EVERYBODY called me Hilary Clinton. I mean EVERYONE. From meeting creche directors, talking to individuals at The Apparent Project, meeting people on the street, and even some of the older children. Every time I introduced myself to someone they would say, “Oh like Hilary Clinton.” Initially in the beginning I would politely laugh it off but after the numerous times that it happened I really did start thinking how funny it was that the common person they knew to compare me to was Hilary Clinton. Hilary also has a foundation in Haiti so I think that is why most Haitians know who she is.
When you pull out your phone and start taking pictures the response you will typically hear is, “ME! ME! ME!” “PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!” “ME! ME! ME!” But one time I loved in particular was when I took out my phone to take a picture with a little girl and she immediately started making all of these faces. From sticking her tongue out, making kissy faces, and smiling really big. I quickly realized what a pro she was!
Peanut butter is their favorite. I mean FAVORITE. Like do not get yourself caught between the bowl full of it and their eager hands. The first day we arrived we made home made peanut butter with peanuts and a peanut grinder. Most of these children have never had peanut butter and they were not only in love with the taste but also the fact that they could roll in into balls with their hands. It was COMPLETE chaos but the joy in their eyes was something I will never forget. They even proceeded to chase one of the guys making it across the court yard for more!
I met one little girl at a creche we visited around the age of 5. She immediately wanted me to pick her up so of course I had to right?! We walked around outside for a long time and she kept talking in creole and I continued to speak back to her in English neither one of us knowing what the other was really saying. Minutes continued to pass and she continued to talk..I finally asked the orphanage director, “what in the world is she talking about?” He started laughing and said, “she keeps saying she doesn’t know English!” After this we ALL could not stop laughing.
“How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” -Winnie the Pooh
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If you have read my “
about me” section then you know that I was a Houseparent working with 9 at-risk youth prior to working in the international adoption world. Those children’s ages ranged between 13-18. Before my role as a Houseparent, I worked at a residential treatment center with 30 girls who were between the ages of 14-17. With all of this being said, I have had my fair share of interaction with older children in the foster care system and who are labeled in the international adoption world as “waiting children.” Many days I come to work and this is a hard topic for me. Of course I want EVERY child to find their forever family and in a perfect world the term “orphan” would not exist. But, the reason this is a hard topic for me is because unfortunately a lot of families are only open to adopting younger children. There is a huge stigma that older children will not be as resilient or they will not form attachment, or that the bond just won’t be the same. Now, a lot of this can be considered true, but not just for older children but younger children as well. A younger child may not remember a lot of the past, and yes they may adapt easily in the beginning, but do you know how long the “waiting children” have longed for a forever family? Because I have worked with older children in the system I know the struggles and man can they be hard, but I also know how great the rewards are of breaking down those walls and bonding with a child who has longed for that feeling their entire life (whether they knew that they wanted that relationship or not). Will it be easy? Not always. Will it be worth it? It always was for me! “Waiting Children” constantly see adoptive parents coming to creches and taking children home and wonder if anyone will ever come for them. This is a sad and unfortunate reality. A lot of these older children eventually are even seen as caretakers to the younger children and their whole idea of what a childhood should be is quickly diminished.
While I was in Haiti, I met ALL of the children at the creches I visited and they are ALL incredible! But, there are a few “waiting child” sibling groups I met that really stood out to me and I would love more than anything to help advocate to find them a forever family. To see their photos, visit the CAN Waiting Child Photo Listing, or visit my blog today!
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Our CAN Matching Specialists have just received files for 34 NEW Waiting Children in our Bulgaria and Haiti adoption programs!
Haiti Waiting Children
Our CAN Matching Specialist, Hilary, just returned from her trip to Haiti last week with information on 16 new kids that are in need of Forever Families! If you’re interested in learning how you can be matched with a child or sibling group from our Haiti Waiting Child program, contact her today at hilary@childrenofallnations.com. She has met personally with these children, and would be happy to tell you about her experience!
Bulgaria Waiting Children
In addition to the files that we just received for our Haiti program, our CAN Matching Team has just received files for 18 new children in our Bulgaria Waiting Child adoption program! For this particular program, families can be matched with a Waiting Child at any point in the adoption process. This allows families to be matched right away, making it a relatively fast process overall! Get started with your journey by inquiring about our new kids today!
Due to the privacy policies that Bulgaria has in place, we are unable to share a photo of these kiddos here. If you are interested in seeing their photos, or learning more about them, contact our Bulgaria Matching Specialists visit our CAN Photo Listing, or join our private Bulgaria Waiting Child Facebook group to have updates on the children sent directly to your news feed!
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“Adopting one child won’t change the world, but for that one child the whole world will change.”
Could you imagine, as a young girl, leaving your home with your little sister and reporting your family to social services? Unfortunately, for many children this is a common theme, and one pair of our siblings experienced this scenario first hand. Autumn and Audrey are healthy sisters living in Bulgaria who were not dealt the best hand in the earlier years of their lives. Even with the ups and downs that they have experienced, both girls are extremely resilient and are looking forward to finding a safe and loving forever family. They are 12 and 15 years old and love the outdoors, playing volleyball, and of course spending time together. They are both doing wonderful in school and all of their social workers and teachers have nothing but positive things to say about them. These two amazing girls need a family, if you or someone you know is interested in learning how you can be matched with them, please contact our Bulgaria Matching specialist, Hilary, at hilary@childrenofallnations.com today! Even if you are not able to adopt these girls yourself please help us advocate for them by sharing their information!
