Juntunen family on holiday.

Several years ago, while volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti, Craig Juntunen’s heart was captured.  Her name was Esperancia.  “I can’t explain it at all, other than to say she instantly captured my heart.  I called and told my wife that we were about to become parents,” he told [...]]]>

Juntunen family on holiday.

Several years ago, while volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti, Craig Juntunen’s heart was captured.  Her name was Esperancia.  “I can’t explain it at all, other than to say she instantly captured my heart.  I called and told my wife that we were about to become parents,” he told a reporter for the Washington Times. Today, Craig and his wife Kathi are parents to three children adopted from Haiti — Quinn, “Espie” and Amelec.

A father for the first time, Craig felt inspired to write a book about his experience. It’s called Both Ends Burning. Moved to advocate for safer, more efficient and more cost-effective adoption practices, he later founded a nonprofit — also called Both Ends Burning.

“We have a moral obligation to fix this immediately and allow them to come home to loving families,” he says of the children who continue to languish in orphanages.  ”There is no shortage of families wanting to adopt and there is no shortage of orphans.  Adults have a responsibility create an efficient and reasonable system to allow these children to flourish.”

On April 15th, Craig Juntunen will speak at the Holt Forum in Washington D.C., a historic gathering of adoptees, families, policymakers and adoption professionals working to “move forward from a 55-year perspective.”

To learn more about this exciting event, click here.

To read the full article on Craig Juntunen in the Washington Times, click here.

In the year following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island nation of Haiti, killing over 230,000 and leaving one million homeless, little has changed.  Only five percent of debris and rubble has been cleared from the [...]]]>

Families in the coastal town of Montrouis learn to treat cholera symptoms using Oral Rehydration Solution.

In the year following the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that rocked the island nation of Haiti, killing over 230,000 and leaving one million homeless, little has changed.  Only five percent of debris and rubble has been cleared from the streets, and over 800,000 people continue to live in temporary camps – half of which are children.

In fact, circumstances have grown increasingly dire.

First, cholera – a disease not seen for over 60 years – spread throughout Haiti’s cramped and unsanitary tent camps, killing over 3,600 people.  Hurricane Tomas quickly followed, intensifying the outbreak.  Then in December, after election results suggested fraud, political rioting erupted in the streets of Port-au-Prince.

With each new crisis, Holt has coordinated efforts with staff on the ground to protect the children and families in our care.  As cholera spread through a nearby region, the staff at the Holt Fontana Village were able to successfully isolate the children from the disease.  For the 234 families in our family preservation program, Holt stepped up prevention efforts – offering weekly wellness trainings to discuss health and hygiene.

“In every session, we talk about prevention, prevention, prevention,” explains Mansour Masse, Holt’s country director in Haiti.

Of the 665 children in the program, only four fell ill from cholera.  And because Holt staff educated families on when to seek assistance, these children received timely and appropriate medical care for this deadly disease.

All four children have since recovered.

But the worst isn’t over yet.  The Pan American Health Organization estimates another 400,000 Haitians may get cholera over the next year.

With the threat of cholera still imminent, Holt went a step further in November and December, teaching families how to make Oral Rehydration Solution as children become symptomatic.  “Cholera causes severe dehydration due to diarrhea and vomiting,” explains Sarah Halfman, Holt’s program director for Haiti.  “That is what is most dangerous about the disease and is the primary cause of death in nearly all cases.”  The rehydration salts do just that – they rehydrate the body from all the fluids lost, effectively protecting cholera sufferers before the disease grows deadly.

As every one of the 234 families participated in these sessions, every family is now equipped with both the knowledge and resources to directly treat the symptoms of cholera.

Holt is taking every action in our power to prevent more children from falling ill.

But we need to do more.

We need to build anew.

“More than 50 families are without appropriate facilities,” says Halfman of the families enrolled in family preservation.  “With cholera having a foothold in every department in Haiti, it is critical that we assist the families to build latrines.”

In the coming year, Holt also hopes to build a well baby clinic to provide care critical to the optimal growth and development of the children we support, as well as a day care center to ease the burden on families struggling to rebuild their lives.

To help support our efforts in Haiti, click here.

To learn more about our ongoing work in this region, click here.

January 12th marks the one-year anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti and killed an estimated 230,000 people. On this day, we remember those who lost their lives, the thousands [...]]]>

The Holt International magazine featured Haiti in our Fall 2010 issue. Read more about our ongoing work with children and families in Haiti.

