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Earthquake Relief Update 4-2-2010
Good News! Adoptions are once again being processed in Haiti!!!!
IBESR (the social welfare department in Haiti) and the courts have reopened and have started accepting dossiers again. While it is anyone’s guess what the timeline and system will be like – we are cautiously optimistic that families who meet the Haiti adoption requirements will experience a smooth and efficient process.
However, there is still reason for concern. All orphanages are approaching this welcome news with caution, because UNICEF now is entrenched within IBESR and will be scrutinizing each and every dossier. Chances for Children will only be matching children who were either 1) abandoned prior to the earthquake or 2) relinquished by a birthparent with proper documentation and DNA tests (to confirm parental rights). Children who have been orphaned by the earthquake are still being held by UNICEF in an attempt to reunite them with living relatives. We all agree that this is the best option for these children at this time.
Chances for Children will also be opening another orphanage in Haiti. The new site is located in Port au Prince and will begin admitting children as soon as we finish some small construction projects and furnish the home. It will be a small family-style orphanage housing 20-25 children. We will post more pictures and updates on our website as we complete the home. Please visit our donation blog at http://chances4childrendonations.blogspot.com// to learn how you can help donate items to get this new site ready.
For families interested in adopting, we would like to share our plan to help you determine what next steps to take.
- C4C’s first step will be to proceed with dossiers already in process prior to the earthquake. This includes dossiers for 3-5 families.
- Once we have had some time to evaluate the current Haiti adoption process with families from Step 1, we will send email updates to all interested families on how the process is going. We anticipate it will be at least 3 months before we can accept new families. Once we are confident that adoptions are indeed being processed, we will begin accepting new families.
- If you already have a completed homestudy, please email us immediately, so we can put your name in the queue. This queue will determine the order in which we facilitate adoptions and your emailing us about your completed home study will help us more quickly provide you with information on available children.
- We are also in process of re-evaluating all of our dossier documents, fees and processing guidelines. If you feel called to adopt from Haiti, we encourage you to start your homestudy process and visit the adoption section of our website at http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/adoption/adoption_overview/ to learn more about the program.
This is a critical time for Chances for Children as we expand our services in Haiti. In addition to opening a new orphanage we are also in final discussions with two organizations in Haiti to begin our education, medical and economic programs. We are going to help renew and rebuild the shattered nation. Thanks to the generosity of our community of friends, adoptive families, donors and friends of friends we are able to expand our outreach.
Please contact us with any questions you have. We appreciate all you have done to help us make positive changes in the lives of Haitian children.
With Gratitude,
Chances for Children
