Several years ago, Mallory and Aaron Layendecker were the parents of three young children, but they still had love in their hearts and space in their home for another child. Ever since childhood, both Mallory and Aaron had felt a calling to adopt, and at this point in their life, they were ready to take a leap of faith and move forward.

In January 2023, Mallory was looking through Holt’s waiting child photolisting when she came across a child who tugged at her heartstrings. Adelmo was a 5-year-old boy with a radiant smile, dressed in a bright orange shirt. He had been living in foster care and then in an orphanage in  Colombia since he was 18 months old, and his profile indicated that he had apraxia of speech (a neurological disorder that makes it difficult to speak), possible autism and a liver condition.

After reading more about Adelmo, Mallory felt that her family might be a good fit for him. Her husband, a high school Spanish teacher, is fluent in the language, and their neighborhood in Missouri is home to many Latino people. Most importantly, they felt they could meet Adelmo’s needs and help him thrive.

Still, Mallory wondered about all of the “unknowns” surrounding his medical and developmental needs.

Before long, Mallory contacted Holt and requested more information about Adelmo. She asked Holt’s adoption team detailed questions about his known conditions, potential diagnoses and future needs. She and Aaron contacted an international adoption clinic and reviewed Adelmo’s adoption and medical files with a physician experienced in intercountry adoption. Mallory spoke to friends working as child therapists and special education teachers to learn more about autism and speech delays. And she and Aaron researched resources in their community to find out what services would be available to Adelmo should they decide to move forward with his adoption.

At times, it felt as if Mallory and Aaron were being blasted with information, but they understood the importance of being fully informed and prepared to care for a child with special medical and developmental needs. After taking some time to reflect, they ultimately decided to submit their Letter of Intent to adopt.

“When Aaron and I began the adoption process, we knew we had love in our hearts for a child with special needs — a child who needed someone to advocate for them and help them survive,” Mallory says.  “It was a lot to pray about and consider, but we also felt we wanted to take the biggest leap of faith we ever had and bring Adelmo into our family.”

When Aaron and I began the adoption process, we knew we had love in our hearts for a child with special needs — a child who needed someone to advocate for them and help them survive.

Marissa Robello, Holt’s director of adoption for Colombia, worked with the Layendeckers during the adoption process, and can speak to both the preparation it took and the soul-searching required to make such a leap of faith. “When a family begins the adoption process, they receive training on various topics, including the impacts of health and environment on child development,” Marissa says. “Even before completing a homestudy, families research specific pediatric conditions, identifying those they feel comfortable with and prepared for. From the beginning of their process, the Layendeckers demonstrated thoughtfulness, resourcefulness and commitment. They asked good questions, did their homework, sought guidance when they needed it and had realistic expectations. As a result, the many adoption professionals in the U.S. and Colombia who assessed this family saw their capacity to parent a child with complex special needs.”

Overcoming Financial Barriers

Upon starting their adoption journey, the Layendeckers knew they had enough love and resources to give Adelmo everything he needed to thrive once home with them in the U.S, but they faced one significant barrier. They didn’t have all the funds required to adopt from Colombia.

Thankfully, they learned that Holt provides free adoption finance coaching to every family in the process of adopting.

The Layendeckers’ adoption process from start (submitting an application to Holt) to finish (traveling to Colombia to be united with their son) took about 18 months. During this time, the family held a number of adoption fundraisers, ranging from garage sales to plant sales to t-shirt fundraisers. Guided by their adoption finance coach, Mallory also set up a spreadsheet and began applying for — and receiving — grants at different points during the adoption journey. Then shortly before traveling to Colombia, Mallory and Aaron were awarded a $3,000 Special Needs Adoption Fund grant through Holt. Funded by the generosity of Holt donors, the grant is given to families with a demonstrated financial need.

In all, the Layendeckers secured $37,000 in grants, thanks to their persistence and help from their adoption finance coach. “When we started the process, Aaron and I thought, ‘How in the world are we going to find $50,000 [to cover our adoption fees]?’” Mallory says. “But our adoption coach encouraged us to just tell our story, and said, ‘If it hits someone’s heart, they’ll be willing to help you.’”

Preparing for Travel

In July 2023, Mallory and Aaron traveled to Colombia to adopt Adelmo. Since they were scheduled to spend four weeks in the country, they thought it best to leave their small children at home in the care of their grandparents. Prior to travel, however, Holt and the care center in Colombia set up weekly video calls between Adelmo and the Layendeckers to help with the transition. This gave the family a chance to meet Adelmo, and allowed Mallory and Aaron to explain to their children how Adelmo expressed himself — through sounds and gestures, rather than words. During the waiting period, the family also read many children’s books about adoption. In addition, Mallory and Aaron met with a Holt social worker who guided them through Holt’s child-specific preparation and training activities to review their resources and expectations.  

On July 27, six months after the Layendeckers had submitted their Letter of Intent to adopt, they united with Adelmo in Colombia. While the legal process of adoption in the country was well organized and went smoothly, there were a few unexpected bumps in the road. For one thing, both Mallory and Adelmo contracted a parasitic infection on their first day together, which impacted them both for much of the trip. In addition, Adelmo had little muscle tone in his legs, and it was hard for him to walk more than a city block. To cover any ground, Mallory and Aaron had to push him in a stroller.

We recognized that we were strangers to Adelmo and the transition must have been traumatic for him.

In hindsight, the experience of managing these physical challenges, learning to bond with their new son, attending to the required adoption appointments and being far from home was more emotionally exhausting than the couple had anticipated. “We also recognized that we were strangers to Adelmo and the transition must have been traumatic for him,” says Mallory. But even within these difficult circumstances, the Layendeckers were able to enjoy many special places and meet many special people in Colombia. And their love for Adelmo — along with his trust in them — continued to grow.

