Original Link
Updated at 10:02 PM today
Michelle Gallardo
January 14, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Relieved their children are unhurt after the earthquake, two adoptive families now fear Haitian orphanages will run out of supplies- and the paperwork may be lost.
The Haitian orphanage where the young boy Lisa Gregg and her husband are planning to adopt sustained only minor damage in the earthquake. All the children are OK.
"He's had quite a life and he's only 3," said Lisa Gregg. "And I keep saying we just want to get him home. He's three. Things can be smoother."
But how quickly they can bring him home is now in question. All the paperwork filed on the adoption may have been lost. She's grateful he's OK- but concerned about his immediate future.
...
Adoption-Link out of Oak Park, Ill., -- one of six agencies in the U.S. that work with orphanages in Haiti-- arranged the adoptions for Gregg and Lewen. Both of the facilities the agency works have only minor damage. But, they are running out of food and water.
"We had recently shipped a giant sea container full of supplies and that was in customs at Port-Au-Prince and all those supplies are gone because of destruction or looting," said Heather Breems, Adoption-Link.
Another problem- the documents may have been lost.
"Probably all the documents were in the office in Port-Au-Prince, which has now collapsed, so we're working very hard to find a way to issue a new visa and passport here within the U.S. so that all we need is someone to go and grab the little girl and she can come home," said Breems.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
"A local family is desperately trying to get to their adoptive Haitian boys"
Original Link
By Brittney Hopper
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 7:58 p.m.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO -- Tanya and Aaron Ramsey tell FOX21 News, when they heard about the devastating earthquake, they went into panic mode, hoping and praying their two twin boys are alive.
When we found out the earthquake happened we just went into, we just needed to know if our children were okay, alive,” said Tanya Ramsey.
Tanya and her husband Aaron started the adoption process through “God's Littlest Angles” in august of 2008. They found out they were getting twin boys a year later and since then they've seen their boys twice, most recently during Christmas.
“It's been quite an emotional couple of days but people in our community have been outstanding. Colorado Springs have truly come together to support us and to support Haiti which is excellent,” said Ramsey.
Because of international adoption laws, the Ramsey family weren't suppose to get their boys for another six months but since the devastating earthquake they're doing all they can to bring their boys home sooner.
“What we're trying to do with our local Senators is to push the humanitarian passports and bring our children home early,” said Ramsey.
The Ramsey family says they are trying to get other adoptive Haitian kids to their adoptive parents in the United States and Canada earlier than expected to free up space at the orphanage.
“There's going to be so many orphans in Haiti, just over night the orphanages out in Haiti are already maxed out so to bring our kids home will not only help our children but also the other children who are now orphans in Haiti,” said Ramsey.
By Brittney Hopper
Thursday, January 14, 2010 at 7:58 p.m.
COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO -- Tanya and Aaron Ramsey tell FOX21 News, when they heard about the devastating earthquake, they went into panic mode, hoping and praying their two twin boys are alive.
When we found out the earthquake happened we just went into, we just needed to know if our children were okay, alive,” said Tanya Ramsey.
Tanya and her husband Aaron started the adoption process through “God's Littlest Angles” in august of 2008. They found out they were getting twin boys a year later and since then they've seen their boys twice, most recently during Christmas.
“It's been quite an emotional couple of days but people in our community have been outstanding. Colorado Springs have truly come together to support us and to support Haiti which is excellent,” said Ramsey.
Because of international adoption laws, the Ramsey family weren't suppose to get their boys for another six months but since the devastating earthquake they're doing all they can to bring their boys home sooner.
“What we're trying to do with our local Senators is to push the humanitarian passports and bring our children home early,” said Ramsey.
The Ramsey family says they are trying to get other adoptive Haitian kids to their adoptive parents in the United States and Canada earlier than expected to free up space at the orphanage.
“There's going to be so many orphans in Haiti, just over night the orphanages out in Haiti are already maxed out so to bring our kids home will not only help our children but also the other children who are now orphans in Haiti,” said Ramsey.
"'If there had not been an earthquake, he would be here by June'"
Original Link
Story Published: Jan 14, 2010 at 5:57 PM PST
By Laura Rillos KVAL News
EUGENE, Ore. -- Alicia Swaringen looks through pictures of her four-year-old son, Sthainder, filled with relief -- and frustration.
She knows the young boy was not injured in the Haiti earthquake, but she doesn't know when she'll be able to bring him home.
"If there had not been an earthquake, he would be here by June," said Swaringen. "But with the earthquake and not knowing if that's going to add to the time, who knows? These last few steps could take years."
Sthainder is at Holt International's Fantana Village, located 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince. The building is still standing and is running on generator power.
