below for more details!

Haiti

You can order a Haiti Cake Package for $99. For more information on how you can order one, please contact our Haiti Adoption Counselor Hilary at 512-323-9595 ext. 3062 or hilary@childrenofallnations.com today!

China

Send a sweet treat to the orphans in China by ordering a Connecting Hearts Cake Package! For pricing and other information, please contact our China Adoption Counselor Mallory at 512-323-9595 ext. 3033 or mallory@gwca.org today!

Please note: When making a payment, please select “Adoption fees and services,” select “AMENITIES,” and then choose either “Haiti Cake Package” or “China Cake Package”

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Updates from Haiti

Our Orphan Care Team is headed back to the US after an incredible trip helping the orphans in Haiti! Even though they stayed for just a few days, they left a profound impact on the children there. We want to thank everyone who donated to Haiti Holidays as well! The kids were so excited to receive their gifts from you. Check out highlights from the trip below!

More updates and insights from the Orphan Care Trip will be coming soon! If you’ve been inspired to help the wonderful orphans in Haiti, it’s not too late to make a difference! Our Haiti Holidays Donation Drive runs until January 1st, 2018. Click here to find out how you can make their holidays special!

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Haiti Arrival

Arrival in Haiti

I’m riding in the back of a truck and the smells, busy streets, and constant honking always make me feel at home–as if I have lived a life before this one in Haiti.

But, this experience has been different for me. The group is all leaving today, and I did feel somewhat anxious about how this would all pan out. Do I remember how to get to the guesthouse from the orphanage? Will they like what I have planned? Will the group get along? These thoughts swarmed through my head as I was waiting for everyone to arrive. Day one came and went, and the rest of the days followed. Everyone was enjoying the activities and loving Haiti.

I have never felt more joy than I have this week. I have had the opportunity to share something with an entire group that I am so passionate about and help ignite that fire in them as well.

Haiti is a special place, and in my opinion you can’t even describe it– you have to experience it.

Haiti children

Haiti Child

Orphan Care Team

I will blog more about this week and what all has happened soon!

-Hilary Clemons, Senior Adoption Counselor/Orphan Care Team Leader

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Orphanage Director Q&A

Pierre, director of the Maison des Enfants de Dieu orphanage in Haiti, provides insight into life in the orphanage and how we can support the children. The orphanage is home to over 60 children, most of whom were abandoned since the earthquake in 2010. It serves as an oasis of hope for children without families to care for them.

1) Can you tell us about yourself and your position as Orphanage Director?

“My name is Pierre Alexis, and I’m the manager of the orphanage. I’m married and have 6 girls… 5 girls, plus my wife [laughs]. I live in Haiti, and we have 65 kids under our care in the orphanage. We have been doing this for a long time, since October 2007. It’s a job we love. It’s like a ministry for us, and I feel like we’re investing in the future because kids are the future. Especially the Haitian kids, where they don’t really have a good situation to grow up in. We are so happy to be able to get them forever families that can give them a better future. I’m so excited to work with CAN to find them families!

I am a pastor too. We have a ministry at the orphanage which serves the kids in the orphanage and people in the community. It’s important for us to make sure that the kids grow up in the word of God.”

2) What do you enjoy most about your job?

“Being with the kids and also finding them families. Whenever I’m in America with kids that were at a certain time at the orphanage, it always brings me a lot of joy knowing where they came from and what is waiting for them ahead. I think this is the biggest thing we can do for kids: give them the life they deserve. So I’m thankful for the American families we have here that are doing a good job making sure that these kids are doing well.”

3) What is the biggest challenge working in adoption?

“The biggest challenge is bureaucracy; it’s the process. We don’t have control over part of it, and you have to wait and wait, and you cannot really predict what will happen. That usually causes frustration, but what gives us strength to continue is the result when we know that the kids will have a better life in the end. This encourages us to keep on doing it.”

4) What are the typical reasons why children are admitted to the orphanage?

“First of all, it’s extreme poverty. We have kids in the orphanage whose parents cannot take care of them and used to eat twice a week and used to find food in the trash. We also have street kids who are abandoned by their parents and have to find a way to live by themselves on the streets.

