A father and child in Holt's Ethiopia family preservation program with Dan Lauer, Holt's VP of international programs.

More than just a gift…

For children in Holt’s care, a gift from Holt’s Gifts of Hope catalog means an education. A loving foster home.  Or a life-changing surgery.  Last year, over 1,500 children received Gifts of Hope! This year our goal is to reach 2,500 children and families!

A gift of hope is more than just a gift. And as the recent food crisis underscored for families in Ethiopia, a cow is more than just a cow.

Earlier this year, the worst drought in recent history hit the Horn of Africa, causing food shortages and famine in parts of Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia. According to U.N. estimates, 4.5 million people still need food aid in Ethiopia – a country home to many of the families and children we support.

As the crisis spread throughout the region, Holt’s staff in Ethiopia gathered from limited resources enough life-saving grains to distribute among 600 households, serving nearly 3,400 people.

Although food shortages affected most of the community, some weathered the crisis better than others.

“What we learned was that families in our family preservation program fared better than others in the community,” says Dan Lauer, Holt’s vice president of international programs. “This is interesting to see because these families are considered most ‘at-risk.’”

In Ethiopia, local leaders identify the families most in need of Holt’s help. Some are single parent or child-headed households. Some are affected by illness or disability. Most have multiple risk factors. The support and resources Holt provides these families not only help them achieve stability, but true self-reliance – even in a time of crisis.

In the recent food crisis, one resource proved invaluable: livestock.

WIth a gift of chickens from Holt, this man is able to care for his family.

“Holt families had more food reserves and income because of their animal projects,” says Dan. With your support, Holt provides farm animals, including, chickens, cows, goats and donkeys, for these vulnerable families – giving them a source of regular nutrition, and the means for a small family business.

And as Holt’s Ethiopia staff recently discovered, livestock hold uncommon value for these families in times of greater need.

“It’s not just a cow,” says Dan. “The staff was really happy to see that even in a time of food shortages, the families have resources.”

In the coming year, Holt plans to double the number of families in Holt’s Ethiopia family preservation program. Gifts of livestock received this holiday season will play a vital role in helping our new families achieve stability, self-reliance – and most of all, lasting hope.

Give a gift of livestock or any other Gift of Hope and help us reach our goal to serve over 2,500 children and families this year!

Click here to browse Holt’s Gifts of Hope catalog online.

by Kari Wilson

Our adoption journey started shortly after the birth of our third child in 2002. I had this feeling that our family wasn’t complete and felt God tugging at my heart to look into adoption. I brought the idea up to my husband, Pat. He just chuckled and thought I was joking.

A few years passed, and I went on a short-term mission trip to Russia. That trip made a profound impact on my life and really changed the course of our future. After a lot of prayer, I presented the idea to Pat again and this time he said yes. God had been working on his heart also.

We began the adoption process for Russia with another agency. After four months of working on our dossier, we felt discouraged and felt as if the doors were closing. Perhaps adoption was not in our future. One day, during a casual conversation with a stranger, I was told about Holt International. Out of curiosity, I checked their website and found the Waiting Child program. As I browsed through the photos of children waiting for homes, I clicked on a small boy from South Korea who had been diagnosed with spina bifida and hypospadias with chordee. This little guy was smiling from ear to ear. I immediately showed Pat and he agreed that this little boy looked like a “Wilson.”

We are both physical therapists and knew based on his developmental level that his first diagnosis was not accurate. We called to request his medical records and history. Two days later it arrived. With much anticipation, I sat down to read it. I began to cry, realizing that God had shut the doors on our earlier adoption attempt because our son was waiting for us in Korea.

We soon found out, from a neurosurgeon, that he did not have spina bifida but rather a small, soft tissue defect at the base of his spine. We were comfortable with his second diagnosis because one of our biological children also had it.