It's an agonizing limbo. Swaringen has spent two years trying to adopt Sthainder, on top of another 7 months starting the initial adoption process.
Swaringen said she needs one signature from the Ministry of the Interior to clear the way for Sthainder to get a passport and for Swaringen to have her final interview with U.S. officials to obtain Sthainder's visa.
"The one signature we've been waiting on, we've been waiting for 5 months," said Swaringen. "And I don't even know if that building is still in existence."
For now, Swaringen clings to the photos and memories from her trip to Haiti last May, the first time she met her son.
"He was only three when I went, how's he even going to know who I am?" she wondered. "But he knew, he knew. And I knew."
Swaringen spent five days with Sthainder, swimming, playing on the beach and learning about her son and his country.
"The moment of meeting him was really magical too. We bonded just really immediately," she said. "He's really cute and smart and funny and kind and gentle. I can't wait to bring him home."
Kim Brown, the director of Holt International, has said the earthquake could draw out adoptions for another year or two. He said the U.S. state department will have to work with Haitian officials to see if they can expedite adoptions already in process.
Story Published: Jan 14, 2010 at 5:57 PM PST
By Laura Rillos KVAL News
EUGENE, Ore. -- Alicia Swaringen looks through pictures of her four-year-old son, Sthainder, filled with relief -- and frustration.
She knows the young boy was not injured in the Haiti earthquake, but she doesn't know when she'll be able to bring him home.
"If there had not been an earthquake, he would be here by June," said Swaringen. "But with the earthquake and not knowing if that's going to add to the time, who knows? These last few steps could take years."
Sthainder is at Holt International's Fantana Village, located 30 miles north of Port-au-Prince. The building is still standing and is running on generator power.
It's an agonizing limbo. Swaringen has spent two years trying to adopt Sthainder, on top of another 7 months starting the initial adoption process.
Swaringen said she needs one signature from the Ministry of the Interior to clear the way for Sthainder to get a passport and for Swaringen to have her final interview with U.S. officials to obtain Sthainder's visa.
"The one signature we've been waiting on, we've been waiting for 5 months," said Swaringen. "And I don't even know if that building is still in existence."
For now, Swaringen clings to the photos and memories from her trip to Haiti last May, the first time she met her son.
"He was only three when I went, how's he even going to know who I am?" she wondered. "But he knew, he knew. And I knew."
Swaringen spent five days with Sthainder, swimming, playing on the beach and learning about her son and his country.
"The moment of meeting him was really magical too. We bonded just really immediately," she said. "He's really cute and smart and funny and kind and gentle. I can't wait to bring him home."
Kim Brown, the director of Holt International, has said the earthquake could draw out adoptions for another year or two. He said the U.S. state department will have to work with Haitian officials to see if they can expedite adoptions already in process.
"Englewood mother's baby is trapped in Haiti"
Original Link
written by: Jeffrey Wolf Kevin Torres 35 mins ago
ENGLEWOOD - Thousands of parents around the world are waiting to hear if their adopted children survived the earthquake in Haiti.
A mother from Englewood found out mid-way through the week that her 11-month-old daughter Oslene survived the quake.
While many of the buildings around Oslene's orphanage crumbled, her orphanage remained untouched.
"It's quite a nerve-wracking situation," said Shusawn Touryan, who's waiting for her child.
Touryan started the adoption process back in September and the legal paperwork has all gone through. However, the agency she worked with said it could take up to two years for her to receive Oslene.
"I don't think I've ever felt this way before. Yet, there's nothing I can do," she said. "I think that's the most maddening part of the whole thing. If I could get on an airplane right now and grab her and hold her - even if it was just to hold her, I would."
Touryan is hoping to get a humanitarian visa so she can get her daughter sooner. She has already reached out to several politicians.
Thousands of children were put up for adoption Haiti long before the earthquake struck.
(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved)
written by: Jeffrey Wolf Kevin Torres 35 mins ago
ENGLEWOOD - Thousands of parents around the world are waiting to hear if their adopted children survived the earthquake in Haiti.
A mother from Englewood found out mid-way through the week that her 11-month-old daughter Oslene survived the quake.
While many of the buildings around Oslene's orphanage crumbled, her orphanage remained untouched.
"It's quite a nerve-wracking situation," said Shusawn Touryan, who's waiting for her child.
Touryan started the adoption process back in September and the legal paperwork has all gone through. However, the agency she worked with said it could take up to two years for her to receive Oslene.
"I don't think I've ever felt this way before. Yet, there's nothing I can do," she said. "I think that's the most maddening part of the whole thing. If I could get on an airplane right now and grab her and hold her - even if it was just to hold her, I would."
