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With one last flight to Haiti, Operation Stork winds down

Friday, January 29, 2010 7:04 PM

With one last flight to Haiti,

Operation Stork winds down

Jane Taber

The Air Canada Airbus A330 was just beginning its descent into Port-au-Prince last Saturday when the message came through the cockpit’s data system from the airline’s operations centre: “Attn: AC2150: Confirmed 24 children for your return. Take care of them.”

Countries: Haiti, Canada

Setting Orphans' Path to U.S.

Haiti-Based Officer Hears Hundreds of Cases, Ruling on Which Children Can Go

By Miriam Jordan

The Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2010

Dozens of times a day, Pius Bannis helps decide the fate of a Haitian orphan.

Countries: Haiti, United States of America

Organizations: All Blessings International

Koblenzer Adoptionsverein holte Kinder aus Erdbebengebiet in Haiti

Frankfurt Sie wollten Waisenkindern aus Haiti die Chance auf ein besseres Leben bieten.

Aus dem Elend Haitis in neue Fami lien: Der Koblen zer Verein "Help a Child" holte diese Waisen nach Deutsch land. Nach dem langen Flug waren sowohl die Kinder als auch "Help"-Vor sit zende Bea Garnier-Merz am Ende ihrer Kräfte. Fotos: Help a Child

Dann kam das Erdbeben. Nach Tagen der Sorge konnten 60 Paare ihre Adoptivkinder endlich in die Arme schließen.

Organizations: Help a Child e.V.

Countries: Germany, Haiti

Adoption: neuf enfants haïtiens sont arrivés en Suisse

19:50 29.01.2010

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Adoption: neuf enfants haïtiens sont arrivés en Suisse

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Countries: Switzerland, Haiti

Activists seek a central adoption registry

M Ramya, TNN, Jan 28, 2010, 04.49am IST

CHENNAI: When they gather enough strength to confront the most basic of questions — who am I, where did I come from — time would have consumed their childhood. The emotional pull to find answers grows with those who have been put up for inter-country adoption that one day they embark on a journey to an alien land, scouting for their parents, clenching a pack of sketchy letters and greying pictures, and placing their bets on luck.

To make parent-hunting a much more smoother affair, activists have been rooting for a central adoption registry that will maintain the names of the biological parents giving their child for adoption to foreign parents. Esther, who was adopted by a Belgian couple, would have been spared of the wanderings in Chennai in search of her mother and sister had there been a registry. A comprehensive central adoption registry will allow children to trace their roots later if they are so inclined, and enable their biological parents to reconnect with their past.

"Esther was given up for adoption in 1985, much before the guidelines for adoption were drawn up. But there are more recent cases where tracing biological parents have been futile. When I tried to help trace a person's biological parent, I failed for want of available records. The adoption agency concerned, which could have had the details, had closed down," says Andal Damodaran, former chairperson of the Central Adoption Resource Agency and current honorary general secretary of the Tamil Nadu Indian Council for Child Welfare.

Countries: India

Chances For Children Founder Craig Juntunen Urges International Adoption as Part of the Solution in Aftermath of Haiti Earthquak

Chances For Children Founder Craig Juntunen Urges International Adoption as Part of the Solution in Aftermath of Haiti Earthquake

Submitted by:Chances For Children

Categories:Corporate Social Responsibility, Health & Wellness

Posted:Jan 28, 2010 – 04:47 PM EST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., Jan. 28 /CSRwire/ - International adoption must be part of the solution for Haiti's orphaned children in the aftermath of the Jan.12 earthquake, said Craig Juntunen, international child welfare advocate and the founder of Chances for Children.

"It is time for some child advocacy organizations to stop calling international adoption the 'last resort,'" Juntunen said. "For many of these children, intercountry adoption is the 'best resort.'"

In fact, Juntunen noted, a majority of Americans have a favorable opinion of intercountry adoption and believe that adoptive parents are as likely -- if not more likely -- to be responsible parents than biological parents.

Juntunen announced he will release the full results of a new survey on international adoption Feb. 10. The first of its kind in 12 years, the survey of 1,000 respondents -- conducted by M4 Strategies of Costa Mesa, Calif. -- indicates that many Americans have a higher opinion of intercountry adoption than those espoused by a handful of organizations.