Settling in at Home

After a month in Colombia, the family returned to Missouri in the summer of 2023. At first, Mallory and Aaron placed a bed for Adelmo in their room, so that they could all nest together. “This was important in that I’m not sure Adelmo had ever slept alone in his life,” says Mallory. When Adelmo eventually moved into his own room, however, he struggled to sleep through the night. He would awaken after 45 minutes to pull clothes out of drawers and put them on, and he got excited by all his toys. “Adelmo would be awake all night and exhausted during the day,” Mallory adds. To help support Adelmo, they created a very simple bedroom with no distractions, making it easier to relax and sleep through the night. Gradually, he began to sleep better on his own. Adelmo also made swift progress in several areas — developing relationships with his siblings, showing affection, building confidence in daily activities and gaining six pounds in his first month at home!

Mallory admits that the first six months were extremely difficult, but in time and with help from a medical team, family support groups and education advocates, things began to get easier. Mallory and Aaron were grateful to have Holt’s support during this time as well. Their social worker was very attentive in checking in with them and encouraging them through the difficulties of the initial family bonding stage and adapting to being parents of a child with special needs.

In addition, the Layendeckers advocated for Adelmo at school — ensuring he receive an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). He is now enrolled in a communication, behavior and social skills program, where he is in class with 10 other children who have autism. At school, he has access to a speech therapist, an occupational therapist and a physical therapist, and is learning sign language from his teacher. Outside of school, he sees a chiropractor who works with children with special needs. The practitioner helps to regulate Adelmo’s nervous system through chiropractic adjustments.

Adelmo has been with us for only 18 months, and we’ve seen so much progress. What’s his life going to look like in five years? My hope is that, as a family, we can continue to advocate for him and help our son live the best life possible.

Then a big breakthrough came in May 2024 when Adelmo was diagnosed with a disease called classic galactosemia. People with the illness have an inability to process dairy to the point where their body turns it into a toxin that attacks their vital organs. Adelmo’s doctors explained that this disease may contribute to some of Adelmo’s struggles, such as his speech apraxia, issues with liver function, developmental delays and delayed growth.

As soon as the Layendeckers learned of the diagnosis, they eliminated all dairy foods from Adelmo’s diet, offering him plant-based “dairy” substitutes instead. They also closely read all food labels, looking for hidden dairy products. In turn, the results have been nothing short of remarkable! Within a month, a rash on Adelmo’s face had entirely disappeared. He is now able to fall asleep on his own, and most nights, Adelmo will sleep for 11 to 12 hours at a stretch. In addition, Adelmo seems to have more energy and stamina, and as a result, his muscle mass has improved. “This diagnosis was a game changer for Adelmo,” says Mallory, who continues to make her son his favorite Colombian dishes — without dairy!

Finding Joy as a Family  

Adelmo, now 8, has been home for nearly 18 months. Mallory and Aaron have found joy in watching him grow both in stature and development and in hearing his first words (Mama and Papa). Adelmo’s siblings, who are currently 9, 6 and 4 years of age, have grown to be his loyal advocates, including him in games with other children. In fact, when one neighborhood child asked recently if Adelmo can talk, his 4-year-old brother responded, “Yes! You just don’t understand him yet!”

 As Adelmo continues to settle into family life, there will no doubt be challenges along the way, but Mallory sees in Adelmo a resilient, trusting child who appears to be happy “98% of the day.” She credits him with having a “little servant’s heart” and for being helpful around the house, placing napkins on the table before dinner, for example, or helping to clear the table afterward.  

Although adopting an older child with special needs took a huge commitment of time, resources and effort, Mallory feels that once she and Aaron committed to the process, both the resources and support she needed came into her life — from securing adoption grants to fund their adoption to finding other mothers who adopted children from Colombia with special needs. One mother in particular has reminded Mallory that the challenges she faces today may be different in six months’ time as Adelmo changes and grows. “Adelmo has been with us for only 18 months, and we’ve seen so much progress,” says Mallory. “What’s his life going to look like in five years? My hope is that, as a family, we can continue to advocate for him and help our son live the best life possible.”

Adopt From Colombia

Many children in Colombia are waiting for a loving, permanent family.

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The post With Love to Give appeared first on Holt International.

After being grounded for two years due to the pandemic, our U.S.-based teams were finally able to resume travel to Holt programs around the world! Over the summer, Holt’s content team traveled to Thailand, the Philippines, Cambodia, Ethiopia and Uganda to visit children and families, and collect new stories, photos and videos to share with Holt supporters. This past year, we also shared about new and innovative programs for vulnerable children and families. In Thailand, Holt began providing nutritional support and parenting education for the children of Burmese refugees, helped build safe bathrooms to help teen girls stay in school in Ethiopia, supported programs for children with disabilities in Mongolia, and helped protect girls at risk of early marriage in India — efforts that would not be possible without the support of Holt sponsors and donors.

In 2022, Holt published new research about the nutritional status of children living in institution-based care, received a major grant to modernize our child information systems, developed new ways to raise funds for children in need, and continued caring for the most vulnerable children through generous donations to mainstays like the Molly Holt Fund for Children with Special Needs. A few notable moments in 2022 reflected on Holt’s legacy and history of serving orphaned and vulnerable children around the world. In April, Holt participated in a special event to recognize the 47^th anniversary of the Vietnam Babylift. In July, we remembered when Grandma Holt set a world track & field record while advocating for children. And in August, we honored one of our long-standing partners in India as they celebrated 40 years of serving children.

Sponsors and donors continued to inspire us with their dedication to the children they support around the world — even during a time of global inflation and recovery from the pandemic. Adoptees contributed meaningful insight into the unique identity fostered from the experience of being a transracial, international adoptee. And adoptive families shared about their experience — from the help they received funding their adoption to the wait to unite with their child to the joys and challenges of welcoming a child into their home.