January 12th marks the one-year anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake that devastated Haiti and killed an estimated 230,000 people. On this day, we remember those who lost their lives, the thousands of children now orphaned and the millions of people left homeless and still struggling to survive.

“But the needy will not always be forgotten, nor the hope of the afflicted ever perish.“–Psalm 9:18

Please, join us in prayer for the people of Haiti, today. Pray that God’s healing hand will be on the sick, hungry and helpless children and families, and that He would continue to bring the people of this devastated country peace, courage and strength in a time of continual suffering.

Read more on our website.

Near Port-au-Prince Airport Road, in a Haitian community called Village Solidarite, 22-year-old Nahomie holds in her arms her ailing 2-year-old daughter, Nournia. Nahomie has just returned from her fourth trip in eight months to St. Catherine hospital in Cite Soleil – a slum of [...]]]> Holt’s work in Haiti after the earthquake…and how you can help

Near Port-au-Prince Airport Road, in a Haitian community called Village Solidarite, 22-year-old Nahomie holds in her arms her ailing 2-year-old daughter, Nournia. Nahomie has just returned from her fourth trip in eight months to St. Catherine hospital in Cite Soleil – a slum of Port-au-Prince. Nournia, they tell her, is extremely malnourished. She also has tuberculosis.

Abandoned by Nournia’s father, Nahomie earns what she can as a part-time housekeeper, but it’s not enough. Unable to provide the care her daughter needs, Nahomie stands helpless as Nournia wails in pain and hunger. Nahomie begins to weep with Nournia. She weeps for her mother, who died one year ago, and weeps for her poor daughter. It seems impossible that their situation could get much worse.

And then the sun rose on January 12th, 2010.

In just 60 seconds, 230,000 people were dead. Millions were homeless and an estimated one million children were orphaned. For many already living in the clutches of poverty and hunger, life became even grimmer.

“I had never seen a city so devastated as Port-au-Prince,” says Will Dantzler, Holt International’s board chairman, who traveled to Haiti in June. “To see the hopelessness and emptiness of spirit in so many people as we drove through the city shed light on the magnitude of this disaster, and its long-term effect on an entire society.”

Just two of millions whose lives changed forever, Nahomie and Nournia lost their one source of stability in the January 12th earthquake – their home.

After five months living in the streets, Nahomie sat in a church service in Port-au-Prince and prayed. Prayed for her daughter, prayed to survive. Here, she heard of a temporary care program offered by Holt Fontana d’ Haiti – Holt International’s partner in Haiti. Nahomie applied and her daughter was accepted into a 3-month temporary care program at Holt Fontana Village in the western city of Montrouis.

“Nahomie said it was the first time in years she felt a moment of joy,” says Mansour Masse, Holt Haiti director. “Her daughter would be taken care of.”

Established by Peter and Shay Fontana, Holt Fontana Village provides temporary care for orphaned, abandoned and vulnerable children in Haiti. Holt partnered with the Fontanas to develop a comprehensive child service program here in 2003. Last year, Holt funded construction of four new cottages for the children. Following the earthquake, Holt Haiti immediately readied the cottages and hired additional staff to accommodate an influx of displaced children. While 21 children departed the United States on humanitarian parole visas, another 25 entered the village. Nournia, malnourished and sick, was among them.

“The children at Holt Fontana were quiet when we first met them, but after handing out soccer balls, they warmed up to us quickly,” recounts Dantzler. “I was very impressed with the maintenance and spirit at Fontana Village. These children were well taken care of.” Although many staff members lost loved ones in the earthquake, their devotion to the children never wavered. Several staff remained at the Village.

After three months, Nournia’s condition greatly improved. Medically and socially, says Mansour, the program made a vast difference for Nournia and the other children, and gave devastated families some respite while they rebuilt their lives.

In late September, the 25 children in emergency care rejoined their families, who entered Holt’s family preservation program, Fanmi Ansanm (family together). Now stable, Holt continues to monitor their situations through regular home visits and ongoing support.

“Our ultimate goal is always to see families preserved,” says Sarah Halfman, Holt’s director of Haiti and Latin America. “We do what we can to keep families together.”

What More Can We Do?

Holt is first and foremost an adoption and child services agency – not a disaster relief organization. But when disaster strikes a Holt program, Holt must find a way to continue providing services in these regions.

After the quake, *international adoption from Haiti — with the exception of children already matched with families — came to an abrupt halt. With more than one million children orphaned – a figure in constant coverage on the news – the interest in adoption from Haiti heightened, as did the potential for child trafficking. In response, Holt decided to temporarily halt all Haitian adoptions while staff in Haiti worked to locate surviving family members of children.