Some estimates indicate Haiti had as many as 380,000 orphans prior to the earthquake. Now, surely, there are many thousands more, Juntunen noted. "My fear is that many of these children will be left behind -- neglected -- by the narrow-minded agendas of special interest groups," he said. "When it comes to the best interests of a child, there is not a one-size-fits-all solution."

In many cases, the best answer for orphaned children is to remain in Haiti if there is a chance they can be re-united with parents or immediate extended family, said Juntunen. That is one reason why Chances for Children has partnered with the Haiti Renewal Fund to assist with the long-term rebuilding efforts in Haiti, especially those geared toward improving the welfare of children. Chances for Children supports a creche in Haiti, and is dedicated to the rebuilding of children's homes, children's hospitals, and schools in the stricken nation.

However, many other children will be left to fend for themselves in an environment that cannot meet their basic needs: safe drinking water, food, shelter, clothing, health care, education and security, he said. "Neglect is as bad as abuse," he said. "We all need to open our eyes to the dire situation facing these children today."

Juntunen believes labeling intercountry adoption as a "last resort" is an insult to the thousands of American families who have opened their homes to orphaned children from around the world. "I have firsthand experience with this, as my wife Kathi and I adopted our three children from Haiti," he said. "I live this experience day in and day out ... I know international adoption works."

Haiti Renewal Fund was launched Jan. 20 with an initial matching grant of $2 million from Jackson Hole residents Lynn and Foster Friess augmented by a subsequent $1 million from Childhelp, drawn from donations specifically designated to the fund.

Donations to "Haiti Renewal Fund/NCF" may be sent to the National Christian Foundation, 11625 Rainwater Drive, Suite 500, Alpharetta, Georgia 30009 or by clicking here to donate online athttp://www.haitirenewal.org.

BIOS:

Craig Juntunen founded Chances for Children with proceeds of sale of his successful business. Chances for Children has facilitated the adoptions of more than 100 Haitian orphans in the last three years. Juntunen authored Both Ends Burning, the story of how his wife Kathi and he adopted their children Amelec, Espie and Quinn from Haiti in 2006.

Foster Friess founded the Brandywine Funds and since selling his firm in 2001 has promoted private sector solutions in order to curb increasing intrusiveness of government. Through their Friess Family Foundation, Foster and Lynn, his wife of 47 years, fund water purification units in Malawi and mobile medical vans for the medically underserved.

WEB SITES for more information:

Haiti Renewal Fund: http://www.haitirenewal.org
Chances for Children: http://www.chances4children.org/c4c/
Foster Friess Foundation: http://www.fosterfriess.com

Persons: Craig Juntunen

Organizations: Chances for Children

Senators speak out for Haitian orphans

TAGS: Senate, Haiti, Mary Landrieu, Frank Lautenberg, Orphans

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By JAMES HOHMANN | 1/27/10 4:41 AM EST

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Persons: Mary Landrieu, Frank Lautenberg

Organizations: Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute

Countries: Haiti, United States of America

Haiti adoptions: Keeping youths in the right hands

Last week, in a move hailed by child protection officials, Haitian President Rene Preval ordered that all adoptions in Haiti had to be approved by his office. But relief agencies said Tuesday that they were hearing of cases in which other government ministers were approving adoptions, which suggests the process could be open to abuse.

Haiti adoptions: Keeping youths in the right hands

Relief agencies worry that human traffickers will exploit the post-quake turmoil.

These children at Horizon of Hope in Port-au-Prince have been at the private center, which functions as an adoption agency, since before the earthquake. (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times / January 26, 2010)

Countries: Haiti

Haiti's orphans: Why they remain in limbo

By Jessica Ravitz, CNN

January 27, 2010 1:26 p.m. EST

Young children are seen at an orphanage near Port-au-Prince, following the earthquake that rocked Haiti.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Countries: United States of America, Haiti

Organizations: Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute

Orphaned Haitian children arrive in Ottawa

Updated: Wed Jan. 27 2010 13:51:56

ctvottawa.ca

A second airplane carrying 52 Haitian orphans touched down in the capital this afternoon.

The children were in the queue for adoption by Canadian parents when a massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake hit the country two weeks ago, devastating the nation and overwhelming social services.

Countries: Haiti, Canada