Tigabu is a 7-year-old boy who lives in a rural area of Ethiopia. He shares his home with two brothers, a sister, his mother and grandparents, who are subsistence farmers.

Tigabu is a friendly and playful child who loves to help out around the house. He particularly enjoys fetching water and looking after the family’s cattle. Tigabu also loves going to school, where he attends class regularly each day — thanks to the generosity of his sponsors! Now in first grade, Tigabu is learning his numbers and how to read and write in English. Because of his sponsors, he is also learning about personal hygiene and receives regular health services.

In addition to providing Tigabu with the resources he needs to attend school, Holt sponsors and donors provide direct assistance to Tigabu’s school. With your help, the school has built four additional classrooms and rebuilt its playground to accommodate more children. Each year on their birthdays, the children are excited to receive personalized birthday cards from their sponsors in the U.S.

When not in school, Tigabu likes to play soccer and hopscotch with his friends. In September, he and his family will celebrate Enkutatash, the Ethiopian new year, and Meskel, a religious celebration that occurs at the end of the rainy season.

Tigabu is grateful for the support that he and his family receive from Holt sponsors, and to thank them, he created this drawing.

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The post Tigabu Says Thank You! appeared first on Holt International.

On June 1, children in Holt programs across the world celebrated International Children’s Day, thanks to the support of Holt sponsors and donors. Focused on making children feel special and valued, the day’s activities included games, singing, dancing, storytelling and movie screenings. The children also had the chance to create drawings and posters and to role-play around the themes of child safety, health and freedom of expression.

International Children’s Day is celebrated in more than 100 countries each year as a time to advocate for and champion the rights of children. The June 1 celebration has become an annual tradition for Holt and its overseas partners, providing an opportunity to celebrate every child and promote an environment where all children can thrive.

China

This past June, 37 participants — all Chinese adoptees and their families — embarked on Holt’s 2025 China Heritage Tour. Jian Chen, Holt’s longstanding vice president for our China regional programs, once again led this year’s tour of the country.

Participants visited some of China’s most famous sites, including the Great Wall and Forbidden City in Beijing, and traveled to the ancient Chinese capital of Xian and the southern city of Guilin, known for its dramatic landscapes. They also visited a farmer’s painting village in Hu County, took a cruise along the Li River and learned to make traditional Chinese food at a cooking school, among other activities. Families who wished to travel to their child’s birth city were able to do so for two nights before or after the main tour.

Holt’s China heritage tour is open to families of children adopted from any province and through any agency. This year’s tour offered adoptees and their families a time to bond and support one another — and at the end of the trip, Holt presented each adoptee with a traditional Chinese outfit, called a qipao.

Since 1992, Holt has united more than 7,000 children from China with adoptive families in the U.S. (Visit Holt’s Tours page to learn more about opportunities to travel with Holt on heritage tours and vision trips.) And while Holt’s China adoption program is now closed, we encourage families to explore our two other adoption programs in the region — in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Ethiopia, Uganda

Nearly half the population of Africa is under the age of 18. And each year since 1991, African nations have celebrated the Day of the African Child to raise awareness about the rights and wellbeing of African children, particularly in regard to education, healthcare, protection and a safe environment.

On June 16, Holt Ethiopia commemorated the Day of the African Child in collaboration with the regional government and local partner organizations. Thanks to the support of Holt donors and sponsors, Holt Ethiopia donated more than 5,000 educational supplies to orphaned and vulnerable children who are at risk of dropping out of school due to lack of financial support.

Holt Uganda hosted Day of the African Child celebrations in the central Wakiso District under the theme “Planning and Budgeting for Child Care and Protection in Uganda.” Roughly 1,500 children and 300 parents attended the event, during which government officials, Holt Uganda staff and youth from the community made speeches about the importance of child protection.

India

On June 21, millions of people around the world came together to celebrate the United Nations’ International Day of Yoga, which embraced the theme “Yoga for One Earth, One Health.” According to a Harvard Medical School study about yoga, 60 percent of participants with depression experienced significant symptom reduction after practicing yoga twice a week for eight weeks.