We began to tell friends of our switch to South Korea. As I described our new son to one of our friends, she began to fill in my sentences as if she already new him. Soon she was crying and explaining to me that her good friend, Christina, had sent her a picture of this same little boy, asking if she knew of someone to adopt him. Christina was also a physical therapist and knew he was healthier than his diagnosis indicated. A few days later I received a card from Christina. It read…

“I cannot express to you how happy I am that Brandon will be coming home. I fell in love with him from the first moment I saw his picture. Each night I prayed that he would find his forever family. I showed his picture to many families I thought might consider another child. I watched his picture on the Waiting Child photolisting, hoping it would read ‘I have a family!’ I nicknamed him “sunshine boy.” What a blessing it is that he will be joining such a wonderful family. I feel incredibly fortunate that he will be coming to Omaha. I will get to meet him, hold him and watch him grow. (I thought I’d be lucky just to exchange emails with his new family.) I’m so excited that you will experience the miracle of adoption!”

I knew that this could only have been orchestrated by God. Not only were we given a new son, but also we gained a dear friend.

Six months later, in Seoul, South Korea, we were holding our son. What a miracle it was!

Three months after Brandon arrived home our older kids ambushed us. They said, “It’s so unfair that Allie is the only girl. We really need another girl in this family.” Though we were exhausted from a 2-year-old, who woke 5 times a night in hysterics, we said we would think and pray about it. The kids didn’t forget to ask us again, and I began to watch the Waiting Child photolisting. I told myself that if we were to adopt again, the “right” little girl would have to come along. In January of 2007, our daughter, Tamara, was featured in the Holt International magazine. I saw her picture as a featured child and went to the Waiting Child photolisting to read more about her. I thought, “How could I have missed her? I have read about each child in the program?” Sure enough, her bio seemed a little scary. She had been born 12 weeks premature and was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, spastic diplegia and possible cognitive deficits. After a lot of discussion with Pat, we decided to request her information. When I spoke to the Waiting Child program, I was told that they had plenty of families interested in this precious girl. She would soon have a family.

I let go of the idea of Tamara as our daughter. Two months had passed, and I received an E-mail message with her picture attached. It read…”These children have re-entered the system.” My heart skipped a beat and I thought “Is God bringing her to us?” I contacted Holt again and was told that the families “fell through.” We poured over her information and decided to move forward with the process. We filled out all of the necessary paperwork, went through the interview and waited for the committee process to decide if we were the best choice for Tamara.

Well, we were selected! Now our family would be complete.

In April of 2008, Pat, our son, Nick, and a dear friend traveled to India to get Tamara. It was a rough and incredibly emotional trip for Pat. Tamara had been with her foster family for over three years. Whenever Pat contacted me from India, Tamara appeared sad and worn out. I began to worry, and Pat said I should be prepared for the possibility of a mild mental handicap. After nearly two weeks, they finally arrived home. I was amazed at how tiny she was. She was 3 years old and weighed only 20 pounds. Her trunk control was so poor that she had difficulty holding her head up for extended periods of time, and her tongue was usually hanging out. Her grief was almost unbearable. She spent days crying for her “momma”, and it wasn’t me. It broke my heart, and I really doubted that we should have taken her from her birth country.

But within a few weeks, her grief started to fade and the true Tamara started to blossom. Then the flood gates opened and this little girl wouldn’t stop talking.

She will always have some physical challenges, but she is a sharp child with a lot of determination and spunk. It will serve her well in the future. We think of her as our little miracle. She was born at 1 lb. 15 ounces, at 28 weeks of gestation, was in ICU for 6 months in an underdeveloped country and survived!

According to Pat, life was going along just fine until Dec. of 2008 when I felt a tugging at my heart for Africa. I didn’t know if I was supposed to go there to help in some way or if we were to adopt again. I absorbed as much information as I could about Ethiopia and I began to watch the Waiting Child program once again. This time I didn’t have any doubts that if we were to adopt again, then God would lead us to our child. In February of 2009 we found Mesfin. He was a healthy 3-year-old who was recently relinquished by his birth father. I showed Pat his picture and description. That was all it took for Pat to cave. He is so weak when it comes to these very special children.

Ten months later we were in Ethiopia with a robust and very active little boy. He immediately liked Pat and soon warmed up to me. We travelled into the country to meet Mesfin’s birth father. What an incredible sacrifice his father made. I can’t imagine the selflessness it took for him to let Mesfin go. Our emotions could not be contained as his birth father and I held each other. We cried until we couldn’t cry any more. I will forever cherish the time we spent with him that day. As I carry out our nightly routine of hugs, kisses, songs and the sweet stroking of Mesfin’s little hand on my face, I am so grateful to his birth father and to God to have been entrusted us with this child.