And most recently, for National Adoption Month in November, we shared a series from Holt leadership and contributors on the changes in international adoption and why children need your help to protect this vital path to a permanent, loving family.

Below, we share some of the stories that readers engaged with most in 2022. Take a moment to read them again or discover them for the first time!

Top Stories of 2022 About Donor Impact Around The World

Reasons to Feel Proud

When teen parents Paal and Saachee learned they were pregnant with twins, they didn’t know how they would care for their children. Read how Holt child sponsors, and Holt’s long-standing partner in Thailand, empowered Sachee and Paal with the skills and support they needed to parent their boys — and become role models in their community.

A Story From My Recent Trip to Mongolia

Thoa Bui, Holt vice president of programs and services, shares a message with Holt sponsors about her recent trip to visit Holt-sponsored children and families in Mongolia.

Growing a Family Through Child Sponsorship

Allie and Brent Bestwick are the parents of six children. But when Allie started sponsoring children through Holt, her family suddenly grew by leaps and bounds!

New Video: How Kea Came Home to His Family in Cambodia

One boy’s story of life in a Cambodian orphanage, and how Holt sponsors and donors helped him come back home to his family.

Nourishing Food for Diwa in the Philippines

Holt photographer Micaela Rahimian shares about 1-year-old Diwa and her family, who she met during a recent Holt trip to the Philippines.

Top Adoptee & Post-Adoption Stories of 2022

National Adoption Month 2022: Lifetime Adoption Services

Susie Doig, adoptive mom and Holt senior executive for U.S. programming, shares about Holt’s post-adoption services — and how we can work together to ensure generations of adoptees and families receive the lifelong support they deserve.

Announcing Holt’s 2022 Adoptee Scholarship Winners!

Congratulations to Holt’s 2022 Adoptee Scholarship winners — Kai Berkner, Grace Ingram and Bethany Werth!

An Adoptee’s Journey Home is Documented on TikTok

As she prepares to travel to Korea, transracial Korean Adoptee Eun ‘Emily’ Ae Koh processes and shares her journey on social media — building a community of thousands who are following along.

Chinese Adoptees Publish New Book Exploring Adoptee Identity

Through a new book exploring adoptee identity, Chinese adoptees Jo, Addie and Hannah are breaking down stereotypes and reframing the way we talk about adoption.

Fostering Asian American & Adoptee Identity

Holt Post Adoption Services team members Katelyn Dixon and Joli Hanlon share insights about fostering a healthy Asian American and adoptee identity, based on their own experiences.

Top Adoption Stories of 2022

National Adoption Month 2022: How International Adoption Has Changed and Why

Thoa Bui, Holt’s vice president of programs and services, explores how and why international adoption has changed over the past two decades — and how you can help protect this path to a permanent, loving family for the children who wait.

Pure Delight & Joy

When Amanda and Jared Abuhl decided to adopt a little girl from Bulgaria with the same rare genetic condition as one of their biological children, they were amazed to see how the love of a family opened her up — and what a delight caring for her would be

We Will Be Forever Thankful

Read a thank you letter from an adoptive family who received an adoption grant from Holt’s Families Not Finances program!

Keeping Them Together

Adoptive parents Whitney and Barrett Wilson share what they learned on their journey to adopt three siblings from Colombia — including the support they found in the form of adoption grants that eased their financial burden, and helped keep these close siblings together.

Campaign for Children 2024

Your tax-deductible gift by December 31 will help a child in greatest need. Give emergency food, critical supplies and caregivers, medical care or education!

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The post Top Adoptee, Donor Impact and International Adoption Stories of 2022 appeared first on Holt International.

Many of us think of November as the start of the holiday season, gathering with family and friends to consume thousands of calories for Thanksgiving. While this is true, it’s also a month to celebrate adoption through National Adoption Day, which has been observed the Saturday before Thanksgiving every year since 2000. Since its inception, over 75,000 children have been united with their adoptive families on National Adoption Day. 

Adoption Awareness and the Rising Cost of International Adoption

National Adoption Day’s primary focus is on foster care and foster to adopt; however, it’s also been an important opportunity to shine a light on adoption awareness in general. In the United States, there are approximately 1.5 million children who were adopted — that’s equivalent to 1 in 50 or about 2% of the population. Every year, there are approximately 140,000 adoptions by American families. 

Shining a bigger light and concern is on international adoption, which has had steep declines of over 60% in recent years. In 2020, the total number of international adoptions in the United States was 1,622, a decline from 2,971 in 2019.  Due to economic, political and social impacts, these numbers continue to drop dramatically. One barrier is that many countries require extended stays, which adds to the overall complexity of the process as prospective adoptive parents have to live abroad for an extended period while stopping work and essentially putting their lives in the United States on hold.

However, probably the number one barrier for international adoption continues to be the high cost to complete the process, with direct expenses ranging from $30,000 to $60,000. These costs put international adoption out of reach for many families who would otherwise love to build their family in this special way. For all the reasons we’ve stated above, it takes a great deal of fortitude to adopt internationally. 

Even so, there is help and hope! Many foundations provide grants, and sometimes loans, to families who adopt internationally. Though all grants have eligibility requirements and deadlines that vary from foundation to foundation, qualified families can often receive grants in amounts ranging from $2,500 to $15,000.     

Recently, the SECURE Act introduced QBOAD (Qualified Birth or Adoption Distribution), which allows prospective adoptive parents to each withdraw up to $5,000 from a qualified retirement plan without incurring the early withdrawal penalty. In addition, the Adoption Tax Credit benefits 90% of adopting families. However, given that it is a credit and not a refund, it is often of minimal help for those without a federal tax liability, such as those in the ministry or military. Lobbying efforts continue to encourage Congress to make the credit refundable again. For adoptions finalized this year, the IRS just posted that the tax credit will be $15,950 for adoptions finalized in 2023, an increase of nearly $1,000 from 2022.

