This past year, you helped meet urgent needs and better the lives of over 1.5 million children, families and other individuals through Holt programs and services across the globe. In many countries, your donations helped offset rising costs for basic needs due to inflation — ensuring children and families could afford food, clothing, school supplies and other essentials. In countries like India where the economic pressures of the pandemic significantly increased the risk of child marriage, you helped keep girls safe and in school. You helped provide safe bathrooms for teen girls and break ground on a new preschool for children in Ethiopia. And in November, you helped protect international adoption as a path for children to have a permanent, loving family. Thank you for everything you did to help children and families thrive in 2022 and look forward to a brighter year ahead!

In 2022, Holt donors’ global giving provided direct services to 387,202 children — helping them grow and thrive and reach their potential in life. In Mongolia, donors helped build several new “gers,” or traditional Mongolian homes, for children and their families who were living in unsafe conditions. You delivered emergency food to families living in poverty and provided urgently needed medical care such as lifesaving heart surgeries to children with special healthcare needs. For many children, you helped provide nurturing care while they waited to rejoin their birth families or join loving, permanent families through adoption. This impact number also includes adoptee youth who benefited from Holt’s robust post-adoption services in 2022.

After a slowdown in 2021 due to the pandemic, the number of children united with adoptive families increased this past year — from 274 in 2021 to 337 in 2022. Of the 337 children, 190 joined families through international adoption, 133 joined domestic adoptive families in their birth country and 14 infants were adopted domestically in the U.S. In 2022, 95% of children of children adopted internationally were older than age 5, part of a sibling group or had at least some minor special needs — and 63% had moderate to major special needs. While international adoption continues to decline overall, we feel hopeful that so many families continue to open their hearts and homes to the many older children, sibling groups and children with disabilities or other needs who are growing up in orphanages and foster homes around the world. And we are grateful for Holt sponsors and donors whose generous gifts provide the nurturing, attentive care children need while they wait to join their families, help fund adoption grants so financial barriers never stand between a child and a family, and also support the social work required to ensure every adoption goes through the most rigorous ethical process. Lastly, our hearts continue to go out to the many families in the China adoption process whose process was stalled at the beginning of the pandemic and who are still waiting to unite with their child in China.

For every child and family joined through adoption, Holt offers lifelong post-adoption services. By supporting Holt, donors help to ensure that adult adoptees can access copies of their adoption file, receive help and support with a birth family search, have important citizenship questions answered or receive counseling to cope with adoption-related issues that come up throughout their lives. When parenting issues arise that may or may not be adoption-related, adoptive parents can also receive help and support through our Post Adoption Coaching & Education program. Birth parents can reach out to Holt’s post-adoption team for support and counseling.  And every summer, youth adoptees have the opportunity to attend Holt Adoptee Camp — a weeklong overnight camp where they can connect with other adoptees and discuss issues surrounding adoption. After two years of virtual camp, Holt’s in-person camp resumed in summer 2022 with 213 campers, ages 9-17, and adult adoptee counselors attending across the country!

Holt’s vision is a world where every child has a loving, secure home. But before ever pursuing adoption for a child, we first strive to help children grow up in the loving care of their birth family. In 2022, you made this outcome possible for 32,687 children who were at risk of separating from their families due to poverty, and other hardships. In 2022, the impact of the pandemic could still be felt in many of the communities where you help children and families in need. Many families who lost jobs and income during the early days of the pandemic continued to struggle as they rebuilt their lives and sought new ways to support their children. At the same time, costs for basic needs rose in 2022 due to global inflation — making it even harder for families to afford essentials like food, warm clothing and fuel to heat their homes in winter. In Mongolia, for example, costs increased by 28% on average with the price of fuel doubling in 2022.  

But thanks to you, over 32,600 children and their families received the vital support and services they needed to make it through this tough economic year. Your generous gifts provided emergency food, medicines and heating fuel. You also helped 4,189 parents, grandparents or other adults participate in economic empowerment programs to help them earn a more stable income and better support the children in their care. Some parents attended job skills training while others received microloans or gifts of livestock to help them start a small business. And for 18,819 children, adults and other individuals, you also provided COVID-specific support such as emergency food or healthcare.

When you provide the supplies, uniforms, books and scholarships kids need to attend school, you empower them to one day escape poverty. You help protect them from child labor, child marriage, child trafficking and child abuse. And you give them the tools to not only lift themselves out of poverty, but to lift their families and communities up and out as well. In many vulnerable communities this past year, you supported early education programs for preschool-age children — giving them a strong educational foundation and, in many cases, providing a safe place to go so their parents can work during the day. In Ethiopia, you also supported efforts to expand Holt Ethiopia’s early education model to 200 government schools — training about 400 teachers, and ultimately reaching an approximate 10,000 children.

In some countries, the ongoing economic impact of the pandemic — compounded by global inflation — significantly increased the risk of children dropping out of school and being forced into early marriage. But you made it possible for many girls in India, Ethiopia and other countries where child marriage is common to stay in school and avoid early marriage this past year. You not only provided the tangible supplies they needed, but also dedicated social workers who advocated for them to stay in school.

As costs rose due to global inflation this past year, families and caregivers struggled to afford their most basic needs — in particular, food for their children.  But because of you, Holt teams were able to deliver emergency food to children and families living everywhere from tent camps for migrant communities in Bengaluru, India to the city garbage dump in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. In the Philippines, you supported a supplemental feeding program through our local partner that aims to supply 300 additional calories per day for a child’s first 120 days, a critical time of physical and cognitive development. And through Holt’s Child Health Days in rural Uganda, you helped provide nutrition screening, Vitamin A supplements (pictured above) and deworming for roughly 126,000 children.

In communities around the world, you also supported Holt’s child nutrition program trainings to help parents, caregivers, teachers and others improve the overall health and nutrition of the children in their care. In total in 2022, Holt trained over 6,600 individuals— teaching them everything from the importance of a balanced diet to how to track children’s growth to appropriate positioning and feeding techniques for children with disabilities.