Pat and I never set out to adopt when we got married. We never had dreams of adoption when we were children. We never imagined life with six children. But here we are. God came knocking, and who are we to say no?

Adoption has changed us in a way that we could not have imagined. It has changed our children, our extended family and even some of our friends. The blessing of these little ones has been tremendous. It is hard to explain to someone who hasn’t experienced adoption first hand how incredibly natural it feels to love these children. We have been given a great privilege and responsibility to care for and love them unconditionally. We cannot imagine our life any other way.

Right now our life feels pretty full with our six kids. They seem to fill every inch of the house. During one of our Waiting Child interviews, we were asked, “When will you know your family is complete?” We simply answered, “When the minivan is full.”

Kari Wilson and her son, Nick, will be running in this year’s Omaha marathon, raising funds for Holt’s Ethiopia program.  Help Kari and Nick reach their goal! Click here to support them and the rest of the marathon runners!…..

I look forward to the Holt marathon every year!  This will be my fourth year as a member of Team Holt.

I learned about Holt International through some good friends who adopted two beautiful children. When I started looking into adoption, I knew that Holt was the agency for me. On April 3, 2008, about one year after starting my adoption journey, my son Jack came home and was delivered into my arms on what turned out to be the best day of my life – the day I officially became a mom. I remember so many things about that day, and every day since then with my little guy has been a joy.

As a participant on the Holt team, I am spreading the word about an amazing agency and raising donations to help the agency continue its vital work around the world.

I will be running the 10K portion of the Omaha marathon this year. My goal is to raise $400 for Holt’s Ethiopia program. Will you help me? Any donation amount is appreciated, and 100% of the donation goes directly towards maintaining and growing Holt’s Ethiopia program.

Thank you,

Cathy Morin

Help Cathy reach her goal! Click here to support Cathy and the rest of the marathon runners!…..

The Horn of Africa is in a crisis situation, with drought and famine threatening the lives of millions of people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia.  But you can help!

Conditions are most dire in southern Somalia, where in just the last few months, tens of thousands of people have died from malnutrition-related causes – most of them children.

As Holt sponsors and supporters, many of you have expressed concern about the children and families we serve in the region. We hope it brings you comfort and relief to know that the children we care for are safe, and families we support are stable.

Because of your generous support, we can help these children and families survive what officials are calling the worst drought in East Africa in 60 years. In Ethiopia alone, at least 4.5 million people are in need of assistance – many of them refugees from famine-stricken and war-torn areas.

We feel grateful that the people we serve are safe. We also feel compelled to reach out to as many families and children as possible.

If, like us, you also feel compelled to help, you can support Holt’s Africa child care.

Help children in Africa now!

The Romano family represents a new generation of adoptive families – families saying, “yes” to adopting children with special needs.

“The majority of children now being released for intercountry adoption have some degree of special need,” says Sally Dougherty, Holt’s director

Chris Romano with son, Tommy. The Enquirer/Leigh Taylor

of family relations. “It could be a birthmark or a missing or an extra digit that puts a child’s file on a special needs track. It could be cleft lip and palate or a vision or hearing impairment….As prospective adoptive parents learn that children with “special needs” wait longer for families, interest in special needs adoption grows every day.”

Tommy was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy. The Romanos, upon sharing their adoption news with friends and family, were met with some concerns. “We know this will be hard,” wrote Chris Romano on his blog. “Just think of the lessons he can teach us; about struggling and hardship; compassion and humility; love and commitment; walking a mile in another’s shoes.”

The Romano family brought Tommy home in April.  Major improvements in Tommy’s speech and mobility have even surprised his family.  “We were just floored,” says Chris Romano.

Click here to read the Romano family’s story…..

Interested in learning more about adopting children with special needs?  Click here

Over the 4th of July weekend, one of my friends mentioned that her hair had grown a couple of inches over the past few months.

I hadn’t even noticed!

How could I have missed this, I wondered . . .And then I realized: I see her all the time. Her hair grew gradually. And I failed to notice the subtle changes from week to week.

The same thing is happening in intercountry adoption!

Subtle change, over time, has resulted in significant change.

As prospective adoptive parents learn that children with “special needs” wait longer for families, interest in special needs adoption grows every day!

