Haiti Earthquake

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/