In total in 2022, your global giving also helped provide 1,791,954 meals through Holt-supported programs.

Also due to global inflation in 2022, many of our childcare partners struggled to maintain the same high standard of care for children. In Thailand, the cost of gas doubled — doubling the cost to drive foster children with special healthcare needs to and from doctor visits in Bangkok. In other cases, Holt’s orphanage partners faced higher costs for food, diapers and other basic needs. As more children came into orphanage care during the pandemic, some orphanage partners also struggled to meet the needs of a greater number of children. But because of your kind giving this past year, 4,405 children living in orphanages, group homes or foster families received the essential food, clothing and medical care they needed, in addition to safe places to live and nurturing care from devoted caregivers. You also supported efforts to reunite orphaned and vulnerable children with their birth families or unite them with families through adoption.

Through your generous global giving in 2022, you helped provide routine vaccines to prevent measles and other childhood diseases. You supported physical, occupational and speech therapies for kids with disabilities and other needs. You provided eyeglasses, wheelchairs and hearing aids. You helped provide lifesaving surgeries, such as a heart surgery for Zaya in Mongolia. You provided attentive pre- and post-op care at Peace House, a special medical foster home in China. You helped children live longer, fuller and healthier lives, and in many cases, provided medical care to their parents.

In 2022, Holt donors gave 4,661, gifts to children and families in need! You gave gifts of livestock such as cows, goats, chickens and pigs to help nourish families and provide extra income. You gave garden kits to help families grow food at home, warm coats for children living in cold climates, and school supplies and scholarships for kids at risk of dropping out of school. You provided nurturing caregivers and supplies for children living in orphanages, foster families and group homes. You helped provide life-changing surgeries, therapies and medical care for children with healthcare needs or disabilities. You also gave to Holt’s Where Most Needed fund so that our staff and partners in the field could address immediate, vitals needs that would otherwise go unmet. You made a powerful difference in the lives of so many children around the world, and we’re so grateful for you.

Thank you for everything you did for children and families in 2022! You’re amazing!

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In spring 2021, most countries had already experienced devastating first- and second waves of COVID-19. But somehow, so far, India had been spared. Our Holt staff in the U.S. and partner organizations in India were relieved — because they knew that the combination of intense poverty, over-crowded slum communities, lack of health care and poor infrastructure in India combined with a wide-spread COVID outbreak would have disastrous effects.

“We did not expect a second wave of COVID-19 in India,” says Ghazwa Ayyad, Holt’s program manager for India. “Reports coming from the country in just February 2021 considered India a COVID-19 success story.”

But just one month later, everything changed…

India, April 2021

The news coming out of India in spring 2021 was horrifying. As COVID spread so rapidly, hospitals stretched beyond capacity, oxygen ran out for the sick, and strict lockdowns caused families to go hungry — and plunge even deeper into critical poverty. By early May, India was reporting more than 400,000 new cases a day and the death toll was rising at a frightening rate.

“Apocalyptic,” is how Jim De, the director of Holt’s partner organization, Shishu Sangopan Griha’s (SSG), described Delhi at the time. And now, one year later, he still stands by this description.

“It was the most scary time I have ever witnessed in my entire lifetime,” says Jim, about spring 2021 in India.

At that time, across the world, Holt donors rallied together to achieve one of the most rushed collections of funds we have ever witnessed as an organization. Holt donors gave with incredible generosity and urgency, raising over $147,000 to help provide emergency COVID relief to children and families.  

Thanks to the support of Holt donors, our three partner organizations delivered emergency food and medicine to hundreds of sick families across India, gave critical rent support to keep families from being evicted during the nation-wide lockdown, and supported children as they process grief and loss, and attempted to continue their education. Your help was truly lifesaving through this devastating time.

“All this would never have been possible without the timely intervention and support of Holt,” says Jim.

Help Children & Families in India

The pandemic was especially devastating in India, and children are suffering for it. Families struggle to find reliable work and provide food for their children. After schools closed due to COVID, many children never returned. Your gift will help a child or family in India in greatest need.

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But now, a year later, what does India look like? What is life like for Holt children and families there who made it through this terrible time?

Some children have lost a parent, and others are striving to rebuild after a year of even more intense poverty than they had been living in before. The impacts are large and far-reaching.

“We can never estimate the real impact on children,” says Jim. But with the support of Holt donors and on-the-ground partners, for many Holt children and families, life is beginning to rebuild.

A New Normal

“The lives of children and families are returning back to normal — as a ‘new normal,’” says Vaishali Vahikar, the sponsorship program director of Holt’s partner organization Bharatiya Samaj Seva (BSSK) in Pune.

While the second-wave outbreak continued through much of 2021, and slowed in September of that year, a third outbreak began to emerge in early 2022. Thankfully, it did not hit as hard as the second, and children did not get as sick as the older population. But with this third wave in came reinstated lockdowns — with school closures, job closures and stay-at-home orders.

“Soon the younger ones will be covered,” says Vaishali, “and the schools and other educational institutions can assure safe and healthy environments for them.”

Returning to School & Holt Programs

2021 was a tumultuous school year for children in India. After closing in April 2021, schools briefly reopened for one week in September, only to promptly shut down again due to more outbreaks. But thankfully, schools have opened again in the past several months. Although with this reopening brings a new set of challenges.

“According to our partners,” says Ghazwa, “when schools gradually began reopening, many students did not return.” That’s why Holt’s support in these communities is more important than ever — giving children the supplies and support they need to go back to school. And an important component of getting kids back in school is reopening the after-school community programs that Holt donors support, that children had depended on so heavily before the pandemic.

In Delhi last month, the children in Holt’s KARE program — which stabilizes children in their single-parent or extended family households — are back in school. They just completed their mid-term exams, and are once again relying on Holt’s partner organization there for tutoring and other academic support.