In India, Holt’s partner organizations, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK) in Pune and Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT) in Bangalore, organized special yoga sessions for children, introducing them to basic asanas, breathing techniques and mindfulness practices. At BSSK, the sessions were designed for all age groups and were guided by trained instructors. Children participated wholeheartedly, learning how yoga can help improve flexibility, concentration and emotional balance. The day served as a wonderful opportunity to instill healthy lifestyle habits in children and highlight the importance of physical and mental wellbeing.

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The post Notes from the Field: July 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

Eight years ago, Ayana was left to care for her five children on her own. Living in a small village in Ethiopia, she became the sole provider for her family. She had no formal education or marketable skills. But Ayana was determined to provide for her family no matter what.

And thanks to you, she received the help she needed.

Ayana received small business training and resources to earn income for her family. Gifts of livestock and training to start a vegetable garden met her family’s immediate needs — ensuring none of her children would go hungry. And because of your support for their education, all her children can go to school!

“As a mother, being able to send my children to school without worrying about how to get them the supplies is a great blessing,” Ayana says.

Because of the poverty she lives in, educational support is even more critical for Ayana’s family. If paying for school depended on the economy’s ups and downs, her children wouldn’t be able to stay in school.

Ayana says her greatest desire is that her children can build a future where they are not limited by the struggles she has faced. “I want them to look to the future with hope,” she says.

Because of your incredible support, Ayana believes her family can rise from poverty and her children will be able to chase their dreams. Thank you for making their future so bright!

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The post Their Futures Unlimited appeared first on Holt International.

Cambodia

Since 2012, Holt donors have provided scholarships for 185 high-achieving students to attend college in Cambodia through its University Education program. The program offers everything from full tuition to English and computer classes, career counseling and a monthly stipend to help cover additional expenses. Most of the students come from rural impoverished communities, and most are the first in their families to attend college.

In 2016, the University of Cambodia launched a volunteer program to encourage university students to make an impact in their communities by dedicating their time, energy and resources to improving the livelihood of others. Recently, students in Holt’s University Education program took part in these volunteer efforts. Through community awareness workshops, the students addressed the impact of drug addiction in the province of Battambang and the importance of reading in the province of Kampot.

Ethiopia

An estimated 4.5 million children are orphaned or growing up without permanent families in Ethiopia. In an effort to reduce the number of children living in institutional care, the country’s Ministry of Women and Social Affairs has issued an Alternative Child Care Directive, which focuses on supporting local families to foster or adopt children living in orphanages. Now, thanks to Holt sponsor and donor support, Holt Ethiopia has partnered with the ministry to train child welfare professionals, service providers and community organizers in central Ethiopia to promote family-based care. Holt Ethiopia held the first of five workshops in March and will continue to hold trainings through September.

India

In the migrant communities of Bangalore, India, Holt sponsors and donors help keep children in the safe and loving care of their families. Poverty is one of the greatest causes of abandonment and family separation in these communities. Our local partner, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), works with migrant families to help them develop a stable source of income — often through donor-funded technical education and training.

In May, VCT held skills training courses for migrant women and single mothers as part of its Income Generation Program (IGP). Through its vocational training and entrepreneurial support, the program helps low-income women become more competitive in the local labor market. The IGP also develops initiatives to promote social networks among women that lead to better access to services and opportunities. The joint efforts between Holt and VCT have so far enabled more than 1,600 migrant women and single mothers to set up their own businesses or join public or private industries. These women now earn a sustainable wage that supports their needs and those of their families.

Thailand

Holt’s local partner in Thailand, Holt Sahathai Foundation (HSF), recently organized two trips to the zoo for children living in foster care. The children and their foster families had a wonderful time viewing the animals, enjoying snacks and spending quality time together. Meanwhile, the social workers who accompanied the group were able to observe how the children reacted in various situations.

At any given time, between 90 and 100 children, ages birth to 6, live with HSF’s 90 foster families. With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, foster families receive a monthly delivery of infant formula and baby supplies as well as a childcare subsidy. Foster care provides a more nurturing alternative to institutional care, offering a loving home for children while they wait to rejoin their family or join a family through adoption.

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The post Notes from the Field: June 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

Kokebe, a determined and optimistic young woman, has faced many challenges. But she never lost sight of her dreams. With your support, she overcame financial barriers and pursued her education, achieving what once seemed impossible.

