Disaster strikes...
On January 12, 2010, a massive, 7.0 earthquake struck this island nation – killing an estimated 230,000 people and displacing hundreds of thousands more. Fortunately, the Holt Fontana Village was not damaged in the quake, and all the children and staff were safe. Recognizing the urgency of the crisis, the U.S. Government granted humanitarian parole visas for 21 children at the village whose adoptions were near completion when the quake hit. All 21 children are now home with their families.

As Haiti rebuilds, processing stalls...
To give time to learn how the adoption process may have changed – and with local infrastructure devastated – Holt delayed processing of new adoption cases in the aftermath of the quake. About a year later, in 2011, Holt resumed adoption services from Haiti – matching all children eligible for adoption from the Holt Fontana Village.

Our work continues...
Holt's international adoption program from Haiti is currently undergoing many changes due to Haiti's recent ratification of the Hague Convention. Haiti's central authority for international adoption – IBESR – will now play a major role in the matching of children with adoptive applicants. Until IBESR makes known details of how their new child referral system will work, families interested in adopting from Haiti are encouraged to contact Mike Noah, Holt's Director of Services for Haiti, before applying.

To learn about the many different ways Holt serves children and families in Haiti, click here.

Children recently home from Haiti