In southern India, Holt’s partner organization primarily works with migrant families. These families moved from their villages to Bangalore to build a new life, but more often than not, they only found difficulty and poverty in the big city. But for one of our partners, this past year of the pandemic brought new opportunities to serve this vulnerable population.

“We found two new communities this year and will be providing the children there with medical and nutritional services as part of our outreach initiatives.”

Hepzibah Sharmila, VCT

“We started locating settlements with groups of migrant families who have settled in Bangalore,” says Hepzibah Sharmila, the executive director of Vathsalya Charitable Trust (VCT). “We found two new communities this year and will be providing the children there with medical and nutritional services as a part of our outreach initiatives.”

In February 2022, VCT also finally reopened the program that is cornerstone to their work — the migrant daycare.  This was a huge relief to the families of these children. Because even more than the opportunity for a solid early education, the reopening of this child development center means warm nutritious meals every day, and a safe place for children to be while their parents work — two critical services that were missing over the past year.  

“The parents are relieved to have children come to the center,” says Sharmila. “Their safety and nutritional needs are being met through Holt-supported programs.” 

And for these children’s parents, a return to school and Holt-supported programs for children means that they can finally pursue their jobs again.

Families Seeking Work & Stability

After the deadly impacts of COVID-19, the next worse effect of the pandemic was the loss of livelihood for families living in poverty.

Housekeeper, driver, seamstress and food cart cook are among the most common occupations for families in Holt’s programs in India. And the city- and nation-wide lockdowns made this work impossible. With each lockdown, families suddenly lost their income — and their ability to buy food for their children.

“Many families are impoverished and surviving on small amounts of money,” says Ghazwa. “The shutdowns imposed by the government to halt the spread of the virus have left many families struggling for survival without any options for work or earning a living.”

Just this month in Delhi, SSG began a 40-day skill development training and job placement initiative for the families in their programs.

“The demand for housekeepers is increasing significantly after COVID-19,” says Jim. So they’re actively training the families in their programs to fulfill these new job roles.

“Our team is also working on developing a model for daycare for their children in their own neighborhood through kinship care,” says Jim. That way, children have a safe place to be while their parents are at work.

This type of program — one that is hands-on and case-managed and personal to each child and family — is key to Holt’s programs in India and around the world. These services had to look drastically different over the pandemic — with phone calls replacing home visits, and texts instead of meeting together at Holt-supported community centers.  

But little by little, things are opening back up across India.

“We have gradually switched our services — such as home visits with families — from online to offline,” says Vaishali, “taking proper care and precautions.”

Moving Forward

With this new hope and momentum, Holt’s India programs are moving into the future. While the pandemic brought new and lasting challenges, the children and families we serve are moving forward with amazing resilience and strength.

India continues to be the country with the highest population living below the poverty line, with countless children and families in need of nutrition and health support, child marriage prevention and empowerment through education. And it’s a country that will continue to be one of Holt’s priorities for expansion.

Learn more about Holt’s work in India!

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“Holt will continue to support the work of its three partners and also has plans for growth in India,” says Ghazwa. Moving forward, past the 2021 COVID crisis, our work there is transitioning from emergency relief back to education for girls, job skills training for single moms, nutrition help for malnourished children, economic empowerment opportunities for families and more.

But whether in times of crisis or stability, our focus remains the same. In the words of a social worker from our partner organization in Pune: “The focus is on making a positive difference in the life of children.”

The post Resilience & Hope After India’s 2021 COVID Crisis appeared first on Holt International.

As CEO of Holt Mongolia, I monitor the overall implementation of our programs in Mongolia and those who work directly with children in sponsorship. Your donation has changed the quality of life of Mongolian children in rural and urban areas and has been an invaluable support to their parents. In working with our staff, I have witnessed these changes in the lives of children and families — including your sponsored child.

In 2021, children living in rural areas of Mongolia began receiving your donations, which dramatically changed their quality of life. In addition to much-needed food, we were able to provide school uniforms, school supplies and essential medicines to children with special needs that cannot be found in these rural areas. And more than 300 newly published books were donated to the library of a secondary school with 1,177 students in one rural soum, or district, of Mongolia. The school lacked books for students, and there was a shortage of funds to buy books.

Your donations were not only for the children’s health, but also an invaluable aid to the families to overcome difficult times to meet their basic needs. You helped poor families have a safe and warm home, and livestock to earn living.

In 2021, you helped provide emergency food supplies for children and families living in ger communities.

Tarialan soum of Khuvsgul aimag is one of the 300 soums in Mongolia and has the largest population in the aimag (over 600,000 people), of which 63% are children and youth. There are a total of 1,870 households in Tarialan soum, of which 210 are extremely poor — including that of E.Lkhagvabayar, a young family with two young children that has experience in herding but was unable to buy their own livestock due to poverty. With your help, this family received the funds to buy 36 livestock. The family’s life has improved as the number of livestock increased to 55 head — growing their income and providing nourishing food.

In total in 2021, the number of children involved in our programs increased to 2,600. In addition to ensuring the safety of children at home and with their parents, your donations helped children and their mothers who were housed in temporary shelters due to domestic violence. For example, donations and assistance helped equip a children’s playroom in the temporary shelter of the Prevention Division of the Capital Police Department (Call Center 107), which enabled children affected by domestic violence to play and stay with their mothers in a warm, comfortable and safe environment.

Through your generous donations, during the COVID-19 pandemic, families enrolled in the Holt program were provided with hygiene supplies such as disposable masks, hand sanitizers to prevent the virus, along with packages of food consisting of flour, rice, sugar and vegetable oil. Our staff and I are sincerely grateful for your precious donations to the children of vulnerable families of Mongolia.

We truly thank you for your continued support and assistance to poor and vulnerable families and children living in urban and rural areas of Mongolia.