Her father’s job as a day laborer didn’t provide enough income for the family to make ends meet. Education seemed out of reach. But then, you helped provide a microloan and training for her mother to start a small business growing and selling fruits and vegetables at their local market in rural Ethiopia. This Gift of Hope helped stabilize her family’s financial situation, covering their basic needs.

Still, there wasn’t enough to pay for Kokebe’s schooling. That’s where you stepped in again with a Gift of Hope. Your equipped her with a school uniform, books, supplies and ongoing academic support. She participated in summer classes and educational celebrations like Literacy Day and Back to School Day, which have been sources of joy and learning for her.

After passing her grade 12 national exams, Kokebe went on to vocational and technical college, majoring in information and communication technology. You played such a pivotal role in helping her achieve her educational goals!

“I am very grateful for all the support throughout the years,” Kokebe says. “I wouldn’t be where I am today without [the] help and intervention for me and my family. In the future, I hope to give back and support other vulnerable children, just as I was supported.” As she steps into the next chapter of her life, she carries with her not only the knowledge and skills she has gained, but also the hope of one day giving back to others in the same way you helped her.

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The post She’s Taking Flight appeared first on Holt International.

Colombia

Bambi, Holt’s partner organization in Colombia, recently held a workshop for parents and caregivers enrolled in its PROMEFA family strengthening program. During the workshop, mothers in the program learned how to create a “life timeline,” allowing them to understand where they are in life, their priorities and resources available to them. The program also helped mothers determine how they want to live their lives in order to end generational cycles of conflict and poverty. With the support of the group, the women expressed motivation to take steps to achieve their life and family goals.

Parenting education is an important pillar of Holt’s work in Colombia. Thanks to the support of sponsors and donors, families living in vulnerable, impoverished communities are receiving the help and resources they need to create a safe, secure and supportive environment for their children.

Ethiopia

Since 2017, Holt donors have supported an early childhood care and development (ECCD) program in an impoverished region of southern Ethiopia. Through this program, 1,500 children are able to receive a critical preschool education in a safe and nurturing environment while their parents work during the day.

Recently, through Holt’s Gifts of Hope program, families whose children attend the ECCD centers received gifts of chickens as well as the supplies to raise them. Raising livestock such as chickens can improve a family’s food security and create income-generating opportunities. For example, within a few months of hatching, chickens begin laying eggs, providing protein and other vital nutrients to growing children and families. In addition, families can sell their eggs or full-grown chickens at the market for a profit, using the money they earn to buy food and other essential items for their family. They can also invest their profits into raising more chickens, thus expanding their business and improving their long-term livelihood.

India

In March, Holt’s long-standing partner in Pune, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), held Holi celebrations for children who receive services through all four of its Holt-supported centers. Known as the springtime festival of colors, Holi is a major holiday in India. The children who receive services through BSSK either live at the center or in impoverished communities in and around Pune. As they rarely receive anything extra, the Holi celebrations were a special treat!

During the party, the children engaged in fun games and activities, which included dousing one another with vibrant colored powders known as “gulal.” The colored powders symbolize the arrival of spring and new beginnings. The Holi celebration strengthened bonds and spread happiness between the children and BSSK staff and reinforced the holiday’s spirit of unity, joy and festivity.

Uganda

Holt Uganda staff recently visited women in six rural communities to provide maternal health outreach and services. Thanks to your support, 1,995 women received health education materials, 330 pregnant mothers were tested for anemia and 256 pregnant mothers were given prenatal vitamins.

In late 2024, 60 health workers in Uganda received a revised version of Holt’s Child Nutrition Program Community Flipbook, which is used to support education for families on proper nutrition and health practices as well as child development and disabilities. Health workers from Holt partner health centers, Holt village health teams and Holt Uganda staff received training on how to use the new flipbooks, and each participating health center received a revised copy. During their recent visit to the six communities, Holt Uganda staff used the flipbooks to educate mothers on important issues of maternal and children’s health, including prenatal care and malnutrition.

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The post Notes from the Field: April 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

A single mother in Vietnam receives a food cart and starts her own business. Women in rural Uganda learn to break the cycle of generational poverty by joining community savings groups. A mother and her family in Mongolia are gifted a life-changing herd of livestock. Mothers and children in Ethiopia gain access to lifesaving healthcare, thanks to a mother and child hospital Holt donors helped build and continue to support in an impoverished rural region.