Due to the privacy policies in place for our Bulgarian Adoption program, we are unable to share a photo of Autumn and Audrey on our blog. If you are interested in seeing a photo of these beautiful girls or learning more about them, visit our Waiting Child photo listing, or join our private Facebook group today!
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We would like to welcome home one of the families from our Philippines adoption program, who has just returned with the TWO newest members of their family! Congratulations from all of us at Children of All Nations, we are so excited for all of you as you begin the next leg of your journey together!
Are you interested in adopting from the Philippines?
Children of All Nations is currently accepting applications for our 2016 Philippines “Healthy Track” program. This program provides families with the opportunity to adopt a child as young as two and a half to five years old, with no medical needs. Each year Children of All Nations is allotted a limited number of openings for this program, if your family is interested in learning how you can claim your spot, contact our adoption consultants today!
*For privacy purposes the photo used in this post is a stock photo, not a photo of the children mentioned.
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In just three days a few of our lucky staff members will be traveling to Haiti, where they will be visiting with each of the orphanages that Children of All Nations is partnered with and delivering all of the AMAZING gifts that we received during our Haiti Holidays donation drive!
We have been absolutely blown away by the support from the community, as countless families have sent in items to donate to the Haitian orphanages. We have received toothbrushes, toothpaste, diapers, medicine, lotion, clothes, and so much more! It is with full hearts that our staff members prepare for their journey. Visit our blog again next week for an update on their adventure!
If your family is interested in adopting a child from Haiti, the Matching Specialists at Children of All Nations would be happy to provide you with more information! Our Haiti adoption program offers both a Healthy Track program, and a Waiting Child program. Each year there are a limited number of spots available in the Haiti Healthy Track program, and we are currently accepting applications for our 2016 spots. Contact Children of All Nations today to learn how you can claim yours!
Learn more about adopting from Haiti! | Contact the Matching Specialist
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*This is not an actual photo of the kids that have been matched.
6 Bulgarian Waiting Children Find Forever Families!
What an exciting week this has been for our Bulgaria Waiting Child program, six kids have been have been matched with their Forever Families! 
These children – not pictured here for privacy purposes – are in two different sibling groups. The first sibling set is a brother and sister, ages 11 and 12, and the second sibling group is four different kiddos ranging in age from 9 to 15 years old!
It is so amazing to see families welcoming in these wonderful sibling groups, helping them to transition from a shared past to a shared future. A huge CONGRATULATIONS to each of these children and their new Forever Families from all of us at Children of All Nations!
8 New Bulgarian Waiting Child Files Received
Children of All Nations has just received files for 8 new Waiting Children in our Bulgaria adoption program! If you are interested in seeing their photos, learning more about them, or starting your journey towards being matched today, contact our CAN Matching Specialists, visit our Waiting Child photo listing, or join our private Bulgaria Facebook page today to have updates sent directly to your news feed!
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The only news that can put a bigger smile on our faces than that of a child being matched is the news that a child has come home to live with their new Forever Family. With that said, we are DELIGHTED to announce that a family in our Burundi adoption program has just returned home with this beautiful girl! We are so incredibly happy for her and her new family as they begin to settle into their new lives together. Congratulations from all of us at GWCA and CAN!
If you are interested in learning how you can get started with your adoption journey, contact one of our CAN Matching Specialists or visit our CAN Waiting Child Photo Listing today!
Not sure which program might be the best fit for your family? Speak with one of our adoption specialists today to discuss your options, or request a Children of All Nations Information Guide to see an overview of each of our adoption programs.
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Every child deserves a home and a family to call their own, and today sweet little Alvin is heavy on our hearts. This happy two year old was diagnosed with infantile cerebral palsy, but he doesn’t let that get him down! He’s able to crawl, walk with a baby walker, and he loves physical activities. His caretakers say that he’s constantly smiling, babbling, and playing with his toys! He can respond to his name, and he’s currently working on drinking from cups and using silverware. All of the doctors that have met with Alvin in Bulgaria have given him a very optimistic prognosis, and the social workers in country believe that once he is with his forever family he will continue to thrive and develop.
Could you be Alvin’s forever family? Contact us at CAN today to learn more about him, or visit our CAN Waiting Child Photo Listing to see his photo!
Our Bulgaria adoption program has both a “Regular Track” and a “Waiting Child Track.” While families who choose to adopt through the regular track wait to receive a referral for a medically healthy child, families who are interested in adopting a Waiting Child can submit their documents be matched with a specific kiddo from our Waiting Child listing at any point in the process. Each month, the CAN’s Matching Specialists receive files for new Waiting Children. These kiddos are often considered more difficult to place based on their age, the fact that they have some degree of “special need,” or the fact that they’re part of a sibling group. Since documents for these children can be submitted right away, the adoption process for the Waiting Child Track is typically much quicker.
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About Post Author
My goal as a promotion specialist for GWCA and CAN is to advocate for the Waiting Children in our international adoption programs to help them find loving Forever Families.
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