During this time, Holt committed to meeting the needs of children still in care and serving the families devastated by this tragedy. To this end, Holt expanded Fanmi Ansanm; increased services to the 117 families already in our program; and brought 25 children into care at Holt Fontana Village and their families into the preservation program.

In May, Holt expanded to Jacmel, a southern city and the second largest hit by the earthquake. Within six months, 3,000 families had applied for services in Jacmel. Holt could only accept 100.

Today, 234 families receive family preservation services in Haiti — a meager number compared to the millions who need support.

Determining who would receive support was a decision both difficult and heart-wrenching. After rigorous screening, Holt identified approximately 100 of the most disadvantaged, vulnerable families in Jacmel. In most cases, one or both parents had died in the earthquake or a family had lost their home. Holt, with donor support, built five houses for vulnerable families.

Holt’s limited resources cannot meet the immense need, says Halfman. For now, we need to maintain the services we currently provide, with hopes for expansion in the future. “We are looking at how we can really improve on what we are doing while simultaneously trying to increase the quality and quantity of services available to the families we serve,” she says.

Before six-year-old Peter’s family entered family preservation, he weighed 37 pounds, had poor hygiene and had never attended school. His family lived in a one-room house in Jacmel, with one chair and one tiny bed. The children walked around barefoot in tattered clothes, the father’s meager earnings not enough to meet his children’s basic needs. This family’s survival hinged on intervention and ongoing support.

Peter’s family now receives one food kit per month with 11 pounds of rice, beans and pasta, cooking oil, dried fish and seven bars of soap. Holt also provides regular visits by a social worker. Education and nutritional training also helps keep families stable and together. “We were amazed at the efficient and orderly process Holt staff had established for the food distribution, skills training and monitoring components of the family preservation program,” says Dantzler.

Many families had never experienced an earthquake of that magnitude. Some had no idea what was happening as the ground shook below them. Educating families and preparing them for recurring natural disasters are key components of Holt’s program. Holt provides lessons on how to use tools and supplies families receive. “If the families are learning a lesson on hurricanes, for example,” says Halfman, “something that might be given to them is a flashlight.”

In the future, Holt hopes to increase both the services we provide families and the number of families we serve. New services may include a well baby clinic and day care center in Jacmel.

Holt strives to change the realities of families in our programs. We give them the tools they need to create better lives for themselves. In October, Holt sponsors helped Peter – and the other school-aged kids in family preservation – start his first day of school. His family is on the road to stability.

“Holt is making a difference one family at a time and one child at a time,” says Jeff Saddington, a Holt board member who traveled to Haiti in June. “Holt is in the front line of this battle, which some estimate will require 20 years just to allow Haiti to return to the conditions which existed the day before the earthquake. We must do more to help them help themselves, and Holt International is positioned to do this well.”

The Lord’s hand is on the families of Haiti and “though the earth give way,” God will never forget the people of Haiti and neither will Holt.

*Click here to Help Children in Haiti

*While adoptions from Haiti have reopened, it will take time to learn how the legal steps of the adoption process in Haiti may have changed as the country rebuilds. Click here to learn more.

Sponsor a child in Holt’s care today!

by Laura Conners

The road to bring Manel home from Haiti was a long one, but one we would travel again and again.

After deciding that international adoption was the answer for us, Scott and I quickly chose Haiti. At first, we were leaning [...]]]> Manel’s journey from Holt Fontana Village to his home in the United States

by Laura Conners

The road to bring Manel home from Haiti was a long one, but one we would travel again and again.

After deciding that international adoption was the answer for us, Scott and I quickly chose Haiti. At first, we were leaning more toward Ethiopia since our niece is from Liberia.  Once we read about Holt’s Haiti program, however, we both felt pulled in that direction and knew in our hearts that this was meant to be. After applying to Holt in April 2008, we were quickly matched with Manel who, at that time, was nine months old. I remember seeing his big brown eyes in the photo that Mike Noah sent to us, and I knew that Manel was my little boy!

As we watched the news coverage on the evening of the earthquake, Scott and I were numb with fear for Manel’s safety and for the Haitian people.  We saw the Haitian government buildings in ruins and knew that our adoption paperwork was lying amongst the rubble. A long night followed before we heard from Holt and found out that the children and staff at the Village were safe. I just remember feeling so helpless and didn’t know how to answer the questions from family and friends on what was going to happen.