Around the world, Holt sponsors and donors empower mothers to provide for their children, keeping them together despite poverty, conflict, migration and the stigma of single motherhood. One of the ways your generosity supports these women is through our life-changing Gifts of Hope. Whether it’s through food carts, small business microgrants, livestock, new mother baskets, pregnancy healthcare and more, your gifts help women become stronger, healthier and more self-reliant, allowing them and their children to thrive.

As we approach Mother’s Day this year, we’d like to highlight the stories of women in four countries who have benefited from your generosity and Gifts of Hope. With your support and compassion, these mothers and their families now face a brighter future!

Healthcare for Mothers and Children in Ethiopia

In 2015, Holt donors joined local leaders and community members to build a full-service, maternal-child hospital in Shinshicho, an impoverished rural region in southern Ethiopia. At the time, only 3 percent of births among women living in rural Ethiopia were attended by a health professional, and 25,000 women in Ethiopia died annually from complications during pregnancy and childbirth. In many cases, these women could not get to a hospital in time. When Holt committed to funding most of the construction costs for the Shinshicho Mother and Child Hospital, the local community responded with an outpouring of donations — often a precious few dollars from individuals whose income was just one or two dollars a day. With backing from the government, and significant involvement from the community — both in funding and labor — the health center first opened its doors to patients in 2015.

Today, the hospital has grown both in size and in the level of services it provides. It is now known as the Shinshicho Primary Hospital, and it serves more than 250,000 patients each year with emergency, surgical and outpatient services for children and adults. Although the mother-child hospital is run by the local government, Holt continues to fund much of the staffing, equipment and materials needed to operate the maternal and child health departments, which provide labor and delivery, family planning, ob-gyn and neonatal intensive care services. Holt also supports a child stabilization center for severely malnourished children. 

When two children, Anika and Kia, were found to be acutely malnourished, they along with their mother were immediately taken to the child stabilization center at the Holt-supported mother and child hospital, where they received the critical help they needed.

“In the rehab unit, the babies received a specialized low-protein, milk-based formula diet to help them stabilize,” says Emily DeLacey, Holt’s director of nutrition and health services. “Their sick, malnourished mother was also able to receive support at the hospital and began to get healthier so that her supply of breastmilk replenished and she was able to continue feeding her girls to ensure they were getting the vital nutrition they needed.”

It wasn’t long before Anika and Kia became stable. And not long after that, they returned home. In just a few short months, their transformation was incredible. They went from being terribly sick, skinny, malnourished infants to plump and happy babies. And that’s just their physical appearance. Now that they’re getting all the nutrients they need, their brains and bodies are able to grow and catch up in development. For the mothers and children in rural Ethiopia, the gift of maternal health and childhood nutrition is a blessing on Mother’s Day — and on every day throughout the year.

Empower a mother with the gift of pregnancy health care this Mother’s Day!

A Herd of Livestock in Mongolia

Five-year-old Erdene and her family live in Mongolia’s northernmost province, where herding families continue a traditional way of life — seasonally migrating with their cattle, sheep and goats across the vast plains. Life is hard on the land, not far from Siberia, and winters are especially harsh with temperatures that can dip to -60 degrees. Although the nomadic people of this region have existed here for generations and know how to survive the extreme climate, many live in poverty and struggle to provide enough food, warm clothing and other necessities for their children.

In 2019, Holt’s team in Mongolia began working in this remote province to help care for the region’s most vulnerable children, including children with disabilities, children growing up in orphanages and children living in poverty with their families, including the children of assistant herdsmen. Erdene and her siblings were among the over 80 children who Holt donors began to support through Holt’s family strengthening program. Holt provided emergency food for Erdene and her siblings. Erdene was also enrolled in Holt’s child sponsorship program, which provided ongoing support for her and her family.

Erdene’s family felt deep gratitude for the support of Holt sponsors and donors. But as traditional nomadic people who have chosen to stay and work the land like their families have for generations, Erdene’s parents are hard-working and skilled in raising livestock. Like many assistant herdsmen, they dreamt of owning their own herd, nourishing their children from what they produced and living by their own means.

“If they could own some livestock, they would be able to get wool and cashmere during springtime,” explains our team in Mongolia. “And in summer, they would be able to get dairy products — and the children would benefit from the milk.”