Fundraising is another option to assist with funding an adoption, although this is often a more challenging way to come up with adoption funds. Some families lack an appropriately sized network of friends and community members to support an adoption fundraiser; others just lack the skills to know how to create and manage a successful fundraising campaign. 

Employers are also stepping up to provide adoption benefits that include reimbursement and paid time off. Over 650 corporations are currently offering an adoption or family benefit to their employees. 

Even though there are many resources available to help families adopt, not all of them apply to every family and most fall short of funding the entire journey. While families should be at stake for funding a portion of their adoption, the overall cost of international adoption has simply become too high even for many middle-income families.

To help families afford to adopt, agencies like Holt now fund additional adoption grants and offset many of the added costs for adoption through philanthropic gifts. But this means that adoption fees no longer cover the full cost of an international adoption. To sustain international adoption, donations are needed to fund the agencies that provide all the support and placement of the child with the family.  

This is one reason that the field of adoption providers is now shrinking as many adoption agencies that used to do both domestic and international adoption have closed their doors or just decided to pursue domestic adoption. Other reasons include the number of legal and political barriers and regulations in place. We won’t delve into all the reasons for the decline in the number of international adoption providers in this article, but it’s an important point to make that if adoption agencies could get more support in the form of donations from foundations, families and corporations, it would result in the ‘tide rising for all boats.’  Nearly all adoption agencies are nonprofit organizations and can easily receive donations from individuals, corporations and foundations.  

Children Need Families, and Families Need Help

Even though the number of international adoptions in the United States is declining, there is still a great need, as there are an estimated 140 million children growing up without families worldwide. While some children can now join domestic adoptive families in their birth country, for many, international adoption is the only remaining path to a family. Many families have the heart and fortitude for international adoption, and would love to provide a stable home for a child who needs one. 

Please consider giving a gift to Holt International to help fund adoption grants and protect international adoption as a path to a family this National Adoption Month!

Help Protect International Adoption for Children

Your gift today will help a child be adopted, care for them while they wait, and even ensure that they receive critical post-adoption help for life!

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ABOUT KELLY ELLISON AND YOUR ADOPTION FINANCE COACH

Kelly Ellison is the creator of Your Adoption Finance Coach, which partners with Holt International to help families create a comprehensive financial plan to complete their adoption. Kelly’s team of professional coaches help families with grants and loans, fundraising and more. Her partnership with Holt International is intended to help bring more families to international adoption — no matter what their financial needs are.

The post National Adoption Month 2022: How Donors Can Help More Families Afford to Adopt appeared first on Holt International.

Adoption Myth #1: Infants need families through international adoption. 

Fact: Due to shifts in culture and greater efforts on the part of country governments and advocacy organizations, more children are now able to join domestic adoptive families — giving them the opportunity to grow up in the country and culture of their birth. In many countries, the central adoption authority designates the first 6+ months of a child’s life to looking for a family domestically. Only then will they consider international adoption for a child. We typically do not see internationally adopted children joining families before the age of 2. Holt is primarily seeking families who are open to children ages 3 years and older at the time of arrival with their family in the U.S.

Adoption Myth #2: Only girls need families. 

Fact: Boys need families just as much as girls do. In fact, boys typically wait much longer than girls to be matched with families. This myth grew from a time when, following the implementation of China’s one-child policy, girls in China did exceed the number of boys waiting for families. But today, as a result of policy changes and the growth of domestic adoption in China, that is no longer the case — in China or in any other country. Today, most country programs require families to be open to a child of either gender. But with the few countries that do allow families to specify a gender preference, more than 80 percent of families continue to request a girl — leaving many boys waiting.

Adoption Myth #3: I can adopt a child who is completely free of any physical, developmental or emotional special needs.

Fact: Almost all children eligible for international adoption today have at least some degree of physical, cognitive, developmental or emotional needs — from minor developmental delays due to premature birth or institutionalization to more moderate health conditions to conditions requiring lifelong care. Very few of the children waiting for adoptive families are severely disabled. However, the vast majority of children have at least some minor or moderate needs, are part of a sibling group, or are older, school-aged children. Older children have spent more time living in institutional or foster care settings and bring unique challenges and joys to their adoptive families. Children who have experienced abuse, neglect or trauma have different emotional needs, and their families should have — or be willing to learn — how to support and care for a child with this background.

While adopting a child with additional needs is not a good fit for every family, many parents grow more open as they research different types and degrees of medical conditions — or once they learn that “special need” doesn’t always mean a physical or intellectual challenge. During the homestudy process, your social worker will assist you as you consider the needs that your family might be open to. Holt provides specialized resources for families adopting children who have experienced early life trauma as well as support for adoptees and families throughout their lives. Ideally, we need families who are open to exploring the various medical, emotional and developmental needs of children who are waiting for families through international adoption.

Adoption Myth #4: I will have to go outside my comfort zone when determining what needs I am open to.

Fact: Families determine their level of comfort when considering age, gender and needs. What drives the matching process, however, is finding the right family for every child — and what’s best for each child is to be placed with a family who can wholeheartedly embrace their emotional and physical needs. With that said, you know your family best and are best equipped to determine whether to parent a particular child!

Adoption Myth #5: All children waiting for adoptive families are on Holt’s waiting child photolisting.

Fact: Most children never appear on the waiting child photolisting! Only children for whom we need extra help finding families have online profiles you can look through on your own. These children are often older or have more involved needs, which is why they require greater advocacy to find the right family capable of meeting their unique needs. Most families who adopt through Holt go through the standard application process, in which they state the profile of child they are open to as part of the homestudy process and Holt’s social workers then match them with a child who fits that profile.