Tungalag | Director, Holt Mongolia

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Tola and Vanna were always hungry. Just 11 and 6 years old, their bodies were thin, weak and malnourished. 

Their parents didn’t have enough to eat either, they’d sometimes even faint when they went to work. Their jobs were irregular, and they didn’t know how they’d ever make enough money to feed their children. 

“They didn’t have other choices,” says their Holt social worker in Cambodia. “Their family faced great difficulty in terms of food and other basic living costs.” 

But as soon as they enrolled in Holt’s family strengthening program in Cambodia, Holt donors helped give them what they needed most — food. 

Right away, they received three-months-worth of rice, cooking oil, canned fish and other basic foods they needed. No longer hungry, Tola and Vanna began to grow strong and healthy again! 

Their parents had the energy they needed to work and plan for their future. Their mom got a job at a hotel, and their dad began raising livestock in addition to his construction job. The livestock not only provides eggs, milk and meat for their family, but also income. 

“The family was so happy and started to feel hopeful for their future,” says their social worker. “The whole family has enough food to eat, proper clothes to wear, and got healthier. Especially the children have gained more weight and gotten stronger.”

In their time of greatest need, thank you for giving Tola and Vanna the emergency food they needed to survive. Now, not only do they have food to eat, but their family is rising out of poverty. Their lives are changed forever.

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The post To Survive, Then Thrive appeared first on Holt International.

As the sponsorship programme director for Holt partner BSSK in Pune, India, I have been working as a community worker to empower and support vulnerable children for the last 25 years. I have seen the difference you make in the life of your sponsored child, and in the lives of all of our children. And I would like to thank you for your heartfelt support during this past challenging year.

The parents of the children in sponsorship are in need of many services and support — whether it is with housing, financial help, mental and physical health, disabilities, family support or family strengthening.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the lives of children and families are returning back to normal as a “new normal.” The Government of India has accelerated the vaccination drive and is reaching out to populations above 18 years in priority. Soon the younger ones will be covered, and the schools and other educational institutions can then assure safe and healthy environments for them.

Since the beginning of year 2021, my team and I have been identifying basic needs of the sponsored children to help them have a healthy and progressive year ahead. We have gradually switched our services — such as home visits with families — from online to offline, taking proper care and precautions.

Frequent online and offline contacts with children and their families helped identify their dire needs. The issues being addressed professionally include:

• Emotional management to help children cope with restricted movement and limited social interaction.
• Prevention of child marriages, which is a greater risk during the pandemic — especially for girls.
• Educational loss among smaller children who have not yet stepped in a classroom, and older ones who have regressed in their skills.
• Excessive use of screen time due to continuous online classes, which has resulted in mental and emotional health issues among some children.
• Excessive rains resulting in floods in the areas of Sangli and Chiplun, which has affected children’s wellbeing.

With your support, vulnerable children learned about emotions and how to cope during COVID-19.

You have helped meet many basic and emergency needs for your sponsored child. You have helped to provide educational materials, basic literacy materials, high-protein mix powder to boost immunity, emergency food grains, medical care, housing support and personal care kits — relieving the children and families of much uncertainty.

In the last six months, your support has also helped to provide training sessions for parents and children on topics such as appreciation of children, healthy parenting and foundational literacy. The children especially enjoy the activities to refresh and connect to their real self.

On behalf of everyone at BSSK, I would like to thank you for your very generous support and donations in these difficult times. Thank you for helping every child to have a loving and secure home.

Vaishali Vahikar | Sponsorship Program Director, Bharatiya Samaj Seva Kendra (BSSK)

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The post A Letter from BSSK in India appeared first on Holt International.

“I want to share with you that we are going through a kind of an apocalypse environment which the world has never seen…”

This is how Jim De, director of Holt’s partner organization in Delhi, described India during their second deadly wave of COVID-19 in April 2021.

There weren’t enough hospital beds, ventilators or oxygen for the sick. Schools and workplaces shut down once again. Children and families locked down in their homes, wondering where their next meal would come from.

Half a world away, Holt donors in the U.S. wondered how they could possibly help with a crisis of this magnitude. In faith, they gave what they could — and within days raised over $147,000. Right away, our partner organizations in Delhi, Pune and Bengaluru used these funds to deliver emergency food and medicine.

“Without the support of Holt, we would never have been able to bring resources together,” says Jim. Within a few months, they helped an estimated 10,000 people. And this was just in Delhi.

Emergency COVID Response

In 2021, Holt donors, staff and partners responded to help children and families affected by second and third waves of COVID-19 across the globe.

One mother in Mongolia whose entire family was sick with COVID broke down in tears when a social worker handed her a bag full of medicine and food. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she repeated over and over.

In Haiti last summer, a 7.2 magnitude earthquake followed by a massive tropical storm devastated communities — and threatened to increase the spread of COVID among this already-vulnerable population. In addition to providing clean water and hot food to children and families, Holt Haiti delivered hygiene and COVID-19 prevention kits full of masks, soap and sanitizer to help curb the spread of the virus.

COVID affected every area of Holt’s work — from adoption to orphanage care to efforts to strengthen families. In this second year of the pandemic, the difficulties children and families faced also became larger and more complex. But Holt’s programs evolved to meet these new and increasing needs, in the end bringing lifesaving, life-changing help to over one million individuals.

“I think where we’ve been able to really shine over the course of the past two years is to insert some stability within the orphanages and the family units.”

Sarah Halfman, senior executive of international programs

“I think where we’ve been able to really shine over the course of the past two years,” says Sarah Halfman, Holt senior executive of international programs, “is to insert some stability within the orphanages and the family units.”

Caregivers & Supplies for Orphanages

Orphanages remained at varying degrees of lockdown this past year, with strict protocols in place to keep children safe. But Holt donors helped maintain a high standard of care for the 3,529 children in Holt-supported orphanages, foster families or group homes.