The third type we have is kids from “restavec”, a creole word that means modern slavery. It’s like domestic slavery, where kids work hard doing adult work because their parents cannot take care of them. Their parents send them to an uncle or aunt’s house, where they work as an adult to take care of that person.

The other type of kids we have is abandoned kids that we found in a ravine or by a river. This includes kids from the government that were abandoned on the street or by bushes, so we have them also at the orphanage.”

5) Can you describe the typical day for a child at the orphanage?

“Usually our kids wake up early, like 5:30. The nannies wake up early and clean them, and after that they feed them by 6:30 or 7. And then the little ones go back to bed to take a nap. For the ones that are ready to go to school, they get their uniform on and have their breakfast, and then they have devotion by 8. And after that, by 8:45 they get ready to go to school. And by 10:30 they get a break. By 11, they go back to school until 12. And when they finish, some stay to do homework and some just go play. By 1 they have lunch. After lunch, they go back to do some homework if they have any, and they give them a bath because they get showered 3 times a day.

After that they have time to play! We have a playground. By the end of the day at 5:30, they get their supper. After supper, they get to spend time watching TV, or we set up a movie for them. After that they brush their teeth, do their devotion, and they go to bed. We try to keep them busy and at the same time give them break time to play and be kids.”

6) What is the caregiver to child ratio in the orphanage?

“That’s a good question. We don’t really define that, but we make sure that we have enough nannies for all of our kids, especially our babies. Actually we have more nannies taking care of babies than big kids, since they require more attention and help. We have 30 big kids and 35 babies at the orphanage. We have around 60 people on staff that includes washers, nannies, security guards, teachers, nurses 24/7, groundskeepers, cooks, and housekeepers. We have two shifts (day shift and night shift) just to make sure the kids get attention.”

7) What type of education do the children receive?

“The kids go to school in the orphanage, which makes it easier for them. We follow the Haitian school calendar, so the kids get breaks like summer break whenever we have them.”

8) What type of medical care do the children receive?

“We have nurses, and in the past we used to have a pediatrician in place to take care of them. Right now we have free medical care from a hospital. So whenever they need to see a doctor, we can go there and see a doctor for free, which is a huge blessing for us.”

9) How are the children told about adoption and prepared for transitioning to a family?

“Since we have been doing this a long time and kids that have been in the orphanage see other kids going home, that already gives them an idea about their time at the orphanage. Also we talk to them about that and let them know that they will have a family to adopt them. Actually when they see their friends with families, they always ask, ‘When will I get a family?’ So they are aware of adoption. We also have bonding trips for families, which prepares the kids to come home.”

10) When do children age out of the orphanage? If the children aren’t adopted by then, what happens to them afterwards?

“Children are supposed to age out of the orphanage according to what the law says. The law says if the child is 16 years old, that child cannot be adopted. But praise God, we never had this problem. Our kids go home, except for one child that was going to age out, but there’s a family that adopted the child. They live in Haiti, which is really good.

It’s always hard to send a child back home knowing that child will be back in a hard situation, where he or she can die. So we are so thankful to God that it has never happened to us. I remember in the past a child was about to age out, and we found a family that sponsored the child to come to the States and continue his studies at school. We just want to do whatever we can to prevent the child from going back to the original situation.”

11) Is there anything people can do to support the orphanage? What items do you need the most?

“There are many things! [Laughs] First of all they can give a donation in terms of clothes, diapers, shoes, underwear, and any baby supplies that they can give us. Secondly, they can sponsor a child. They can visit our website www.fhghaiti.org, so they will find information on where to send the money. The third thing is that they can donate money. We always need money there to take care of all these kids and try to feed them 3 times a day.

Also they can adopt a child! CAN will lead and help them to adopt a child in our orphanage. We’ll be so happy. And another thing is they can come visit us! They can come to Haiti, and they will have a better idea of what we are talking about. They will have their own reading of the situation, and I think that they will fall in love with our Haitian cuties. These are ways they can help us.”

12) Is there anything else that you wanted to share with us?

“I think that every child deserves another life. Every child that comes into this world has a mission from the creator. Whatever we can do to help that child fulfill that mission, let’s do it. Even if it is one child, it will be a big difference. Regarding every kid (let’s say in Haiti that needs help), one person cannot support them alone, but I think together we can make a difference in the life of kids. So let’s put our hands together to change a kid’s life.”

