We at PEAR would like to express our sympathy and support of the victims of the earthquake this week in Haiti. As news of this tragic event has spread, we have noticed an increase in interest in the adoption of Haitian orphans. PEAR would like to request that potential adoptive parents and adoption agencies refrain from exploring this issue at this time and instead concentrate efforts on providing relief and safety to children in Haiti.
In times of disaster children are often separated from their caregivers and are vulnerable to trafficking and exploitation. The most important thing to the children of Haiti right now is providing for their safety and access to basic needs: food, water, shelter, and reunification with family. Once the country has stabilized, adoption agencies and relief organizations working in Haiti will be better able to assess the need, if any, for international adoption.
Individuals and families who wish to help the children of Haiti may be interested in donating to the following organizations:
CARE
151 Ellis Street
Atlanta, GA 30303
(800) 521-CARE (521-2273)
http://www.care.org/
OXFAM AMERICA
226 Causeway St., 5th Floor
Boston, MA 02114-2206
(800) 77-OXFAM (776-9326)
http://www.oxfamamerica.org/
SAVE THE CHILDREN
Haiti Earthquake Children in Emergency Fund
54 Wilton Road
Westport, CT 06880
(800) 728-3843
http://www.savethechildren.org/
U.S. FUND FOR UNICEF
125 Maiden Lane
New York, NY 10038
(800) FOR-KIDS (367-5437) UNICEF
http://www.unicefusa.org/news/news-from-the-field/unicef-in-haiti.html
From the US Embassy in Port Au Prince: Anyone wishing to donate or provide assistance in Haiti following the devastating earthquake that struck near Port au Prince on Jan 12, 2010, is asked to contact the Center for International Disaster Information. The Center, operated under a grant from the United States Agency for International Development’s Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance and initial support from IBM, has become a valuable resource to the public, as well as US government agencies, foreign embassies and international corporations. CIDI has established a dedicated page to coordinate Haiti support at: http://www.cidi.org/incident/haiti-10a/
Our thoughts and prayers are with prospective and adoptive families at this time as well. For prospective adoptive families with referred children in Haiti and adoptive families with extended family and friends in Haiti, PEAR would like to offer a clearing house location for checking on the conditions of orphanages, foster homes, relief organizations, adoption agencies, hotels and hospitals. If you have information on the current conditions of any of these locations in Haiti and the welfare of those inhabiting them, please contact us at reform@pear-now.org and we will post them here.
Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/
www.pear-now.org
Do you have any news of the Helping for Christ school in Port au Prince?
It is run by Dicksent Jeen Welch and is supported by Heart of God International Ministries (http://haiti.heartofgodinternational.com/Default.aspx?tabid=2498)
We do not have any news of that school, but please keep checking our blog – if we receive any news we will post it here: http://pear-now.blogspot.com/2010/01/updates-from-haiti.html
Thank you. If you are able to reach anyone on the ground there, can you ask if they have had news?
Just got this from our US team:
We just received a phone call from Dicksent!! After being disconnected a couple times, Dave was finally able to speak with him. Specific details are still sketchy but Dicksent and all 10 of the teachers have made it through!! Some have injuries but we are not sure how severe. Sadly, Dicksent did confirm that we have lost 40 of the school children and he is unsure at this point how many of the surviving school children have lost their parents. Also, the school building is completely destroyed. Dicksent has given us new contact information and we will be communicating with him over the next few days to determine exactly what we need to do to help them.
Thank you for all the prayers!! God has heard us and answered them! We will surely mourn the loss of the 40 children but we can also rejoice that, because of Helping for Christ, they are now in heaven with our Savior and they will never lack for anything ever again!
David & Julie Young