In March 2021, their dreams were realized when Holt presented Erdene’s family with an incredible, donor-funded Gift of Hope — a gift that would empower Erdene’s parents to work toward stability and self-reliance, and ultimately meet all of their children’s needs. They gave the family a herd of 20 goats and 28 sheep.

Over the past four years, Erdene’s parents have nearly doubled the size of their herd and added cattle as well — bringing in considerable profits for their family. In that time, Erdene and her siblings have also grown healthier and stronger because of the nourishing milk and cheese they regularly have in their diet.

“I am very happy as a mother to see my children growing, thriving, healthy and happy … Life has changed and we are very, very happy,” Erdine’s mother shared. “I would like to say thank you. Really, really thank you.”

Empower a mother with a life-changing gift of a goat!

A Food Cart in Vietnam

Thuong is a young single mother who lives with her son in a small city in Vietnam. In April 2021, Thuong learned that she was 13 weeks pregnant. But when she called her boyfriend to share the news, he refused to take responsibility for the baby. Heartbroken, and fearing a life of poverty and social stigma as a single mother, Thuong considered relinquishing her baby for adoption after giving birth.

But then something wonderful happened! When Thuong was 7 months pregnant, a friend introduced her to a local Holt social worker, who enrolled her in a program for single pregnant women supported by Holt donors. Through the program, Thuong received food and nutritional support for the remaining months of her pregnancy, as well as baby essentials such as clothes, diapers and formula — gifts for new mothers provided through Holt’s Gifts of Hope program. The costs of her pre- and post-natal doctor exams were also covered, as were her hospital fees for the birth of her child.

In November 2021, Thuong gave birth to a healthy baby boy she named Thanh. After leaving the hospital, she and her son returned to her family home, where her parents and grandparents helped care for them.

Then, when Thanh was 7 months old, Thuong began working at her mother’s food stall. With her baby at her side, Thuong washed vegetables, grilled pork paste and meat, and helped her mother sell food. Though the women worked long hours, they earned roughly 8 U.S. dollars a day. Although this amount stretches much further in Vietnam than it does in the U.S., it was still barely enough to feed the entire family.

That’s when Thuong decided to supplement the family income by learning to make Vietnamese-style “hot dog” cakes. She took orders for the hot dogs online, then delivered them herself to customers around the city. Lacking the funds to make large quantities of food, Thuong sold about 25 hot dogs a day. After deducting her expenses, Thuong earned less than 4 U.S. dollars per day — but this amount increased her income enough to meet some additional needs, and she began to grow excited about having her own business!

And that’s when the generosity of Holt donors came through again! This time, Thuong received a food cart through Holt’s Gifts of Hope, as well as funds to purchase baking ingredients.  

These days, Thuong operates her food cart in front of her grandparents’ house. It’s open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Although her income is still modest, Thuong is now able to pay for her son’s preschool fees and meals at school, helping him get an early education and the nourishment he needs to thrive. Thanks to the generosity of Holt donors, Thuong has big dreams for her son — and for her own future!

Empower a mother to start her own business by providing her with a food cart!

Financial Literacy Training in Uganda

In the rural villages of Uganda where Holt sponsors and donors support children and families, women now have the opportunity to break the cycle of generational poverty. In these villages, Holt has been leading savings groups that teach parents, particularly mothers, how to earn money and save together. Through financial literacy training, these women learn as a community how to make and sell goods, grow crops, buy and raise livestock, and become businesswomen in the hopes of bettering themselves and supporting their families.

With a small initial investment from Holt donors, these groups of women pool their money together and are then able to take out loans from the group to grow their business or address an urgent need such as a home repair. They pay the money back on a schedule, thus replenishing the fund so other women can borrow as needed. Some Holt savings groups have existed for more than five years — helping the families weather the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Without the savings and loan groups, many of their businesses would not have survived financially — and they would have struggled to afford food and other basic necessities for their children.

Beyond financial stability, the savings groups have offered women a sense of pride in their accomplishments. For example, in one rural community, the members of one group named themselves the “Group of Happy Parents.” That’s because their savings have gone towards buying livestock, starting microbusinesses, and paying for their children’s school fees and uniforms. When mothers are able to care for their children, they are happy parents indeed!

Empower a mother to break the cycle of generational poverty with job skills training!

