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Haiti - This program is currently on hold due to the earthquake devastation.Program: Haiti is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere with 80% unemployment and 54% of the population living on less than $1 per day. Children in Haiti are at great risk with almost three out of every ten dying before their fifth birthday. Orphaned or relinquished due to poverty or death of parent(s), some children in Haiti are in need of adoptive families. Lifelink is pleased to work with Rivers of Hope, a small orphanage caring for children while seeking permanent family solutions for them.
Available Children: Most of the children cared for by Rivers of Hope are infant to five years of age and sibling groups. The Haiti adoption program is unique because potential adoptive families have the opportunity to receive a great deal of information about the child they are considering including: medical reports; social history; and as much information about birth family as available. In some cases, a meeting with the birth family is possible. In addition to this information, families are permitted to travel to Haiti to visit Rivers of Hope and meet the child referred to their family prior to adoption.
Eligibility: The IBESR (government agency in Haiti responsible for adoptions) has guidelines drafted in 1974 for families seeking to adopt. There is currently legislation pending that will alter these requirements. The general requirements for families are as follows: couples over 30 and under 50; married for at least five years; and two or fewer children already in the family. At this time Lifelink is not working with single applicants for this program and, due to the wishes of our foreign partners, is only working with Christian families at this time. There is some flexibility in these requirements; contact a caseworker for more information.  The Adoption Process: In Haiti, the adoption process does not begin until the dossier has been submitted and a child matched with that family. Once a dossier is completed, the family will soon receive a referral of a waiting child. The adoption process will take approximately 18 months from the time of match. The possibility exists for great variability in timeframes due to the unique aspects of each child’s and prospective adoptive family’s situation.
Travel to Haiti throughout the process is permitted. Haiti is just a two-hour flight from Miami with twice daily flights on American Airlines. Haiti is prone to tropical storms and internal strife. Lifelink will work with adoptive families to assess these situations prior to travel. Travel for one or both parents is for three to five days. When visiting Haiti, families may stay at one of a few local hotels or at the Thomassin Guesthouse. Families will be escorted to all appointments by our in-country coordinator. Haitian adoptions are finalized in Haiti.
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