As a result, more and more children with special needs are coming home to loving families. In fact, in some countries, special needs adoptions are actually outpacing all others!

Much of this gradual change has to do with another gradual change. In some cultures, domestic adoption has become more socially accepted. And in some countries, a growing economy has given families the means to care for their birth children. As a result, more children are finding families in their birth countries.

But most of these children have no known health conditions.

The majority of children now being released for intercountry adoption have some degree of “special need.” It could be a birthmark or a missing/extra digit that puts a child’s file on a special needs track. It could be a cleft lip and palate, spina bifida, or vision or hearing impairment. Or it could be a more serious condition, or a combination of conditions.

This month, I’d like you to meet a couple of families who have embraced this change, and adopted children with “special needs.”

On Monday, July 11th, join us for the webinar “Adopting from China” where the Mazzio family will share about their decision, experience and joy in adopting their son, Daniel, through Holt’s China Child of Promise Option.

During “Adopting from China” on Thursday, July 28th, hear from the Simpsons who also adopted through the China Child of Promise Option.

If you’re new to international adoption, I highly recommend the webinar “Holt Adoption 101,” which is scheduled for July 20th. Holt’s intake social worker and adoption counselor will share about Holt’s unique, child-centered approach to international adoption, discuss program timeframes and eligibility, and answer your questions throughout the webinars.

Click here to view and register for the full webinar schedule for July – including webinars on the 21st and 27th about how to adopt from Holt’s Ethiopia Program.

Some day, I hope to see a world where every child is wanted and adored regardless of physical or developmental conditions. But today, I am thrilled to see more and more families opening their hearts to a child with special needs.

I look forward to seeing you online. To begin the adoption process now, apply online.

Sincerely,

Sally Dougherty

Family Relations Director

by Ashli Keyser, Managing Editor

COMMENCEMENT…

No pomp and circumstance. No blue caps, adorned with gold tassels, simultaneously thrown in the air. In a simple room, during a plain and unassuming ceremony, 120 families walked across a small stage and graciously received their diplomas.  The families have not received letters of acceptance to prestigious universities. Their accomplishments will not yield offers from top-paying employers. Instead, these families will wake up every day with enough money to survive, enough food to feed their children, and a tremendous sense of achievement. They did it. They made it to graduation day. Not a graduation from high school to college, or college to the working world. On a sunny day in Ethiopia, 120 families — from five southern communities — graduated from a place of despair and hardship to a place of redemption and hope.

“It was really quite moving to see,” says Dan Lauer, Holt’s vice president of programs, who was in Ethiopia this past February to witness the first of 360 families graduate from Holt’s family preservation program. “Some family members were blind or had other disabilities,” continues Dan. “All of them have had difficult lives on so many levels, but every one of them made it across that stage. They were just thrilled to receive their diplomas.”

When Holt submitted the family preservation project proposal three years ago, we had high hopes. We never imagined, though, the incredible impact this program would have on families and the amount of support we would receive from the community at large. Today, one need only listen to the families’ stories — heartfelt testimonials offered on graduation day — to understand the magnitude of the program’s success.  Since 2008, Holt has given 2,000 struggling household members — including 1,800 children —the tools they need to survive, and the means to create safe, stable homes for their children.  As Holt enters into the final year of the planned proposal, we continue to look for new ways to offer love and encouragement to struggling children and families.

Holt does not simply give handouts. We provide families at risk of losing their children with start-up supplies and assistance to get back on their feet. Local committees — known as action support groups — made up of tribal leaders, government representatives, village agricultural extension workers and church representatives, identify “the poorest of the poor” families in Ethiopia. The support groups study family situations, identify weaknesses and strengths, and propose intervention strategies that include income-generating activities, medical assistance and health and hygiene education.  “This aspect has been the most creative approach to family preservation efforts,” says Dan. “The action support groups offer wonderful assistance. They really know the families’ needs and provide realistic services that will help bring about long-term solutions.”

In 2009, Anamo was in a state of extreme hopelessness.  Recently diagnosed with HIV, Anamo had also lost his wife months prior from complications due to the same condition. She left Anamo with three children — the youngest of whom was also HIV positive. “This father desperately needed help,” says Dan. “He was overwhelmed with his illness and overwhelmed with poverty.” Holt provided Anamo with chickens and start-up supplies. “It was impressive to see how much the community embraced him and his children.”