Mother’s Day Gifts That Matter

Honor a mom you love with a Gift of Hope that changes the life of a mom across the world!

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The post So Their Children Can Thrive appeared first on Holt International.

Ethiopia

One of Holt’s local partners in Ethiopia, Sele-Enat, recently organized a Cancer Awareness Day in central Ethiopia, which many families in the community attended. Cancer is a public health crisis in low-income countries, including Ethiopia. Treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy are not widely available, leaving families with few options for their affected loved ones. Sele-Enat’s Cancer Awareness Day event brought families together and provided hope for many. Medical professionals specializing in oncology gave presentations and led discussions for the attendees.

Sele-Enat also recently launched a community awareness campaign for children with autism. Autism is widely misunderstood in Ethiopia, leading to a severe shortage of services for children with this condition. Sele-Enat is working to educate the community about autism and autism spectrum disorder to promote inclusivity and understanding for all children and families. Raising awareness and providing education helps equip caregivers with the knowledge to offer the best care for every child and their needs.

Our partner, Sele-Enat, cares for children with autism and other developmental disabilities at their orphanage. They receive nutrition and medical support through Holt’s Child Nutrition Program, education support, as well as recreational and experiential activities to meet their social and psychological needs. Inclusive education is a priority for Holt and Sele-Enat to ensure children with disabilities and other special needs have access to learning environments in which they can thrive. Through the autism advocacy, Holt and Sele-Enat work to raise awareness about autism spectrum disorder with the larger community. This helps to reduce stigma, inform parents, caregivers and educators about the needs of autistic children and ensure families are accessing education and other services they may need. This type of advocacy is essential to preserve and strengthen families, and it would not be possible without the support from Holt sponsors and donors.

India

Holt-supported students enrolled in higher education programs in Pune and Aurangabad recently took a field trip to explore careers in manufacturing. Through Holt’s local partner organization, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), Holt sponsors and donors help support these students and join BSSK in their efforts to empower young people growing up in difficult circumstances in India.

The field trip included hands-on experiences and allowed students to observe vehicle production, robotic automation and other industrial technologies up close. The field trip inspired the students to develop their professional skills and explore possible careers paths. For children in Holt programs, experiences like these help broaden their horizons beyond the limited career opportunities they witnessed growing up in impoverished slum communities. This is especially true for many girls in India, who face greater gender discrimination and also marriage at a young age.

With the support of Holt sponsors and donors, BSSK has worked to change that since 1979. Through Holt sponsorships, educational workshops, career field trips and other support, children receive the tools they need to succeed and thrive.

Uganda

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in the world, with a median age of 16.2 years. And in the rural villages where Holt sponsors and donors support children, more than 30 percent of children ages 6 to 9 have never attended primary school.

Education is expensive in Uganda. The cost of school fees, books, supplies and uniforms is too high for families living in poverty. In rural areas, schools may also be too far for some children to walk to, and few families can afford boarding school fees.

Thanks to Holt sponsors and donors, our team in Uganda recently provided scholastic materials and school uniforms for 904 children at Early Childhood Care and Development (ECCD) centers. ECCD teachers also received teaching materials for the term, and the schools received food items such as fortified flour, sugar, eggs and bananas for mid-morning meals.

Your generosity not only provides nutritious meals each day for children in need — but also helps them focus in school, where both attendance and grades have improved!

Colombia

Holt partner Bambi in Colombia has served children and caregivers in an impoverished area of the city for more than 22 years, thanks to sponsor and donor support.

Bambi works to keep children with their birth parents, offering interventions and support to lift families out of poverty and prevent children from being separated from their families. Bambi provides vulnerable parents and caregivers with access to education, job training and childcare to help them gain financial independence and create a safe environment for their children. Caregivers can enroll in vocational courses, such as baking, sewing and cosmetology, or receive support to complete their secondary education. Parents and caregivers also have access to financial literacy and business training, weekly counseling and parenting groups with staff psychologists.

To ensure these caregivers can complete their education and training, Bambi provides 24/7 flexible childcare with health and nutrition screenings and early childhood education for children under age 5. Recently, Holt sponsors and donors helped to ensure the children in the daycare program received wellness and development checks. These evaluations help caregivers cater to the needs of each child and set goals for their development.