Adoption Myth #6: I can’t afford to adopt.

Fact: At Holt, we never want finances to come between families and children who need loving homes. But we recognize that finances are among the biggest obstacles families face when considering adoption. Thankfully, countless resources exist to help offset the cost of adoption! Through partnerships with funding organizations like Gift of Adoption and the generosity of individual donors, Holt offers a number of different grants to ensure finances never stand between a child and a loving family. There are also federal and state adoption tax credits, employer assistance programs and reimbursements for military service members. It can be difficult to know where to start! That’s why Holt also partners with a team of professional adoption finance coaches who are available to provide advice and guidance to every family adopting through Holt. This service is completely free of charge to all Holt families. Learn more about financial assistance for adoption!

Have a question we didn’t answer here? Email us at adopt@holtinternational.org or call 1-833-346-9044.

Learn More About International Adoption

We work with families in all 50 states to find loving homes for children from 11 locations around the world!

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The post Top 6 Myths (and Facts) About International Adoption Today appeared first on Holt International.

Holt founders, Harry and Bertha Holt, believed every child deserves a family and pioneered international adoption in 1956 when they welcomed eight children to their family from South Korea.

Today, all children have the same basic need to grow up with the love of a family. However, in the more than six decades since the Holts adopted their children, there have been many changes in the process of international adoption — as well as in the profile of the children who need families. 

Children Who Need Families Are Older, Have Complex Needs

Over the last 66 years, Holt’s approach to international adoption has evolved as we have grown as an organization, strengthened social work practices and developed a deeper understanding of the issues children and families face around the world. We recognize that most children living in orphanage care overseas are not orphans. In many cases, poverty is the core reason children have been separated from their families. Or the stigma of unwed motherhood. Or other reasons that should not keep a child from growing up in the love of their birth family.   

Through the years, Holt International has developed robust family strengthening programs to ensure that children have every opportunity to grow up with their biological family. With the support of donors, our programs empower parents with resources that allow them to support their child. Holt has also created family reunification programs, working alongside local governments to help children living in orphanages reunite with their biological family — whether their parents, grandparents or other extended family members.

Not every child can remain with their birth family, however. For these children, Holt has long advocated for domestic adoption as a way for them to have a permanent, loving family — AND remain in the country and culture of their birth. In many countries, Holt’s local teams and partners have provided technical assistance and worked collaboratively with multiple overseas governments to create and implement a domestic adoption model — including, most recently, in Cambodia, which successfully implemented a formal, ethical system of domestic adoption for the first time in 2021.

Through these efforts, thousands of children are able to remain with their biological family or join an adoptive family in the country and culture of their birth — a wonderful development in global child welfare and in Holt’s work overseas.

But even with all this progress, thousands of children still remain behind, growing up in orphanages, foster care and group homes around the world. So often, these children are older or have more complex medical, developmental or emotional needs. 

A Longer, More Expensive Process

Through the years, and through advocacy efforts and child welfare advances across the globe, many countries have created or revised adoption laws that benefit children. Most laws now require a child have the opportunity to be placed with relatives in their country of birth or be placed on a registry to consider in-country families for domestic adoption. But if these options do not result in an adoptive family, it is then that a child would become eligible for international adoption.

Although necessary to ensure children have every opportunity to stay with their birth family or join a family in their birth country, these processes can take years for a child — meaning that by the time a child is eligible for international adoption, they are likely older, often over 5 years.

Another reason that children wait longer for a family is due to the Hague Convention — a critical treaty signed by many countries that prevents child trafficking and protects children.

Although vital to ensure that all options have been exhausted for a child, and the child is truly in need of an adoptive family via international adoption, the regulations in the Hague have increased since its early implementation. This results in children waiting longer to join a family — and more expenses for both the adoption agency and the prospective adoptive family. There are increasing costs to an adoption agency to become or remain accredited, remain licensed, hire qualified staff and give time for experienced adoption professionals to support and prepare families to welcome a child into their home. 

It is always in the best interest of children — especially children with complicated backgrounds — that licensed agencies with highly trained, adoption-competent clinical staff assess and prepare families for each child’s unique needs. These practices are vital to ensuring ethical international adoption. But the outcome is a more expensive process due to the increased amount of time required of staff to assess and prepare families.

Lastly, the needs of children eligible for adoption today also increase the overall cost of adoption. As younger children and children with less complicated needs join families via domestic adoption in their birth countries, the children who are eligible for international adoption are often older or have medical, psychological, developmental or emotional needs. Some of these needs may have been known before a child joins their family — and some are common developmental needs that can be more complex for a child who comes from a hard place.

As families prepare to welcome their child home, they must prepare for the additional costs of medical care, therapy and other post-adoption services — whether immediate and foreseeable, or years down the road as their child encounters new and different challenges.  

Holt’s Commitment to Children & Families

As the children waiting for families through international adoption are now older, part of a sibling group and or have more complex needs, Holt is committed to ensuring that each child’s needs are fully understood, both at the time they join their family and into the future. Holt’s expert adoption teams work to ensure that families are prepared to meet their child’s needs, and provide support and advocacy for families throughout the often lengthy and extended adoption process. Holt’s unique post-adoption services team also supports adoptive families and adoptees throughout their lives — a topic we will explore in our next National Adoption Month post.

Today, and into the future, Holt remains committed to ensuring that every child has the opportunity to grow up in a family, and our staff is honored to continue preparing and equipping families to care for the children waiting for families today. Holt remains a steadfast leader in partnering with overseas governments and assisting in developing options that ensure all children have the opportunity to receive the unconditional love of a family.

As we see the cost of international adoption continue to rise, we also stand committed to ensuring that finances are not a barrier for a child to join a family — and ask our heartfelt donors to join us in this commitment by funding adoption grants, supporting social work efforts to ensure that families are fully prepared to meet the needs of children, and helping to provide lifelong post-adoption services to families and adoptees.