“One of the things that we do is increase the caregiver-to-child ratio so that there is more one-on-one and individualized care and support,” says Sarah. “We try to increase the number of children who are being cared for in foster families and decrease the number of children who are institutionalized, because developmentally it makes a big difference.”

For children waiting to be adopted, travel delays and more complicated processes meant a longer time waiting in orphanages — and more strain placed on orphanage facilities. Thankfully, Holt donors helped address this as well, providing the critical funds needed to buy food, diapers and other basic care items that became more expensive due to inflation.

While orphanages experienced the effects of lockdowns and inflation, these same factors took a toll on family units across the world.

Microgrants Stabilize Families

When the pandemic hit Cambodia, Mou and her husband couldn’t return to work and didn’t know how they would support their four children. Things got so bad, they considered placing them in an orphanage.

But through a donor-funded microgrant, Holt’s Cambodia staff was able to help Mou start a small business she could sustain during COVID — selling cakes and noodles in the local market. With this new and reliable income, their family stayed together.

This same story played out time and time again — through families in Vietnam who raised livestock, Thai families who planted vegetables to eat and sell, and mothers in India who received sewing machines to work as tailors. Whatever form it came in, this help empowered parents to feed and care for their children — ultimately keeping children out of orphanages and in the loving care of their families.

International Adoption in a COVID-World

One of the biggest and most dramatic instabilities Holt faced in 2021 was in the world of international adoption.

International adoption in 2021 was still “exponentially more challenging” than normal, says Sarah. But while the China adoption process remained paused due to travel restrictions, Holt’s 10 other regional programs made pathways for adoptions to move forward.

In Vietnam, our staff coordinated with the Vietnamese and U.S. governments and two other adoption agencies to ensure that all U.S. families arrived, quarantined and departed together in cohorts. While it was a great challenge for all involved, seeing children and families come together against so many odds made it all worth it. This outcome fueled each of Holt’s adoption programs this year, including in Korea.

Hannah and Paulo Lee’s adoption journey included months of delayed travel, one expedited visa, two weeks of quarantine and eight weeks in country before finally getting to travel home with their son. “It was surreal that we were here, and he was in my arms,” Hannah says about finally meeting Elliott in Korea. “The rest of the process went smoothly … Elliott has adjusted so well.”

In 2021, Holt helped to joyfully unite 143 children with their adoptive families in the U.S.

Responding to Unexpected Pandemic Outcomes

For many children and families in Holt programs, the stresses of the pandemic exacerbated issues they already faced. One issue was a significantly higher rate of domestic violence. As families struggled to feed their children and pay rent, family members were more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol — and more likely to commit acts of violence. As a result, Holt’s violence prevention and support programs for women and children became more important than ever.

In Mongolia, the number of cases reported to the National Center for Domestic Violence rose by 39 percent. One of the women represented by this number is Bolormaa, who arrived at a Holt-supported domestic violence shelter in Mongolia along with her three young children.

At the shelter, Bolormaa and her children received food, clothing and a warm, safe bed — all provided with support from Holt sponsors and donors. In 2021, mothers and their children across Holt’s programs received similar help, and the chance to start again in safety.

The True Champions

Around the world in 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the needs of children and families. While the task at times felt insurmountable, the generous and tireless response of Holt donors, staff and partners made all the difference.

“They were the true champions last year,” says Sarah. “Their dedication, hard work and personal sacrifice allowed our programs to adjust to each new circumstance that arose.”

Children grew healthier and stronger as they continued school in class or at home, graduated, overcame malnutrition, received health care, found safety, and experienced the love and care of their permanent families.

It is with strength and resolve that we continue into 2022, striving for a better world for children, no matter the obstacles. “We can be an incredibly agile organization,” says Sarah. “And we have seen clearly over the course of the last two years that continuing in this manner will be critical to providing high quality care and support services to children and families in need.”

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The post 2021 Annual Report: Helping Children & Families in Pandemic-Year Two appeared first on Holt International.

Cambodia

Because of your generous sponsorship, you helped make it possible to serve more children and families in Cambodia in 2021 than ever before. In 2021, Holt Cambodia served 11,018 children and adults. This number is almost triple compared with the number of children and adults we served in 2020. This includes the 3,492 children and 2,049 families in our regular program, as well as many more children and families who received COVID-19 support. We altogether should celebrate this great achievement. — Pola Ung, Program Manager, Holt Cambodia

China

Xiangxiang is a little boy in our medical foster care program — Peace House. When he first came into Peace House, he could only roll over and could not crawl or sit. This may relate to the way he was cared for in his previous orphanage, where Xiangxiang spent most of his time in the crib. After he came into Peace House, your donations helped us provide targeted and specialized nurturing plans for him, provided scientific feeding and positioning training to the caregiver who takes care of him, and half a month later, Xiangxiang can sit. And two months after, he can walk. Recently, Xiang Xiang turned 2 years old. He can now eat by himself, put on his own clothes, socks and shoes, and he is now the beloved little elf of the Peace House. — Sue Liu, Country Director, Holt China

Colombia

At FANA, we were able to continue our programs and work for the children we serve. Thanks to your support, 210 children participated in activities that gave them tools to make good decisions. They also received occupational, physical and speech therapy, academic tutoring, music lessons, sports, experiential education and art workshops. We focused on helping the children learn conflict resolution and self-regulating skills. The result is happier children who can interact with others and have fun. — Elena Martinez, FANA Director, Holt Partner in Colombia

Ethiopia

Today, I am proud to say that thousands of young children from poor families have access to better early childhood development opportunities. They may now start formal schooling with a strong developmental foundation and school readiness. The inclusive education you are funding also helped hundreds of children with disabilities continue their education through primary grades and beyond. You have helped to provide everything from scholastic materials, improved learning environments and adequate reference books to furniture, water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, school lunches and trainings for teachers. Amazingly, more than 3,000 children in preschool, primary and high school have benefited from your support so far. I would like to extend my congratulations that five of the children who received your support have successfully passed high school and started universities this year. — Ali Amante, Program Director, Holt Ethiopia