When the talk of Humanitarian Parole started, Scott and I were afraid to believe that Manel’s case would qualify. Within days, though, we received a phone call from our senator’s office, our governor’s office, and our social worker telling us to believe it. A miracle was happening and we began to prepare for Manel’s arrival. I remember the day Scott called me from work and asked me if I was ready to travel to Miami to go meet Manel. What a feeling that was!  We left that evening and spent the next day at the airport waiting for the plane carrying the first 14 children. We grew close to several other adoptive families during that long day.

We were not able to see Manel until the following day, but when his eyes met mine, and I heard him yell “Mommy!” the anxiety of the last two years of waiting for him melted away as he jumped into my arms. Manel immediately jumped for his daddy, as well, and he even recognized Charlotte, who was giggling non-stop next to me. It was a wonderful family moment. I credit the staff at Holt Fontana for showing Manel our family photos and preparing him to eventually join our family. He really seemed to know who we were.

Manel is doing very well with us in Michigan. He is a happy, excited and bright child who wins fans wherever he goes. He has become an energetic hockey and baseball fan, and his love for hot dogs, potato chips, and root beer seems to highlight his transition from Haitian to Haitian-American. Manel embraces every opportunity to flash his charming smile.

We show Manel pictures of his Holt friends and caregivers from the Village and he still responds with excitement to Mansour Masse’s picture. I feel bad that Manel will someday learn about the devastation the earthquake caused his country and the emotions that will come with that knowledge. But we will work hard to preserve Manel’s heritage and continue to teach him about his homeland.

Laura and Scott Conners

Charlotte, 7 years old

Manel, 2 years old

Grand Rapids MI

The following is a glimpse of Holt’s work in Haiti since the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake…..

A time to embrace……

Three weeks after the earthquake, Holt Fontana Village staff in Haiti gathered around to say goodbye to 21 children leaving [...]]]> “To everything there is a season, and a time for every matter or purpose under heaven.”—Ecclesiastes 3:1

The following is a glimpse of Holt’s work in Haiti since the devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake…..

A time to embrace……

Three weeks after the earthquake, Holt Fontana Village staff in Haiti gathered around to say goodbye to 21 children leaving the Village to unite with their permanent families in the United States. The children, already matched with adoptive families prior to the earthquake, had their adoptions expedited and have been home for 4 months.

“When the talk of Humanitarian Parole Visas started, Scott and I were afraid to believe that Manel’s case would qualify. Within days, however, we received phone calls from our senator’s office, the governor’s office, and from our social worker telling us to believe it,” said Laura Conners. “When Manel’s eyes met mine for the first time, and I heard him yell “Mommy!” the anxiety of the last two years melted away as he jumped into my arms. A miracle had happened….read the rest of the Conners family’s story

A time to Love….

21 children had departed Holt Fontana Village and only four children remained in care, giving Holt the opportunity to protect and care for children affected by the earthquake. Through the hiring of additional Village staff and the completion of new houses on the property, Holt welcomed 40 orphaned and vulnerable children into Holt Fontana Village.

“Appropriate permanency planning services will be provided for the children including family tracing and search for kinship care placements,” says Dan Lauer, Holt Vice President of International Programs.

22 of the 40 children are currently receiving temporary care at the Village while their family members stabilize and can prepare a better home for them. With the loss of housing and income, many families are struggling to care for their children, and Holt is happy to provide these children protection, love and stability while their families get back on their feet.

A time to Build…..

The destruction of Port-au-Prince left thousands of people without homes or food to give their children. Many families fled the area to take refuge with family members in neighboring cities like Montrouis, the location of Holt’s Family Preservation project, Fanmi Ansanm (Family Together). Due to the increase in household size and the additional strain on family members to provide for their loved ones, Holt has increased our support of family preservation in Montrouis by adding 100 additional families to the program. Holt also rented office space in the southern city of Jacmel, the second largest city to be hit by the earthquake, and we have began assessing the needs for the families in this area and determining who is most at risk. Food assistance and counseling will be the immediate priority for these families.

A time to Heal…

For six months the people of Haiti have struggled to come to terms with the events of January 12th. Holt has remained in Haiti every step of the way, in this time of grief, helping to bring this devastated country some relief and, most of all, doing all we can to help the vulnerable children affected by this terrible tragedy. With the unyielding commitment and support of Holt Haiti Director Mansour Masse, Holt will continue to work in Haiti and help the children and families in their time of need—a time of great loss and great sorrow, but also a time for healing and hope.

Sponsor a child in Haiti