Some of you have asked, some of you have not asked but probably have wondered, or maybe some of you have just understood without wondering, but thought we'd clear it up for you anyway - curiosity or not.
It's always been hard for us to put into words why we wanted to adopt from Haiti. It's been a feeling of being led there - it's just felt right. Another adoptive mom put it into words, and has graciously allowed me to steal shamelessly from her post, and revise her words slightly to fit our purposes. Part of her post also includes an article, and I'm sorry that I don't have the reference, but I'm sure you'd be able to find out the same or similar information if you did the research yourself...
Haiti is where God led us. It is where our children are that God is leading us to - two years ago, and again this spring. He just knew that Kaylen needed us first! All in His perfect timing!
Some statistics from the article that Angela quoted: Why Adopt From Haiti?Out of all the countries one could choose to adopt from, why would or should Haiti be considered? • Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, and has been plagued by violence for most of its history. (The article author has) traveled to Viet Nam, Ethiopia, and Mexico, and still the poverty of Haiti shocked (the author). • Haiti has an estimated 8.2 million people. • The unemployment rate is about 80%. • The majority of the Haitian population lives on less than a $1 a day, with the median income about $60 per year. • Only 25 percent of the population has access to safe drinking water, and less than 30 percent of the population has access to adequate sanitation. • Just under half of the population is literate. • The average life expectancy for Haitians is less than 50 years. • About 70% of the population is children, with approximately 23% of the children under five suffering from malnutrition, and 10% of the children dying before the age of four. • Between extreme poverty and death, there are an estimated 1.2 million orphans in Haiti. • There is an obvious need for adoptive families in Haiti.
Other pros for Haitian adoption include: • The Haitian people are beautiful. • Haiti has an interesting history and rich culture, and is one of the least expensive countries to adopt from. • You can have your child escorted home, or you can travel and bring them home yourself; with an in-country stay of 3-5 days. • Some agencies/facilitators allow parents to visit their child(ren) while in process. • The children are generally healthy. • Infants are available, as are toddlers, preschoolers and older children. • Sibling groups are also available (you can also adopt two unrelated children at the same time). • You can usually request the gender of your child. • You can adopt with the help of an adoption agency, or save money and adopt independently. • Single women can adopt.
If you are currently deciding which country to adopt from, please consider Haiti.
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