Haiti

Just before starting this letter, I was informed that 40 hospitals may be forced to close due to the dire fuel shortage affecting Haiti. It was heartbreaking news. But it also helped me realized how fortunate Alexandro — an 11-year-old boy from a partner school — was to have his medical check-up done in his school. Your donations made this possible for Alexandro and 900 other children, including your sponsored child. As a consequence of the fuel shortage, food and other essential commodities are also very scarce right now in Haiti. However, your sponsored child does not have to worry. You make sure all of their basic needs met. Children like Guicheline — a 7-year-old girl from a single-parent family headed by her mother — has never missed the breakfast you help provide on school days. And, Riché — a 5-year old boy from a foster home — no longer wakes up worrying about his next meal. — Johan James Vilus, Program Manager, Holt Haiti

India

For a country with close to 1.3 billion people, and insufficient medical resources, 2021 will be remembered by each of us. We remained extremely scared as each day went by. People were dying as flies all around. Oxygen was insufficient. Medical assistance was unable to cope. But with your help, we not only got urgent medical equipment such as oxygen concentrators, but we also gave support to people in crucial need of food. While the impact of Covid waned through the latter part of the year, we saw the results of death and devastation where children lost one or both parents and were suddenly at the brink of destruction themselves. Each story has been tragic and painful. But with your help, we have made a huge impact on the lives of many vulnerable children and families — including your sponsored child. — Jim De, SSG, Holt Partner in Delhi, India

Korea

This year has been a challenging year because of COVID-19 pandemic. Holt foster families have placed top priority on children’s safety and health during the pandemic. Your support helped provide everything Holt babies and children need to take medical services. Also, thanks to your sponsorship, we could provide enough masks, hand sanitizers and essential nourishing food to foster families and children. Your love has been spread not only among foster families, but also a lot of places in need of help in Korea, such as single mother shelters, local childcare centers and multicultural family centers. You also helped meet the needs of adult residents of all ages at the Holt Ilsan Center. — Nayoung Yun, Social Worker, Holt Children Services of Korea

Mongolia

In 2021, children living in rural areas of Mongolia began receiving your donations, which dramatically changed their quality of life. In addition to much-needed food, we were able to provide school uniforms, school supplies and essential medicines to children with special needs that cannot be found in these rural areas. And more than 300 newly published books were donated to the library of a secondary school with 1,177 students in one rural soum, or district, of Mongolia. The school lacked books for students, and there was a shortage of funds to buy books. — Tungalag, Director, Holt Mongolia

The Philippines

In 2021, you helped serve a total of 791 sponsored children across different regions of the Philippines. Your sponsorship support helped care for 95 children in orphan care programs, helped 16 children join adoptive families internationally, helped 33 children join families domestically in the Philippines, and reunited 18 children with their birth families. Critically in 2021, your sponsorship helped meet the urgent needs caused by the current pandemic, and thankfully the children and families in our programs remain safe from the COVID-19 proliferation. — Ryan Aquino Justo, KBF, Holt Partner in the Philippines

Taiwan

This year, the COVID still greatly affects people’s lives around the world, including people here in Taiwan. Under the third risk level of warning, there is no one on the street and no guest in the restaurants. Many people lost their jobs and some people even lost their lives. But I am grateful to Holt sponsors like you for continuing to support 30 children we are serving this year. In this year, many families’ income reduced because of the epidemic and the children couldn’t go to school. But through the stable subsidy from Holt every month, the children’s health insurance, medical expenses and daily meals can be maintained. — Yu Zhen Chen, Director of Taipei Branch Office, Garden of Hope Foundation, Holt Partner in Taiwan

Thailand

We also welcomed 96 young children into our foster care program this year. Sunny was among them. Her mother developed serious complications from a COVID infection when she was six months pregnant, prompting the doctor to perform a C-section in order to save the baby. Sunny is now maturing into a healthy 6-month-old under the loving care of her foster family. You also helped provide toys to help many children cope with isolation and stress of COVID — including for 110 children receiving COVID treatment at a hospital. Your generous support also provided free mushroom sprouts to families and schools as an additional food option that saves money and provides a new income generating opportunity. —

Kobgarn Trakulvaree, Executive Director of HSF, Holt Partner in Thailand

Uganda

Your donation enabled Holt to provide relief support to each child and family in the program including nutritious flour, beans, cooking oil and soap. We provided household-level caregiver support and trainings on positive parenting, child protection as well as guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19, such as regular handwashing, social distancing and putting on masks. Your sponsored child also received bi-annual deworming, Vitamin A supplements and a mosquito net. Your sponsorship also contributed to economic recovery support to each family. The family of your sponsored child received improved cassava stems and seeds of beans and maize to grow during the planting. This will guarantee the family of food and some income in the near future. A team of community based facilitators periodically visited children and provided them with psychosocial support. — Magezi Julius, Programs Manager, Holt Uganda

Vietnam

Despite many unprecedented obstacles created by the crisis, Holt Vietnam still managed to deliver your support to ensure a normal life for more than 250 displaced children in 6 orphanages, and to assist 594 poor families to stay intact and overcome their difficulties. You helped prevent 1,308 children from separating from their families and empowered many families to change their destiny. Your support also helped 28 single mothers safely give birth to their babies during the year of calamities. Your support and loving care helped 828 children stay in daycare and assisted 719 other children to pursue their education. — Ho Dang Hoa, Country Director, Holt Vietnam

Become a Child Sponsor

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The post Child Sponsorship Updates From Holt’s Global Programs appeared first on Holt International.