At Holt, we prioritize a child’s best interest above all else. And throughout all programs and services provided, Holt’s greatest vision is to see a world where every child has a loving and secure home — whether that means remaining in their birth family, joining an adoptive family in their birth country, or as the last, best option, joining an adoptive family through international adoption. Please join us this National Adoption Month as we strive to keep adoption a viable option for children around the world.

Help Protect International Adoption for Children

Your gift today will help a child be adopted, care for them while they wait, and even ensure that they receive critical post-adoption help for life!

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The post National Adoption Month 2022: Why International Adoption Is So Long and Costly appeared first on Holt International.

For over six decades, Holt International has been a leader in international adoption in the U.S. Children from countries as diverse as South Korea, China, Colombia, Thailand and Haiti have joined permanent, loving American families through international adoption. At its height in the early 2000s, more than 20,000 children arrived each year from other shores to join their new adoptive American families — peaking at 22,988 children adopted to the U.S. in 2004. But in recent years, the profile and number of children being adopted in the U.S. from other countries has changed dramatically.

International adoption has been on a steady decline for the past few decades. In 2002, Holt International placed 951 children from other countries with U.S. families. In 2022, Holt completed just over 190 international adoptions — a downward trend consistent across U.S. adoption agencies.

But although fewer children are joining adoptive families, the need remains unchanged.

Help Protect International Adoption for Children

Your gift today will help a child be adopted, care for them while they wait, and even ensure that they receive critical post-adoption help for life!

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Today, most of the children who need families are older, in sibling groups or have physical, cognitive, emotional or developmental needs. These children are just as deserving of a permanent, loving family as any other child. And though they often wait years longer for a family — and finding the right family for a child with complex needs can be a challenge — Holt is undaunted in our commitment to helping these children have a family of their own.

In coming posts this National Adoption Awareness Month, we’ll share the reasons why the children who need families through international adoption have changed — and why, in many ways, this is a sign of great progress! We’ll also share how and why the international adoption process has changed, including why the process has grown longer and more costly to complete. We’ll explore why Holt is committed to providing lifelong post-adoption support and services for adoptees and their families — told from the perspective of both adoptees and adoptive parents. We’ll dispel some persistent myths about international adoption, and we’ll share encouraging stories from families who have successfully navigated the process to welcome a child into their lives and homes. 

But first, we want to emphasize an issue of vital importance this National Adoption Month: children waiting for families urgently need your help. For thousands of children around the world, international adoption remains the only viable path to a permanent, loving family. And with the support of funding partners and donors like you, a child will have the opportunity to thrive with the love of a family.

Why We Need to Protect International Adoption

Over the past few decades, the cost of international adoption has skyrocketed — and these costs continue to rise. But even though fees charged to a family have increased dramatically, they no longer cover the actual cost to complete an adoption. This is one big reason why so few agencies continue to do international adoption.

Why have these costs increased so much?

There are two key factors:

1. The process has grown significantly longer.

The average international adoption process now takes three to four years to complete (a topic we will explore in a coming National Adoption Month piece). A longer process requires more staff time and support— significantly increasing the overall cost to complete each adoption.

But a longer process doesn’t just affect how much time and effort it takes to ensure a child can join a family. It also affects how long a child remains in care. Today, children remain in orphanages, foster families and group homes for a much longer period of time — increasing childcare expenses in some countries, and contributing to the rise in the overall cost of international adoption.

2. The profile of children needing families has changed.

Today, 95% of the children Holt unites with families today are older children, sibling groups or children with at least some minor special needs.  To ensure these children join families capable of and dedicated to caring for them, we now need more targeted and labor-intensive family recruitment efforts, much more comprehensive family assessment and screening, and intensive family support during and after adoption — including significant resources dedicated to clinical and post-adoption services.

At Holt, we are committed to finding a family for every child who needs a permanent, loving home, and providing the highest standard of care and services for every child and family.

But adoption fees alone can no longer cover the increasing costs associated with adoption.

To keep adoption reasonably affordable for families — and ensure finances are never a barrier to a child joining a family — Holt funds adoption grants and offsets many of the added costs for adoption through philanthropic gifts.

But this means that the overall cost of adoption has become unsustainable without the support of donors. It is only through funding partners and the generosity of our donors that we can cover the rising cost of adoption and protect international adoption as a path to a permanent, loving family.  

Adoption Out of Reach for Many Families

Adoption fees do not cover the full cost of adoption. But the reality is that international adoption fees are still very high — putting adoption out of reach for many families who have the heart and capacity to care for a child, but do not have the funds to cover the necessary costs.

Today, many families also face additional expenses once their child has joined them in the U.S. As the children who need families today are increasingly older, part of a sibling group or have physical, cognitive, developmental or emotional needs, these children often need medical care or therapies, adoption-competent counseling and other support once home with their families. These additional expenses can put international adoption further out of reach for families — even though these families may be best equipped in other ways to care for a child with complex needs.

To help reduce adoption costs for qualified families, Holt not only offers grants for families in need of financial assistance — but we are also working with several outside organizations to fund additional adoption grants, especially for children with complex medical needs, those who are aging out of adoption eligibility, and sibling groups. Holt is also committed to providing free or affordable post-adoption services for adoptees and families — a lifelong commitment we make to every child, adoptive family and adoptee regardless of placing agency, and a service we can only provide through the generous support of donors. 

A National Fundraising Campaign for Adoption

The children who need families through adoption today are, indeed, among the most vulnerable and possess the greatest need. As you will learn in coming National Adoption Month posts, many children are now able to join adoptive families in their birth country. Many children are also able to remain or reunite with their birth families. But for the children who remain behind, growing up in orphanages, international adoption is often their last, best hope for a permanent, loving family. And to find capable, qualified, loving families for these children, we must truly rely on the philanthropic support of foundations, corporations, government entities — and individual donors like you.

