Holt International Children’s Services is pleased to announce the appointment of Derek Parker as the organization’s first Chief Operating Officer (COO).

The creation of this new executive leadership role reflects Holt’s commitment to strengthening operations and advancing its future strategies. As COO, Parker will provide oversight of Holt’s domestic and international programs, procurement and organizational performance. This structure allows President and CEO Dan Smith to devote more time to external leadership, global partnerships and advocacy, while Parker ensures alignment and accountability across Holt’s operations.

“Adding the COO role is a strategic step for Holt,” said Dan Smith, Holt’s president and CEO. “Derek brings not only extensive executive leadership experience but also his lived experience as a Holt adoptee and his knowledge as a former board chair. This combination of professional expertise and personal connection to Holt’s mission makes him uniquely suited to help lead us into the future.”

Parker brings over 20 years of senior management experience in both nonprofit and corporate sectors. Most recently, Parker served as the COO of the Parent Institute for Quality Education. Parker’s career also includes leadership roles such as President of Kurmac Inc. and Vice President and District Manager at U.S. Bank, where Parker oversaw 21 branches and managed 150 employees.

In addition to his professional background, Parker has a deep personal connection to Holt. As a Holt adoptee and a longtime board member, he has served as board chair and worked closely with the leadership team to guide the organization’s governance. Transitioning from governance to operations, Parker will now contribute his expertise from within the executive team.

“I am honored to step into this new role at Holt,” said Parker. “As a Holt adoptee and a leader committed to the children we serve around the world, I believe in Holt’s mission deeply. I look forward to working with Dan, the board and the entire team to strengthen Holt’s operations and expand its impact for children and families around the world.”

Parker will remain based in Southern California while traveling as required to Holt’s Eugene, Oregon, headquarters and other U.S. and international locations. He will join staff October 13.

Learn more about Holt’s work and history!

At Holt International, we help children thrive in the love and stability of a family. But our services extend far beyond the adoption work we are known for.

learn about holt

The post Holt International Appoints Derek Parker as First Chief Operating Officer appeared first on Holt International.

Dear Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary Gracon, Division Chief Bentley, and Ms. Urbina:

Thank you for taking the time to speak with us and for sharing your understanding of China’s current position on international adoptions. We are writing to follow up on that conversation and to strongly reiterate our request: that you continue to advocate—clearly and unequivocally—for our families and for our matched children who wait to be united, especially in this critical lead-up to a summit between the US and China.

As several of us noted, experts have long told us that any decision to complete China’s pending US adoptions must come from the highest levels of its government. China’s political structure is deeply hierarchical, and progress will only come if the matter is raised with senior leadership. Lower and mid-level bureaucrats must toe the party line and have no choice but to declare that the program is closed.

We appreciate your answers to our questions regarding the level of US diplomatic engagement to date. But we were profoundly discouraged to learn that, despite years of outreach from Members of Congress, Senators, and Governors, this issue has yet to be raised with China at the level necessary to effect change.

In short: the right door has never been knocked on. No one has engaged the necessary decision makers.

We urge you—respectfully but emphatically—not to give up on our children. While we understand that setting the agenda for bilateral talks may not rest with your office, your voice matters. A lack of strong advocacy now could prevent this issue from being raised at all.

This moment—on the eve of a rare U.S.-China summit—is the best opportunity we’ve had in years to bring our children home. Issues important to both our countries are on the table. We have worked tirelessly to build momentum and make our voices heard. 

Please do not undercut these efforts by:

1 Suggesting to the Administration that our children are not worth raising in this dialogue; or

2 Failing to advocate forcefully for their inclusion on the summit agenda.

The window is closing. We urge you not to be the ones who close it. Do not let China pre-emptively set the agenda.
This is the time to fulfill your promise to support our families. Please continue to advocate within the Administration that our waiting children deserve to be a part of these negotiations at the Presidential level.

With urgency and hope,

The Waiting Families of Hope Leads Home

The post Sign On to Advocate for Waiting Children in China appeared first on Holt International.

In the following Q&A, Paul Kim, Holt’s director of Korea and Mongolia programs, reflects on the history and continued importance of this unique post-adoption service — and shares some of his favorite memories from the past 25 years of leading Holt’s annual heritage tour of Korea.

Q: How did the concept for adoptee heritage tours originate?

A: The idea emerged in the late 1960s and early 1970s when the first generation of Korean adoptees began reaching adolescence. At that time, adoptees were grappling with identity questions — who they were, where they came from, and what their heritage meant. Social work practices then focused on assimilation, encouraging adoptees to forget their birth culture and integrate quickly into American society. But as understanding of adoption evolved, it became clear that this approach was deeply flawed.