In 2021, you helped reach an incredible milestone – over one million children, family members and other individuals reached through Holt programs and services in the U.S. and around the world. Through your generous and heartfelt giving, you provided direct services to thousands of orphaned and vulnerable children — including everything from school scholarships to warm clothing to gifts of livestock that help families nourish their children and grow their income.

But often, when you give a gift to one child, the impact of your gift extends well beyond the life of that one child. When you give a goat as a Gift of Hope, that goat will produce milk that nourishes a whole family. Or when you give a small business microgrant to empower a single mom, you help her earn an income that provides for all of her children — and often other family members in her home. One gift can be so powerful — effecting change in not just one child’s life, but in the lives of their family and community as well!

Even as the pandemic raged on this past year, you never wavered in your compassion for children and families in greatest need. In 2021, you provided direct care and services to 322,373 children living with their families or in Holt-supported foster families, group homes or care centers. You provided the books, supplies, masks and sanitizers that made it possible for children to safely return to school or study from home. You provided emergency food for families who lost jobs and income due to COVID-19. You helped parents start new businesses they could sustain during the pandemic. You helped provide nurturing foster families for children waiting to join their adoptive families. And you stepped up even more when crisis struck in countries where Holt works — helping children and families survive a deadly second wave of COVID in India, and meeting urgent needs of vulnerable families in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake last August in Haiti. 

In many ways, 2021 seemed like a continuation of 2020 for children and families waiting to unite through adoption — slowing adoption processes and creating frustrating challenges for our teams around the world. Some families, especially those in the China process, are still waiting to unite with their child, and our hearts ache for these children and families. Thankfully, despite the challenges and restrictions caused by COVID, our dedicated teams around the world were able to continue working and advocating for children and families in the adoption process. And in many countries, adoptions did move forward and travel did resume— making it possible for 143 children to join loving families through international adoption. This was in no small thanks to child sponsors and donors, who not only support children while they wait to join their families, but also support the advocacy work required to complete the adoption process for every child. Through your generous giving in 2021, you also helped 21 children join adoptive families domestically in the U.S. and 110 children join adoptive families in their birth countries around the world.

For every child and family joined through adoption, Holt offers lifelong post adoption services. By supporting Holt, donors help to ensure that adult adoptees can access copies of their adoption file, receive help and support with a birth family search, have important citizenship questions answered or receive counseling to cope with adoption-related issues that come up throughout their lives. When parenting issues arise that may or may not be adoption-related, adoptive parents can also receive help and support through our Post Adoption Coaching & Education program. Birth parents can reach out to Holt’s post adoption team for support and counseling.  And every summer, youth adoptees have the opportunity to attend Holt Adoptee Camp — a weeklong overnight camp where they can connect with other adoptees and discuss issues surrounding adoption. In 2021, Holt camp was held virtually but is planned to resume in person in summer 2022!

Around the world over the past two years, thousands of families fell into extreme poverty due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As businesses and factories closed and quarantine measures were imposed, families lost jobs and income. In 2021, food also became unaffordable due to inflation in many countries. As a result, many families found themselves unable to feed their children — a crisis that led to more and more children coming into orphanage care. But for over 30,480 children last year, you provided the critical support their families needed to stay together.

Your generous giving made it possible to provide emergency food, medicines, and cash transfers so parents could pay rent and avoid eviction. You also provided microgrants and job skills training so out-of-work parents could start their own businesses and continue earning an income to support their children. You provided livestock and seedlings so families could produce their own food and nourish their children. And you helped Holt’s on-the-ground social workers provide counseling for families in crisis, empowered single moms to parent their children, and so much more.

When you provide the supplies, uniforms, books and scholarships kids need to attend school, you empower them to one day escape poverty. You help protect them from child labor, child marriage, child trafficking and child abuse. And you give them the tools to not only lift themselves out of poverty, but to lift their families and communities up and out as well. In 2021, your generous giving made it possible for children to safely return to the classroom or continue their studies from home. You provided everything from crayons and coloring books for preschoolers to laptops for students attending university on scholarship.

In many impoverished communities, the stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic have also increased the risk of children dropping out of school — especially girls. And in many places, girls are also at much higher risk of being forced into early marriage — a practice that eases the immediate financial burden on a struggling family, but has lifelong consequences for the girl. Through your generous support, you made it possible for many girls in Holt programs to stay in school and avoid early marriage this past year. You not only provided the tangible supplies they need, but also dedicated social workers who advocate for children to stay in school in communities where Holt works around the world.

Around the world this past year, the COVID-19 pandemic continued to affect families’ ability to feed their children. While on lockdown, families have been unable to work to purchase or grow food. When schools closed, children at Holt-supported schools also lost their free school lunch — often their best, or only, meal of the day. So many families were already struggling to eat, but the pandemic abruptly halted their incomes and their ability to access food altogether.

On average, children have missed 40% of their in-school meals since COVID-19 has closed schools. The lack of food is crippling to the children and families who relied on this steady source of essential daily nutrients, and has put an entire generation of children at risk. But thanks to your support in 2021, Holt was able to adapt our school meal programs in many countries to provide food assistance directly to families. Our teams on the ground delivered school meals to be eaten at home and provided direct cash transfers to help families buy groceries. They ramped up nutrition screenings, micronutrient distributions, parasite treatments and prenatal vitamin campaigns. Your generous gifts also made it possible to provide more iron supplements, and distribute seedlings to help families grow food at home. In total, you helped provide nutritional support to over 48,500 children around the world in 2021.

People often assume that kids living in orphanages have their basic needs met. Even parents struggling with poverty assume their kids will be better off in orphanage care. But so many orphanages around the world are overcrowded and underfunded, leaving thousands of children underfed, poorly clothed and neglected. In 2021, this reality became even starker for children in even the most well-funded orphanages. With travel delayed or suspended, children waiting to unite with their adoptive families remained in orphanages and foster homes months longer than expected. At the same time, as families around the world lost jobs and income due to the pandemic, more and more began placing their children in temporary care. Tragically, some children even lost their parents to COVID-19.

