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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When we arrived at the airport last Friday in Port Au Prince I soon discovered that leaving Haiti is very similar to the adoption process as we experienced a lot of unpredictable delays. We got to the airport at 2pm for our flight at 4pm. We slowly watched the expected boarding time get later and later. It eventually was pushed back so far that now we were not going to make our connecting flight to Austin. We finally arrived in Miami at 11pm to be transferred to a hotel for the night and back up at 3am to try again and make our way to Austin…
The plane touched down and I felt as if I dreamed the whole trip up in my head. As I was scrolling through all the photos on my phone while I waited to get off the plane I still could not believe the trip had already come to an end. Since I have been back in Austin I have felt an extreme sadness. I am completely heartbroken by the life those sweet children live but I also have a renewed hope for the future ahead. I am constantly wondering what they are doing and how they are feeling. I cannot imagine what it would be like to be a child living in an orphanage. Because, I met these kids I was able to learn a lot about their personalities, their hopes, fears, and dreams; I know that any family would be incredibly lucky to add these children to their family. Because of this trip, I am extremely aware of many things we don’t even think to be grateful for like smooth paved roads, lights, hot water, a bed full of pillows and blankets, air conditioning, and much much more. But honestly, I would trade it all to be back in Haiti right now. There are some things in life that completely shake the ground you walk on and this was one of those experiences for me. For a country full of citizens who have nothing in some ways they seem to have a lot more than us. I don’t know if it is their reliance on God that I saw throughout various communities, Espwa for a better life one day, or the fact that they may just not know anything significantly different even exists.
“Because I knew you, I have been changed for good.”
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Espwa means hope in Haitian Creole and this whole trip I have been hopeful of new connections, updates from IBESR, good news from our rep, and positive movement not only on the adoption front but also in the country. So far keeping the phrase “Espwa” in mind has led us to great success. So far we have gone to Maison everyday getting updates on the children, updates on the kiddos matched, and updates on which children are available. We also visited another orphanage that currently has 130 children and discussed what partnering with them would look like. This orphanage has a lot of children with special needs and it would be amazing to help advocate to find them families. We also ventured out to IBESR and received updates on some of the families waiting. Today we are going to Maison again and also visiting another orphanage on the other side of Port Au Prince. 
The children are amazing and so are the people. The kids love to be held, given hugs, and are constantly hanging on us (and we are soaking up every moment). Looking around the orphanages you see what little things they really have. The children are playing with brooms, sticks, rocks, and random other object they find but even with so little you can see how much “Espwa” they have. Standing outside and watching the kids run under the clothes line full of children’s clothes of all sizes and looking over to see the tarp draped bathing area I really wish I could give them the world. I wish they were not given this life. And, I wish I could change their entire world. But one of my favorite adoption quotes is, “you may not be able to change the whole world, but for that one child the whole world will change.” With this quote in mind and keeping “Espwa” on the brain we all will be able to change the world.. One orphan at a time.
Tomorrow we visit C4C!!
Goodnight from Haiti ❤️
Diedra helping make fresh peanut butter
Hilary playing with the children at Maison.
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When you have dreamed about doing something your entire life and it finally comes true it is hard to believe. All day today, I have felt like I am dreaming.. As our driver came to a gate and told us we were at Maison my heart fell into my stomach. I had no idea what to expect and my nerves and excitement were starting to get the best of me. I stepped out of the car and began walking through the orphanage looking at all the little clothes hanging on the clothes line, children running everywhere, and the amount of love they spread every direction they ran. I was immediately tackled by a stunning little girl wearing an Ariel dress and a handsome young man joined in on the fun as well! After that I continued walking around and ended up at the toddler room. One little boy put his hand on my face and called me beautiful so I think it’s safe to say I found my valentine in Haiti ? We all took tons of pictures and started making home made peanut butter with a peanut grinder! The kids went CRAZY. I stood back watching them run up for more and more peanut butter and realized how lucky we truly are for what we have…They were all so excited over something that is such a common grocery item to all of us and that really hit it home for me. The children and people in this country are amazing and it has been incredible to see children in person that I have seen in photos for months (I am sure some of you families can relate to that).
Tomorrow we tackle IBESR so keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we push for updates and positive movement for adoptions in general.