This National Adoption Awareness Month — for the first time in our history — Holt will launch a national fundraising campaign to support international adoption so that every child has the best chance of joining a loving adoptive family. The funds raised will help cover the rising cost of care for children waiting to join families as well as go toward adoption grants for families. This campaign will also help fund critical post-adoption support and services once children come to the U.S., and throughout the lives of adoptees and their families (another topic we will explore in depth this National Adoption Month).

Help Protect International Adoption for Children

Your gift today will help a child be adopted, care for them while they wait, and even ensure that they receive critical post-adoption help for life!

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In a perfect world, children would not need international adoption to grow up in a loving, permanent family. Every child would be able to grow and thrive in the family they were born to, in the culture and country where they were born. And while Holt and other organizations are working to help make this outcome a reality for as many children as possible, we are, sadly, far from living in a perfect world. Thousands of children still need international adoption to have a family.

Thankfully, many families are ready to step up and adopt these children. And together, we can help make sure finances are not a barrier. We can ensure that extensive post-adoption services and support are available to all adoptees and their families. Most of all, we can protect international adoption for children who are waiting for a loving, permanent family of their own.

The post How International Adoption Has Changed and Why appeared first on Holt International.

To our generous donors,

With grateful hearts we would like to extend our thanks to each and everyone one of you who made the Special Needs Grant possible for our family! We are currently a family of four with two little girls, soon to be family of five with one little girl in Taiwan!

Adoption has always been a part of our lives as we have many family members who have joined our family through adoption. Adoption has always been a dream of ours and we knew we wanted to pursue it sooner than later in our marriage. When we submitted our adoption application in December of 2020, we had no idea what was ahead of us, but we were so excited to be on this journey.

In September of 2021, I had a strong desire to look at the waiting child photolisting on the Holt website. It was then that we saw her sweet little face. Although she has many unknowns in her diagnosis, we felt wholeheartedly that she was the one for us.

On March 2nd (It was March 3 in her time zone, which is her birthday!) we received word that we were officially accepted by her agency and we could begin the paperwork to bring her home!

We are now in the process of more paperwork and waiting periods as well as paying all of our adoption fees. In the meantime, we have been setting up and decorating a bedroom that she can call her own, preparing and educating our girls for their “sissy’s” arrival and enjoying every minute of our monthly Skype calls with her!

Your generosity has taken a significant burden off of us as we continue to meet our financial obligations. We will be forever thankful for this generous gift as you have helped to bring us together as a family of five!

Warmly,
Kevin, Julia, Addy & Anna

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Your gift will help a waiting child join a loving adoptive family as quickly as possible.

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The post We Will Be Forever Thankful appeared first on Holt International.

Through this service, you can build a one-on-one partnership with a professional coach who will provide guidance and direction throughout your process. Your coach can help you determine which grant organizations you are eligible to apply for, review your applications and even advocate for you with grant organizations — increasing your odds of being awarded a grant. Your coach can also provide fundraising advice and help you identify other benefits you may qualify for such as the Adoption Tax Credit or employer assistance. Finance coaches have insider knowledge and experience that will give you a significant advantage. 

So, why sign up with a finance coach now? Even if you’re just beginning the adoption process, talking to a coach and asking questions early can help you prepare for what’s to come. The cost of adoption can feel overwhelming at the start, and coaches will help you break it down and make a funding plan that feels more manageable. Also, finance coaching through Your Adoption Finance Coach is fully covered for Holt families — coaches will never pressure or try to upsell you into buying more services.

All services are provided through Your Adoption Finance Coach, a program founded by Kelly Ellison. Kelly is an adoptive parent with over 25 years of experience in the nonprofit sector. She is passionate about helping prospective families reach their financial goals and ensuring they feel supported and encouraged along the way.

 “I want people to know that there’s a path, that there is support, that there are resources out there for families that have a heart for intercountry adoption — and that we do understand what you’re going through,” she says. “We’ve been there. All of my coaches have been touched by adoption.”

In her years of experience helping families fund their adoptions, Kelly also says it’s very rare that her coaches have not been able to help a family fulfill their dream of adopting a child. “We’ll turn over every box, turn it on its ear, to help a family bring a child home.”

For questions or to schedule a call with a coach, email coach@youradoptionfinancecoach.com!

Need help funding your adoption?

Families adopting through Holt receive free, professional guidance and support from a one-on-one finance coach throughout their adoption process. Even if you’re just considering adoption, email us to set up your first consultation today!

email adopt@holtinternational.org

The post Why Use an Adoption Finance Coach? appeared first on Holt International.

Contributing Donors,

We want to thank you for contributing to our adoption through generous donations to Holt International. As you are aware, there are many barriers to overcome during the adoption process, and the financial burden is one of the more significant of those. However, your generosity has helped to lessen that burden and make it possible to keep our sibling group of three children together and to bring them to their new home.

“Your generosity has helped to lessen that [financial] burden and make it possible to keep our sibling group of three children together and to bring them to their new home.”

We were originally matched with Vale, Santi and Juli in May 2021. In June we officially accepted the match and we were able to begin video calls with our children each week. We traveled to Colombia in September and met our children in person on September 14. The next month consisted of many meetings and appointments to complete the adoption and prepare to travel home, but it was also a sweet time of getting to know our kids and see their home country.

On October 7 we were able to come back to the United States, and for the past month and a half we have been spending our time bonding and learning to be a family of five. Each day has its challenges, but our children are resilient. They are also so sweet and so much fun! We have been homeschooling, playing outside on our play set, building forts, drawing, and meeting a few friends and family. Our children love watching movies each week, taking their dogs on walks, having dance parties, and reading books. Additionally, our children are receiving the emotional, medical and spiritual support and care they need and deserve.