Touryan is hoping to get a humanitarian visa so she can get her daughter sooner. She has already reached out to several politicians.
Thousands of children were put up for adoption Haiti long before the earthquake struck.
(Copyright KUSA*TV, All Rights Reserved)
"Haitian envoy: No contact with ministers since quake"
Original Link
By Tom Evans, CNN
January 15, 2010 -- Updated 0107 GMT (0907 HKT)
(CNN) -- The Haitian ambassador to the U.S. said Thursday he has not been able to contact a single minister in his government since Tuesday's devastating earthquake in his country.
Ambassador Raymond Joseph told CNN's Christiane Amanpour, "I have had contacts with some officials that are government officials, but not at the level of ministers."
"And I understand that some people that used to work with us may have been killed in the collapse of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he added.
Joseph's remarks indicate a huge scale of damage in the government's infrastructure in the capital Port-au-Prince after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake.
...
The executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Ann Veneman, told Amanpour that conditions in Haiti were dire even before this week's earthquake. "Fifty percent of the children don't go to school, children are living in poverty, people don't have access to basic services", she said.
"Only about a third of the population has access to clean water under normal circumstances and now in the emergency, food, clean water, access is so critical to these populations to allow them to survive."
Veneman also had a grim warning about the risks to children in the aftermath of the disaster.
"We'll be working on the protection of children to make sure those children who may have been separated from their families are identified and aren't being allowed to move, because you worry about the trafficking of children."
"It's in these emergency circumstances where a child could be plucked off the street and trafficked or taken away", she added. "And so one of the things we advocate for is to make sure that children are identified, that they're put in a safe place, and then people begin to track their family members so they cannot simply disappear from the scene."
By Tom Evans, CNN
January 15, 2010 -- Updated 0107 GMT (0907 HKT)
(CNN) -- The Haitian ambassador to the U.S. said Thursday he has not been able to contact a single minister in his government since Tuesday's devastating earthquake in his country.
Ambassador Raymond Joseph told CNN's Christiane Amanpour, "I have had contacts with some officials that are government officials, but not at the level of ministers."
"And I understand that some people that used to work with us may have been killed in the collapse of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs," he added.
Joseph's remarks indicate a huge scale of damage in the government's infrastructure in the capital Port-au-Prince after the 7.0-magnitude earthquake.
...
The executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Ann Veneman, told Amanpour that conditions in Haiti were dire even before this week's earthquake. "Fifty percent of the children don't go to school, children are living in poverty, people don't have access to basic services", she said.
"Only about a third of the population has access to clean water under normal circumstances and now in the emergency, food, clean water, access is so critical to these populations to allow them to survive."
Veneman also had a grim warning about the risks to children in the aftermath of the disaster.
"We'll be working on the protection of children to make sure those children who may have been separated from their families are identified and aren't being allowed to move, because you worry about the trafficking of children."
"It's in these emergency circumstances where a child could be plucked off the street and trafficked or taken away", she added. "And so one of the things we advocate for is to make sure that children are identified, that they're put in a safe place, and then people begin to track their family members so they cannot simply disappear from the scene."
"Haiti Earthquake Devastates Lives of Orphans, Unwanted Children"
Original Link
Orphan Population Expected to Increase After Quake; Limited Resources to Care for Them
By SARAH NETTER
Jan. 14, 2010
When the shaking started, they ran -- 20 little girls, all orphans, out of the only home they knew.
When the walls of their suburban Port-au-Prince orphanage came crashing down, their caregivers counted their blessings that no one had died. But then their attention turned to the harsh reality faced by the dozens of owners of the orphanages that dot Haiti's capital -- finding food and shelter for the poorest of the poor, the children nobody wanted.
They also fear that the number of children they will need to care for will increase dramatically.
"We are very scared for the orphans out there," Jon Clark, international director to Haiti for CSI Ministries, told ABCNews.com today. "People are bad off to begin with. This is just going to make things worse."
Port-au-Prince was home to a considerable orphan population before the earthquake hit Tuesday, turning Haiti's capital into a wasteland. While some children had been placed in orphanages because their parents had died, many others are brought to orphanages by their families because disease or poverty left them unable to care for their children.
Now, orphanage owners and missionaries say the number of unwanted children is sure to skyrocket as thousands of Haitian parents come to grips with being stripped of the few resources they had.
...
In 2007, UNICEF estimated there were 380,000 orphans in Haiti, which has a population of just over 9 million, according to the CIA World Factbook.
The children at the H.O.P.E. Center, run by CSI Ministries, could be considered among the lucky. Clark, based in the U.S., said he has made contact with Toby Banks, director of the medical clinic adjacent to the orphanage, located in Croix Des Bouquets, about 4 miles from the earthquake's epicenter.