Much love from Haiti ❤️
Follow ALL of Hilary’s Blog Post’s Here
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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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With less than one month remaining in our Haiti Holidays donation drive, we’re happy to announce that there’s a new way to give back. In order to help us spread the word and bring joy to the orphans of Haiti, a local sorority at Texas State University has taken it upon themselves to design a T-Shirt to contribute to our fundraising efforts. For each t-shirt that is purchased, 50% of the proceeds will be donated to our Haiti Holidays donation drive. Our staff will bring all of the donations that we receive to Haiti this February to help support the orphanages that CAN is currently partnered with!
Each T-shirt costs $13.50, and can be purchased using the link below through February 5, 2016. They are available in three different colors: blue, pink, and light grey.
If your family is looking for another way to help, please keep in mind that we are also collecting items that each of the orphanages that we’re partnered with have specifically requested. For a full list of items that they are in need of, visit our Haiti Holidays page at the link below:
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We’re two weeks into our Haiti Holidays donation drive, and are so excited to see that families are already starting to send items in! We are so appreciative for each of these gifts, as they are all going directly to the orphanages in Haiti that CAN is partnered with.
We will be collecting the goods up until the time that our staff travels to Haiti in February, so if your family is interested in contributing, please send one of the items that the orphanages have requested, or a gift card so that we can purchase the item on your behalf. For more information contact our Haiti Matching Specialist today!
Together, we can give the children of Haiti something to celebrate!
Items Requested:
– Diapers*
– Lotion*
– Wipes*
– Clothes*
– Formula*
– Tooth brushes*
– Toothpaste*
– Swim Diapers*
– Packaged New Underwear*
– Small containers of bubbles
– Inflatable beach balls
*Urgent need
All contributions can be sent to the following address:
Children of All Nations
ATTN: Hilary
248 Addie Roy Road A102
Austin, Tx 78746
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Haiti Holidays
“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
In the midst of the holiday season, it’s easy to lose sight of how fortunate we are. Unlike so many orphans around the world, we have the opportunity to spend the holidays surrounded by family and friends as we eat feasts and open presents. So this holiday season, Children of All Nations is providing a way to give back, with our “Haiti Holidays” donation drive!
This coming February, Children of All Nations will be sending a team to Haiti to meet with each of the orphanages that we partner with, and we want to send them off with a suitcase full of gifts! We’ve reached out to each of the orphanages and they’ve provided us with a list of items that they are in need of (below). We are asking any families that are interested in contributing to our donation drive to send us an item from the list or a gift card to a store such as Walmart or Target so that we can purchase the item on your behalf. Please take a photo when sending your items in the mail or dropping them off at our office and email them to hilary@childrenofallnations.com.
Let’s give the children of Haiti something to celebrate!
Items Requested:
– Diapers*
– Lotion*
– Wipes*
– Clothes*
– Formula*
– Tooth brushes*
– Toothpaste*
– Swim Diapers*
– Packaged New Underwear*
– Small containers of bubbles
– Inflatable beach balls
*Urgent need
All contributions can be sent to the following address:
Children of All Nations
ATTN: Hilary
248 Addie Roy Road A102
Austin, Tx 78746
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Hi, we are Gavin, Gabe and Graham, and we are three healthy brothers! Sometimes people call us the G “Triplets” but there’s a chance that we’re not all the same age. Children of All Nations is currently helping to advocate for our adoption. Contact them today or request our full profile to learn more about us!
Hi, my name is Mackenzie and I am 13 years old! My sister’s name is Daniella and she is 10 years old. We are healthy, and we want very badly to find a family of our own. Children of All Nations is currently helping to advocate for our adoption. Contact them today or request our full profile to learn more about us!
Hi, my name is Charlie. I am 10 years old and I am in the 3rd grade. My little brother’s name is Patrick, he is 8 years old, and he’s in 2nd grade! We are healthy boys who are hoping to find their forever family! We can be a little bit quiet at times, but we love playing soccer and having fun! Children of All Nations is currently helping to advocate for our adoption. Contact them today or request our full profile to learn more about us!
Hi, my name is Zack and I am 7 years old! I have something called sickle cell anemia, but I don’t let that get me down. My brother’s name is Eddie, and he is a healthy 10 year old! Children of All Nations is currently helping to advocate for our adoption. Contact them today or request our full profile to learn more about us!
Hi, my name is William and I am 7 years old. I have something called cerebral palsy, but I don’t let that get me down! I’m a happy kiddo who wants to find a forever family! Children of All Nations is currently helping to advocate for my adoption. Contact them today or request my full profile to learn more about me!
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