All of this has only been possible because of the support we have received from family, friends, Holt staff, and donors like you. We are grateful for your willingness to support our family and other families like ours. We hope you are able to continue to support other families and that you receive encouragement knowing that you have played such a vital role in the lives of these children.

Sincerely,

The Wilson Family

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The post You Played Such a Vital Role appeared first on Holt International.

For as long as we’ve been married, we have wanted to adopt children into our family. Our strong longing to adopt comes from our awareness that, as Christians, we are recipients of the greatest adoption — our adoption into God’s family as his son and daughter. We believe adoption is an incredible picture of the Gospel. Doing nothing to earn our salvation, God pursued us when we were helpless and hopeless. God chose us, gave us his name, gave us an eternal inheritance, and asks us to call him “Father.” In response to his great love for us, we want to model His behavior by providing a loving home for children, give them our name, give them everything we have, invite them into our family as our children, and call us “Mom and Dad.”

Although we knew from the beginning of our marriage that we wanted to adopt, we did not originally anticipate adopting a sibling group of children. Like most people wanting to adopt, we envisioned growing our family one child at a time through the adoption of a healthy newborn baby. However, five years into our marriage, we went through the most challenging season of our lives. We found ourselves in the middle of a marriage that was on the verge of ending. By the grace of God, we were loved well during this season by pastors, counselors, and close friends that cared well for us and helped us grow. By working through our own personal wounds and traumas, and how those had caused so much harm within our marriage, we found healing personally and in our marriage. Our marriage became healthier and more secure than it had ever been.

Following this incredibly challenging season, we both felt God calling us to adopt, but in a much different way. While every form of adoption brings challenges, we knew that a sibling group of older children would bring a unique set of needs that could include educational difficulties, developmental delays, attachment obstacles, and a history of trauma, abuse or neglect. However, after walking through our own journeys of healing, we felt equipped to support the potential needs that come with the adoption of a sibling group.  

Older children are waiting for families!

Many children wait longer for a family simply because they are older in age. Could you be the right family to adopt an older child? Meet some of the children who are waiting!

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Once we knew that adopting a sibling group was the best direction for our family, we began researching the countries and agencies that most aligned with our desires. We were overwhelmed with joy to discover that Colombia was the most highly recommended country from which to adopt sibling groups. Our desire to adopt from Colombia stems from our love and closeness with the general Hispanic community. Through home and business ownership, we have purposefully positioned our lives to be heavily involved within the Hispanic community here in our city of Nashville, TN. The patients who visit the bilingual dental practice we own is roughly 70 percent Hispanic, and the Hispanic population is nearly 60 percent of the neighborhood elementary school that our children will eventually attend. Additionally, there are many Hispanic families that live on our street and in our neighborhood. Because of our lifestyle, we have the joy and privilege of shopping, dining, working and celebrating with the Hispanic community. Furthermore, we were introduced to Holt International, for which we are so grateful. Holt has an amazing program and we felt so well taken care of from our first call with them.

Although we felt personally prepared and emotionally healthy enough to adopt a sibling group of children, as first-time parents we knew there was still a lot to learn about raising children from hard places. We began immersing ourselves in Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI) training, and other related child-rearing resources and literature, such as The Connected Child, The Body Keeps Score, The Whole-Brain Child, and Empowered to Connect. These incredible tools really helped us prepare ourselves with practical ways to help our children. We would strongly encourage every parent to explore all these resources prior to bringing home a sibling group, or any child who has experienced early-life trauma or neglect. There are so many overwhelming things during the first weeks and months after placement, and I don’t know how we would have survived without fully immersing ourselves in these incredible resources prior to bringing our children home.

The past five months after bringing our amazing children home have been a complete whirlwind, to say the least. In general, our kids are more incredible than we could have ever imagined. Each day has its challenges, but our children are vivacious, brave and resilient. Our oldest, Valentina (8), is extroverted, optimistic, versatile and spontaneous. She is creative, playful, high-spirited, and constantly seeking new and exciting experiences. Santiago (6), our middle child, is independent, curious and perceptive. He is sweet, inventive, imaginative, and constantly looking for things to build and construct. Our youngest son, Julian (4), is strong, decisive and charismatic. He has an abundance of energy and enjoys taking on challenges—especially when trying to keep up with Valentina and Santiago. All three of our children love playing outside, singing, dancing, riding bicycles, playing with our dogs, building forts and watching movies.

We have been spending our time bonding and learning to be a family of five. Our work schedule currently allows us the flexibility of one parent being present with them at nearly all times. This provides us the ability to spend intentional time with them recreationally and educationally. Through homeschooling our children, we have been blessed to see their rapid developmental growth. They are learning at such a quick pace that we are constantly amazed. The most shocking development is with our youngest son, Julian. When we were first matched, he was significantly delayed in speech and motor skills. He could barely say, “Mama” and “Papa.” However, just after several months of being in our home and having consistent emotional and nurturing support, he rarely stops talking to take a breath! All three of them have made great strides, and constantly surprise us with their level of emotional and academic intelligence. 

As most people are aware, there are many are barriers to overcome during the adoption process, and the financial burden is one of the more significant. However, the Special Needs Adoption Fund (SNAF) grant we received through Holt, along with a grant through The Gift of Adoption, the burden was lessened and helped make it possible to keep our sibling group of three children together.

Although we didn’t begin our journey with the intent of adopting a sibling group of children, we wouldn’t have it any other way. Our children are an absolute blessing from God, and we are beyond excited to continue learning and growing with them as our love deepens and our hearts become even more knitted together.

Whitney and Barrett Wilson | Adoptive Parents

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The post Keeping Them Together appeared first on Holt International.