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The post Notes from the Field: March 2025 appeared first on Holt International.

Cambodia

In Cambodia, Holt supports education programs in four rural provinces, serving some of the country’s most vulnerable communities. This past November, at the start of the 2024-2025 school year, Holt Cambodia was able to distribute school supplies, school uniforms, schoolbags and shoes to all of the children in these programs, thanks to the generosity of Holt sponsors and donors.

Many families in Cambodia live in poverty, particularly in rural areas. But when children have access to education and more stable enrollment in school programs, they have the chance to grow financially stable as adults and break the generational cycle of poverty.

China

In 2011, Holt began overseeing a special medical foster home in China called Peace House. Located in an orphanage in northeast China, Peace House offers nurturing pre- and post-operative care for up to 14 children who need corrective or lifesaving surgeries or medical treatment.

Recently, children from Peace House enjoyed some fun-filled adventures! Accompanied by their Peace House caregivers, they attended a local performance and visited a nearby ecological farm.

Ethiopia

Since 2017, Holt Ethiopia has supported an early childhood care and development program in an impoverished region of southern Ethiopia. Through this program, Holt sponsors and donors help 1,500 children receive a critical preschool education in a safe and nurturing environment while their parents work during the day.

Recently, Holt Ethiopia and Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education facilitated a two-day workshop to present findings from case studies they conducted together. The studies focused on the factors — and challenges — that influence children’s seamless transition from preschool to primary school. Representatives from regional educational bureaus, universities, international non-governmental organizations, UNICEF and KTZ-OVC, Holt’s local partner, attended the workshop. Holt has received significant recognition for its support and collaboration with the Ministry of Education on this initiative.

India

India is home to 139 million internal migrants, including children. These include families who migrate to cities from rural areas to find work. Holt’s partner organization, Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT), works with such families in the city of Bangalore, operating a daycare center for children of migrant workers and providing educational support for older children. Recently, VCT conducted a series of group sessions for these older children on issues critical to their lives, especially living in impoverished conditions in India’s slum communities. Topics included stress management and recognizing and responding to child abuse, as well as skills that will help them succeed in school, such as leadership and time management skills.

Meanwhile, in the city of Pune, Holt’s long-standing partner, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK), helped children at all four of its Holt-supported centers celebrate Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. The children who receive services through BSSK either live at the care center or in impoverished communities in and around Pune. These children rarely receive anything extra, and the Diwali celebration was a special treat. As part of the celebration, the children made diyas (small clay lamps) and lanterns. These projects allowed the children to learn more about the cultural meaning of Diwali, while working together creatively. During Diwali, thousands of diyas are lit across India to celebrate light over darkness and good over evil. 

Uganda

In 2021, Holt’s Child Nutrition Program team created the Child Nutrition Program Community Flipbook. Now available in nine languages, the flipbook is designed to support education for families on proper nutrition and health practices. It offers questions and activities on topics such as general nutrition, health conditions, women and infants, feeding support and mealtimes, and hygiene sanitation. Because of its emphasis on simple pictures and storylines, the flipbook is geared to participatory engagement of audiences with various literacy levels.

Recently, 60 health workers in Uganda received a revised version of the flipbook, which now includes additional information on child development and disabilities. Health workers from Holt partner health centers, Holt village health teams and Holt Uganda staff received training on how to use the new flipbooks, and each participating health center received a revised copy.

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The post Notes from the Field: December 2024 appeared first on Holt International.

China

In early September, Holt received word from the U.S. Department of State that China had decided to officially end its international adoption program. We are heartbroken for the many matched children and families who have been waiting to unite since the Chinese government suspended all adoption processing at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic — and for all the children who will be left to grow up in orphanages because of this decision.

In response to China’s ruling, Holt recently sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, urging him to raise to the highest levels of the Chinese government the plight of children waiting to be united with their adoptive American families. 

Because we know you share our belief that every child should have a family, we humbly ask you to join us in advocating for children in China. Please contact your U.S. representative and senators today and urge them to encourage the U.S. Department of State to ask China for clarity on in-process adoptions and to resume international adoption.

This action tool on the National Council for Adoption’s website will quickly allow you to send personal messages to all three Congressional offices.