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New Referrals from Burundi!

We’re excited to announce that we’ve received three new referrals for families that are adopting from Burundi! A referral means that a child has been selected for a family. Congratulations to the families from all of us at GWCA and CAN! You’re one step closer to bringing your little ones home forever.

Burundi Adoption

Our Burundi adoption program offers families fantastic in-country staff support and the opportunity to be matched with a younger, medically healthy child. We have seen referrals range from age 1.5 to 12! If you’re interested in learning how you can adopt a child from Burundi, contact our CAN matching specialists today!

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Bulgarian Siblings Need a Family!

UPDATE: We’re happy to announce that a family has officially submitted matching paperwork for these siblings!

Our Bulgarian matching specialists just started advocating for an adorable sibling group! They’re excited to begin matching them with a forever family. These four siblings (three sisters and 1 brother) are 3, 5, 6, and 7 years old and currently live in a foster home. They are all healthy and doing very well developmentally. Their favorite activities include singing and dancing. Also, the sisters love poems, and the brother dreams of having a remote control car.

These precious kids need a family who will adopt them as a group in order to keep them together. Have you considered adopting a sibling group before? Click here for six great reasons why you should adopt siblings and what to expect!

Due to the privacy policies with the Bulgarian government, their full photo is not allowed to be posted publicly. If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about them, please contact our Senior Adoption Counselor Hilary at hilary@childrenofallnations.com or 512-323-9595 ext. 3062 today! Even if you are unable to adopt these wonderful kids, please help us advocate for them by sharing their information! Most of all, we would love to see these kids find a loving, permanent family to call their own.

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The Adoption Tax Credit Is Preserved!

We have fantastic news to share about the Adoption Tax Credit! On November 9th, 2017, both the House and Senate agreed to preserve the tax credit in their tax reform proposals. The Adoption Tax Credit has helped thousands of families afford the cost of adoption. Because of that, we believe that the continuation of the tax credit is vital to ensure as many children as possible find loving families.

Big thanks to everyone who took action to support the tax credit! However, the fight is not over. Beyond maintaining the current credit, improvements can be made. This includes expanding availability, increasing the credit amount, and making the credit refundable. That way, more families can benefit from the credit and welcome a child into their home.

How You Can Help!

You can make a difference by sharing this blog on social media (using the hashtag #SaveTheATC) and sending a message to Members of Congress about improving the tax credit. Visit the “Save the Adoption Tax Credit” website for more ideas about how to take action!

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Halloween Photo Contest 2017 Winners

We are so thankful for all of the families who submitted photos for our Halloween Photo Contest! If you missed the deadline, you can still email your pictures to kim@saeglobal.org to land a spot in the album.

Our staff at GWCA and CAN voted on the winners, and it was a tough decision to make! We loved all of the amazing and adorable costumes. Without further ado, here are the 2017 Halloween Photo Contest Winners!

Honorable Mentions

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Haiti Holidays 2017

Can you believe it is that time of year again?! Haiti Holidays is up and running for the third year in a row, and I am so excited to see what these next two months bring! If you have been following my journey, then you might remember some of the photos below.

First Haiti Holidays

Second Haiti Holidays

As much as we have appreciated receiving donations over the past couple of years, the amount of supplies has grown so much, that we no longer have a place to store items until I travel. So, this year we are asking only for monetary donations and gift cards (Walmart, Target, Amazon). That way I can purchase items before my trips and pack them up immediately. I am headed back to Haiti on November 30th, so any gift cards or monetary donations that I receive prior to this trip will be used to purchase peanut butter, flip flops, medicine, formula, diapers and powdered milk. If there is something specific you are wanting to donate, please contact me prior to mailing the item(s) to our office so I can make sure we have space!

You can also order a Haiti Holidays t-shirt (via the link below) which helps give back to the orphanages as well. The saying on the back of the shirt is in creole and means, “Some things are worth the wait. The shirts are available for purchase starting today (November 1st) until December 1st.

Order Your Haiti Holidays Shirt or Donate Today!

The donation drive will run from today (November 1st) until January 1st.

As always, thank you for helping me, help them! #haitiholidays 

-Hilary Clemons, Senior Adoption Counselor/Orphan Care Team Leader

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