...
Orphan Population Expected to Increase After Quake; Limited Resources to Care for Them
By SARAH NETTER
Jan. 14, 2010
When the shaking started, they ran -- 20 little girls, all orphans, out of the only home they knew.
When the walls of their suburban Port-au-Prince orphanage came crashing down, their caregivers counted their blessings that no one had died. But then their attention turned to the harsh reality faced by the dozens of owners of the orphanages that dot Haiti's capital -- finding food and shelter for the poorest of the poor, the children nobody wanted.
They also fear that the number of children they will need to care for will increase dramatically.
"We are very scared for the orphans out there," Jon Clark, international director to Haiti for CSI Ministries, told ABCNews.com today. "People are bad off to begin with. This is just going to make things worse."
Port-au-Prince was home to a considerable orphan population before the earthquake hit Tuesday, turning Haiti's capital into a wasteland. While some children had been placed in orphanages because their parents had died, many others are brought to orphanages by their families because disease or poverty left them unable to care for their children.
Now, orphanage owners and missionaries say the number of unwanted children is sure to skyrocket as thousands of Haitian parents come to grips with being stripped of the few resources they had.
...
In 2007, UNICEF estimated there were 380,000 orphans in Haiti, which has a population of just over 9 million, according to the CIA World Factbook.
The children at the H.O.P.E. Center, run by CSI Ministries, could be considered among the lucky. Clark, based in the U.S., said he has made contact with Toby Banks, director of the medical clinic adjacent to the orphanage, located in Croix Des Bouquets, about 4 miles from the earthquake's epicenter.
...
"Lugar Calls for Granting Temporary Protective Status to Haitians"
Original Link
Congressional Desk
January 15, 2010
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar is calling on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protective Status for 18 months to Haitian immigrants, in part, so they can send funds home to help their country.
"The devastating earthquake and ongoing aftershocks in Haiti since January 12 represent one of the most significant natural disasters to strike the Western Hemisphere in recent memory. The gravity of the situation was explained to me in detail during a conversation I had yesterday with Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who is leading the U.S. government response," Lugar said.
More than 3 million people have been directly affected and estimates reported by the Red Cross suggest that the number of casualties may reach 50,000 or more. "The challenges facing Haiti and all those who stand with her are extraordinary, but the American people´s willingness to lend a helping hand remains unwavering. Many Hoosiers have been engaged in humanitarian work in Haiti, among them the my fellow parishioners of St. Luke´s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.
"Confronted by such a great crisis, I call on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS) to Haitians for 18 months, at which time it should be reviewed," Lugar said. TPS is granted to selected immigrants who cannot safely return to their native countries due to natural disasters, conflict or other emergencies. "It is in the foreign policy interest of the United States and a humanitarian imperative of the highest order to have all people of Haitian descent in a position to contribute towards the recovery of this island nation," Lugar said.
Lugar has also asked the U.S. State Department to allow visa parole for Haitian children that are in the midst of adoption proceedings with American parents. This would allow the children to come to the U.S. while their adoptions are still in process. Several Hoosiers families contacted Lugar´s office about their pending adoptions from Haiti.
Congressional Desk
January 15, 2010
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Dick Lugar is calling on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protective Status for 18 months to Haitian immigrants, in part, so they can send funds home to help their country.
"The devastating earthquake and ongoing aftershocks in Haiti since January 12 represent one of the most significant natural disasters to strike the Western Hemisphere in recent memory. The gravity of the situation was explained to me in detail during a conversation I had yesterday with Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), who is leading the U.S. government response," Lugar said.
More than 3 million people have been directly affected and estimates reported by the Red Cross suggest that the number of casualties may reach 50,000 or more. "The challenges facing Haiti and all those who stand with her are extraordinary, but the American people´s willingness to lend a helping hand remains unwavering. Many Hoosiers have been engaged in humanitarian work in Haiti, among them the my fellow parishioners of St. Luke´s United Methodist Church in Indianapolis.
"Confronted by such a great crisis, I call on the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security to grant Temporary Protective Status (TPS) to Haitians for 18 months, at which time it should be reviewed," Lugar said. TPS is granted to selected immigrants who cannot safely return to their native countries due to natural disasters, conflict or other emergencies. "It is in the foreign policy interest of the United States and a humanitarian imperative of the highest order to have all people of Haitian descent in a position to contribute towards the recovery of this island nation," Lugar said.
Lugar has also asked the U.S. State Department to allow visa parole for Haitian children that are in the midst of adoption proceedings with American parents. This would allow the children to come to the U.S. while their adoptions are still in process. Several Hoosiers families contacted Lugar´s office about their pending adoptions from Haiti.
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