In both emails or calls to your senators and representative:

• Tell them you are a constituent and let them know if this issue impacts your family directly.
• Request that Congress and the Administration advocate at the highest levels of the U.S. government on behalf of the children in China waiting to join families in the U.S.
• Personalize your message and your individual situation (adoptive family, extended family, friend, advocate, etc.).  
• Thank them for their interest and support, and let them know you look forward to their response.

Please also encourage your family and friends to contact their senators and representative using the above instructions.

Over the past 32 years, Holt has helped more than 7,700 children from China join loving, permanent families in the U.S. In more recent years, Holt’s China team has helped find loving families for many children with medical, developmental, cognitive or emotional disabilities or special needs. 

Moving forward, we will continue to provide in-country programs and services for orphaned and vulnerable children — improving the quality of care children receive in orphanages and group homes, and providing support and resources to strengthen families that might otherwise separate under the strains of poverty. 

Our two other adoption programs in the region — Hong Kong and Taiwan — continue to move forward with uniting children and families through international adoption.

Ethiopia

Malaria has long been a major health issue in southern Ethiopia’s Kembata-Tembaro zone, where Holt has been serving children and families since 2008. In September, Holt Ethiopia collaborated with local government officials to conduct a third campaign to mobilize health workers and facilitate community-level treatment and awareness initiatives.

Holt Ethiopia also provided the Shinshicho Mother and Child Hospital with additional mattresses and beds for both children and adults, due to an increase in need. The Mother and Child Hospital opened in 2015, with the generous support of Holt donors. Today, the health center provides a wide range of medical services to more than 400 patients a day in the impoverished Kembata-Tembaro rural region.

India

Each year, on August 15, people across India celebrate Independence Day to commemorate the day in 1947 when the nation gained its freedom from British rule. This year, children at all of Holt’s partnering childcare centers observed the day with patriotism and pride. Dressed in clothing bearing the colors of the national flag (saffron, green and white), the children gave speeches honoring the spirit of freedom and unity and performed patriotic songs and dances. The program was followed by a special lunch, displaying foods in the colors of the Indian flag. The day’s activities were generously supported by Holt donors and sponsors.

Philippines

In late July, the heavy rains and winds of Typhoon Gaemi caused widespread flooding throughout Manila, and especially in the impoverished communities where children and families in Holt-supported programs live.

In response, Holt organized a fundraising campaign to help families affected by the flooding and devastation. And thanks to the generosity of Holt donors, our partner agency in the Philippines, Kaisahang Buhay Foundation (KBF), was able to quickly distribute emergency relief packages to 437 children and their parents sheltered in evacuation centers. Each relief package contained rice, canned goods, crackers, chewable vitamin C, rubbing alcohol, a bath towel, a woven mat and pillow. The items were carefully selected to keep children from going hungry, and to keep them healthy amidst the damp and unhygienic conditions in their post-flood homes and neighborhoods.

Glady Bunao, the executive director of KBF, thanked Holt donors on behalf of families in the Philippines. In a letter she wrote, “During the distribution of your support to the children and families, they expressed their deepest appreciation to Holt donors for this material support. Many of them said that they can now comfortably sleep at night because they have dry pillows, blankets and sleeping mats. They are so thankful for the medicines, food and liquid sanitizers/alcohol. They would like KBF to extend their gratitude.”

Uganda

World Breastfeeding Week is held the first week of every August and is supported by the World Health Organization, UNICEF and the ministries of health in more than 120 participating countries. This year’s theme was “Closing the Gap: Breastfeeding Support for All.”

Breast milk has been known to protect babies and young children against illnesses such as diarrhea, ear and chest infections, and other serious health problems. Educating parents about the benefits of breastfeeding is particularly important in a country like Uganda, where more than 20% of people live in chronic poverty, and one third of children under age 5 are stunted due to poor nutrition.

During this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, Holt Uganda spearheaded activities in its target communities, kicking off with opening ceremonies that drew 668 pregnant, lactating and breastfeeding mothers and 157 fathers. In central Uganda’s Luwero district, Holt Uganda held a separate “breastfeeding camp” that reached more than 350 mothers. Holt staff disseminated brochures at the event and offered presentations on breastfeeding, family planning services and healthy meal preparation.

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Connect with a child. Provide for their needs. Share your heart for $43 per month.

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The post Notes from the Field: October 2024 appeared first on Holt International.