But because of your kind giving this past year, over 3,520 children living in orphanages, group homes or foster families received food, clothing, medical care, safe places to live and nurturing care from devoted caregivers. You helped keep care facilities clean and safe, preventing the spread of COVID-19, and provided masks and sanitizers so children and caregivers could safely venture out to attend medical check-ups or therapy appointments. Your gifts also supported advocacy efforts to help children reunite with their families or join families through adoption.

Whether you provided routine vaccines to prevent measles and other childhood diseases, delivered medicines for families in quarantine and medical supplies to protect children in orphanages, supported physical therapy for kids with special needs, bought a child a pair of eyeglasses or helped ensure a child received surgery, you completely changed the course of a child’s life in 2021 by giving the gift of medical care. You saved the lives of children, protected them from COVID, and in some cases, provided emergency medical care to their parents. You kept children healthy and strong throughout the year.

In 2021, Holt donors gave a whopping 7,363 gifts to children and families in need! For families and children in crisis due to COVID, you gave everything from emergency food, masks and sanitizers to microgrants for out-of-work families to start small businesses that would give them an income during the pandemic. You also gave life-changing gifts of livestock such as cows, goats, chickens and pigs, garden kits to help families grow food at home, warm coats for children living in cold climates, and school supplies and scholarships for kids at risk of dropping out of school. You helped build safe bathroom facilities so girls living in rural Ethiopia can continue their education. You provided nurturing care for children who lost or were separated from their families due to the pandemic. Through Holt’s Molly Holt Fund, you helped provide life-changing surgeries, therapies and medical care for children with special needs. And through Holt’s Families Not Finances campaign, you helped fund adoption grants so waiting children could join loving adoptive families. You made a powerful difference in the lives of so many children around the world, and we’re so grateful for you.

Become a Child Sponsor

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

sponsor now!

The post See the Difference You Made in 2021 appeared first on Holt International.

What an incredible year it has been!

Like the year before it, 2021 challenged us as individuals, as an organization and as a global community. Over the last several months, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, to which we have all had to learn to adapt. At Holt, we have also faced new and different challenges as we have grown and innovated new ways to care for children and families in need.

But as I look back over the year, I am especially proud of the way we rose to this moment we are living in, and continue to live through. I am proud of how we came together to overcome the obstacles we faced and continue our mission in service to children and families around the world. I am also incredibly grateful for the caring, compassionate people like you who have remained steadfast in your devotion to orphaned and vulnerable children.

Whether a child sponsor, an adoptee, an adoptive family, a supporter or volunteer, you are a member of the Holt family. And I want to thank you for rising to this moment with us. 

In the midst of this ongoing global crisis, you helped meet the needs of more children and families than Holt ever has served before.

You helped provide emergency food and medicine for families who lost their jobs due to the pandemic.

You helped families avoid eviction from their homes, when they could not work, and also supported efforts to help them find new jobs or start small businesses they could sustain despite quarantine measures in their communities.

You helped care for children who lost or were separated from their families due to COVID, as well as the many children who remain in orphanage care — unable to unite with their families due to restrictions on travel.

When India faced a deadly second wave of the pandemic in April 2021, you again rose to the moment — providing food, medicine and other emergency supplies for children and families struggling to survive.

And when Haiti experienced another devastating earthquake in August, you stepped up to help meet the most pressing needs of children and families in crisis.

This past year, we also achieved new milestones together in our mission to ensure a stable, loving home for every child.

In June, we launched a new international adoption program in South Africa and have already begun matching children with families. 

Looking back, I feel so proud of our teams here in the U.S. and around the world who responded with agility and ingenuity to continue serving children and families during COVID. From hosting a virtual Holt Camp for youth adoptees to helping waiting children and adoptive families connect via Zoom, to starting an educational podcast to reach quarantined families in India and delivering solar lamps to children struggling to study at home in Uganda — our teams truly rose to the moment.

Although this crisis is not over yet, we are stronger than we have ever been as an organization. We have been tested. And we have shown how resilient, committed and courageous we can be. 

With your continued commitment, and with God’s continued blessings, I feel hopeful for all that we have planned for the coming year. Together with you, we will care for even more children and families who come to us in need, help reunite families separated by crisis and poverty, unite children with their adoptive families, and so much more.

As 2021 comes to a close, and 2022 begins, I want to thank you for your heartfelt dedication to children and families in need. Thank you for rising to this moment with us. We look forward to working together with you in 2022 — to reach new milestones in caring for children and families around the world. 

Phil Littleton | Holt President & CEO

The post Thank You for Your Support in 2021! appeared first on Holt International.

Around the world, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the lives of many children and families. Children living in orphanage care have been especially vulnerable to the effects of this global crisis.

Over the past year, Holt’s orphanage partners have reached out to us, sharing that more and more children are coming into their care. At the same time, delays in international adoption have left even more children in care in some countries, causing overcrowding. These orphanages don’t have the staff or resources to keep up.

Your generosity will help to provide food, critical medical supplies, educational supplies and even special treats and activities for children in care, keeping them safe and their spirits high!

But more than that, your gift will help an orphanage hire additional caregivers to give children the attentive, nurturing care they need during this uncertain time.

How You Can Help

When you give to the President’s Top Priority Fund Campaign for Children 2021, you can choose for your gift to provide essential supplies and nurturing caregivers to children in orphanage care. 

Holt’s year-end top priorities:

• Rush emergency food to hungry children
• Provide nurturing caregivers and supplies for children coming into orphanage care due to COVID-19
• Give medical care and support to children with special needs
• Keep girls in school and protect them from child marriage

Children in orphanages around the world deserve to have their basic needs met in 2022. Learn more about the President’s Top Priority Fund Campaign for Children 2021 here, and how you can help. 

The post 2021 Year-End Top Priority: Caring for Children in Orphanages appeared first on Holt International.