Why Adopt From Haiti?
The Great Need for Adoption in Haiti. Haiti is widely considered to be the most impoverished country in the western hemisphere with almost 80% of people living below the poverty line. In traveling through Haiti, it is clear that this is a country that has experienced great struggle.
Many homes and businesses are constructed of found materials and, overall, living conditions are poor. Due to the extreme poverty prevalent in Haiti, many families are unable to care for their children; fifteen percent of children in Haiti are estimated to be living outside of family care. In 2010, an earthquake devastated this already poor country, compounding the hardships faced by many Haitians and leaving even more children without families. It is estimated that the number of orphans in Haiti doubled from 380,000 to more than 750,000. This staggering number accounts for almost seven percent of Haiti’s population.
The Benefits of Adopting from a Hague Convention Country. Haiti is a Hague Convention Country, meaning there are additional safeguards by which Haiti operates to ensure adoptions are both ethical and in the best interests of the children. Hague Convention Countries tend to be more stable and predictable in processing adoptions and are less likely to be reactionary and make quick decisions that negatively impact the adoption process. Furthermore, Hague Convention Countries are more likely to have a process and procedure in place in the event the country elects to make any changes to its adoption process. Creche’s, or orphanages, where children in need of families reside must be licensed by Haiti to care for the children, and must also be licensed for international adoption. These safeguards help ensure that the children receive proper care in a safe environment while waiting to be united with their forever families.
The Haitian adoption process does not officially begin until the dossier has arrived in country and has been legalized and reviewed the appropriate authority. The dossier preparation can take upwards of six months. The timeframe to receive a referral is approximately 12-24 months after dossier registration, depending upon the age and gender of the child the family has indicated. The process may be expedited if a family is open to an older child or a child with special needs.
Referrals are given based on the date of dossier submission and balanced by several variables; characteristics of the child the family has indicated (age, gender, heath status) and the children in need of families at any given time. Once the referral is accepted by the prospective adoptive parents, the adoption will take approximately 14-18 months to complete.
Please note that timeframes may vary on a case-by-case basis and are subject to change.
Two trips to Haiti are required, with the possibility of a third trip:
Approved In Haiti. MLJ Adoptions, a Hague Accredited adoption service provider, is approved to work in Haiti and to provide adoption services under Haiti’s new Hague guidelines.
Currently Accepting Applications for New Families. There are also benefits to working with MLJ Adoptions for an adoption from Haiti. Haiti has implemented new procedures for adoption, including the dossier submission procedure. It is the dossier submission in Haiti that starts the adoption process and wait time for the country to conduct the matching process. Every adoption service provider approved to provide adoption services in Haiti is permitted to submit only two dossiers per month. This means that, effectively, only 24 families per year per adoption service provider can be registered to adopt.
MLJ Adoptions has spots currently open for families to begin their adoption from Haiti.
Experienced and Compassionate Staff. Our MLJ Adoptions’ foreign and domestic teams are composed of a diverse group of professionals who are committed to supporting families before, during and after adoption. Families wishing to adopt from Haiti will primarily work with Sonja Brown, one of MLJ Adoptions’ Program Directors. Sonja has ten years of experience in adoption, and has united more than 200 children with their forever families. Furthermore, MLJ Adoptions retains full-time licensed attorneys domestically and works with a Haitian attorney. It is beneficial to families to have attorneys in both the United States and Haiti reviewing and assisting with the legal processes of adoption.
Request more information about how to adopt from Haiti by clicking here.
Learn more about Haiti on the CIA World Factbook.
Country information is to be considered general information and subject to change. The information is based upon state, federal, foreign, and international law, as well as our own business policies.
Photo Credits: Global Orphan Project