Giving livestock to impoverished families can make a world of difference. Chickens and cows create a wonderful resource for nutrients and a substantial means of income. “Anamo was very proud of his chickens,” says Dan. Donkeys provide transportation of goods from village to town, and farming can be exponentially improved with the help of oxen.

Holt provided Tariku — a single mother— with a supply of seeds and a cow. “It was the first time she had tasted milk in 12 years. She was then doubly blessed when the cow ended up being pregnant,” Dan recounts, with a smile. The income generated from the selling of milk — a major component of the Ethiopian diet, especially in rural areas — gave Tariku enough money to feed her children. No longer malnourished, the children returned to school happy and healthy. Offering more than financial growth and constancy, the family preservation program works to improve the overall confidence of families and emotional well-being of children.

LOOKING AHEAD….MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH CARE CLINIC

Along with financial support, community leaders constructed eight health posts throughout family preservation neighborhoods that serve to push services like post-natal counseling and health education out to the communities. Families requiring more involved medical assistance, like treatment for malaria, can receive care at the clinic in Shinshicho – renovated by Holt in 2009.  “It’s a big component,” says Dan. “Health services to this magnitude isn’t something that Holt has done in the past. On this trip, I really began to understand how integral the project is for the family preservation community and general population.” Dan says that prior to Holt’s arrival, no access to maternal and child health care existed in this area. “It’s very impressive,” he says.

Late last year, construction began to expand the existing clinic— taking the humble clinic and turning it into a fully functional regional medical and surgical center.  Trained construction workers took the lead on building the impressive structure but parents in the family preservation project— both men and women —also helped in the effort. “That’s very exciting to hear,” says Dan. “These struggling parents are not only making money to provide for their children, but they, at the same time, are constructing a building that could very well save their lives and the lives of their children someday.”

This work would not be possible without the help and encouragement from our dedicated employees serving on the ground, all who have made the family preservation project the success that it is today. Dr. Fikru Geleso, Holt’s Ethiopia director, has shown tremendous leadership and diligently works to provide well-rounded support to each family in the program.  Tesfaye Betachew, family preservation coordinator, came to Holt with a Master’s degree in community development; he also arrived with a servant’s heart and a great deal of passion for Holt’s work. “Tesfaye is the right guy, at the right time in the right place,” says Dan. “He works tirelessly and at great sacrifice….he’s a true hero.”

YOUR NEW BEGINNING…..

In February, Dan Lauer, Dr. Fikru Geleso and Tesfaye Betachew were present to hand out diplomas to Anamo, Tariku and the rest of the graduating class. Many parents took to the stage and shared their success stories.  “These families had never been acknowledged for any sort of accomplishment,” says Dan. “It was a very special and exciting time for them.”

The children who sat in the audience on this special day may not have understood the true importance of the ceremony. A piece of paper, to them, may not look like much. They probably don’t fully comprehend the extent of their parents’ sacrifice.  What the children do know is that last year many of them were hungry, and now they are not. Last year they watched their parents weep in despair, but on that special day they witnessed tears of joy and never-ending

smiles.  The children may not fully understand it now, but everything their parents have accomplished was achieved for the sake of them – their beloved children.

Holt does what we can to make families’ lives better, but it would mean nothing without the hard work and determination of the parents who want nothing more than to provide the best life possible for their children.

So, to the first families graduating from Holt’s family preservation program in Ethiopia, congratulations on a job well done.

Give a Gift of Hope to children and families in Ethiopia.  Help support the Shinshicho hospital construction fund

Are you, or is someone you know, considering international adoption? Whether you’re interested in China, Ethiopia or another country, Holt’s webinars are a great place to start. Gain valuable info and insights from Holt staff and previous adoptive families, and ask your questions throughout these online seminars — all from the comfort and convenience of your own home.

On April 7th, we look forward to sharing about Holt’s fastest growing adoption program. Learn about the children awaiting adoption in Ethiopia and Uganda, timeframes to complete the process, steps involved, travel, costs, and more. Hear from a family who recently adopted from Ethiopia and ask questions throughout the presentation.

Register today for the webinar on April 7th, adopting from Africa!

Or, click here to see a list of all upcoming webinars…