Q: It was in fact your father, Dr. David H. Kim, who pioneered the first heritage tour. Can you share more about what inspired him to create this unique service for adoptees? [Note: David Kim was the first employee Harry Holt hired in post-war Korea, and together they created the Holt Adoption Program. David also went on to become executive director of Holt International from 1980 to 1990.]

A: My father began receiving letters from adoptees asking about their origins and Korean history. Most people at that time, even after the Korean War, didn’t know much about Korea. He realized the best way of reintroducing them to their birth heritage is to organize travel back to Korea — to show their roots and give them an idea and an understanding of Korean life. In 1975, he organized the first “Motherland Tour” to Korea for a group of 18 adoptees, most of whom were biracial and part of the post-Korean War adoption wave.

Q: What was the impact of that first tour?

A: It was transformative. The adoptees really learned much more about Korea than anyone could ever provide them just by showing them pictures or reading out of books. … Back then, if you wanted to look something up about a country, you went and read an encyclopedia. There was no Internet, there was no Wikipedia. Even television was limited.

A lot of them also really had questions about identity. How do I fit in? And so the trip was a journey of exploration and discovery, but also one of self-understanding and growth and acceptance.

Q: How did the program evolve over time?

A: After the success of the first tour, Holt continued organizing annual heritage tours of Korea. In the 1980s, we began a second tour — the “family tour” — in addition to a tour for individual adoptees traveling by themselves. This was a tour that was designed to accommodate adoptive families whose children were not old enough to come on their own, but also for families that wanted to take this journey of exploration and discovery together.

Q: Did you ever join one of the heritage tours your father led?

A: Yes, I was part of the very first tour in 1975. I also joined subsequent tours during my teens and twenties.

Q: What are some of your memories from those early experiences?

A: Korea was vastly different back then. Today, it’s modern and technologically advanced, but in 1975, it was still deeply affected by poverty. I had an experience where we were out doing some shopping and a little boy, probably about 10-11 years old — about my same age — just appeared in front of me. His clothes were in tatters. He had no shoes. His face was all smudged with dirt. He just stood there standing in front of me with his hand out with palm up, asking for money, but he never said anything, just looked at me. … I think back on that and his face is still just burned into my memory. What I feel now is a deep sense of shame for not having done anything to help him.

The reason I I talk about this is that people need to understand Korea in 1975. This is a generation where a lot of adoptees were placed in the United States. Korea was so different then. There was so much poverty.

Q: You’ve made it your life’s mission to help orphaned and vulnerable children as Holt’s director of Korea and Mongolia programs. Did early experiences like that influence your decision to go into child welfare work?

A: It certainly is something that deeply affected me. However, growing up I never envisioned working for Holt or in child welfare. But it is funny how sometimes the universe has other plans for you.

Q: After your father retired from leading heritage tours, you took up the mantle. How many heritage tours of Korea have you led?

A: I’ve led every tour since 2000. That adds up to over 30 tours so far.

Q: How has the tour changed over the years — either intentionally or organically?

A: One of the biggest changes is the kind of information adoptees have access to. As Korean laws and recordkeeping have improved, more detailed histories have become available. Today, adoptees often have access to birth family information, hospital records and even the opportunity to meet birth relatives. This summer alone, several adoptees on the tour were able to connect with their birth families. And so the tour has really evolved from one of a tourist experience; it has moved away from being so focused on just learning about Korea to where it’s now more about learning about yourself.

Q: Has the structure of the tour changed as well?

A: Yes, we eventually decided to discontinue the “motherland tour,” and our tour is now more of a unified experience. It’s not just an adoptee-only tour and it’s not just a family-only tour. We have found that this mix of life stories, of ages, of experiences really enriches that journey for everyone.

Q: After 25 years of leading Korea Heritage Tours, what are some of your favorite memories?

A: One that I’ll never forget involved a young adoptee celebrating her 16th birthday during the tour. She had enough background information to visit her birth hospital. When she arrived, the staff asked if she’d like to meet the doctor who delivered her — and he was still working there, along with the two nurses who assisted.

They even took her to the delivery room, and she sat on the very bed where her mother had given birth to her. What made it even more incredible was that it happened on her actual birthday — 16 years to the day — and within an hour of her birth time. it was just amazing. It was the most serendipitous experience.

Q: Was she able to meet her birth mother?

A: No, she wasn’t. But even without that, the experience was transformative for her. It gave her a powerful connection to her beginnings.

Q: Are you present for birth family or foster family meetings during the tours?

A: Yes, I’ve actually translated and facilitated quite a number of meetings. It’s incredibly powerful. One of the things that I’m tasked to do during that process is to act as a bridge. I grew up in the U.S. but in a Korean-American family and I was born in Korea, so I have insights into both cultural perspectives. I help navigate the differences in expectations, emotions and communication between adoptees, birth families and adoptive families.

Q: What do adoptees gain by traveling on Holt’s Korea Heritage Tour instead of going on their own?

A: That’s a question we get a lot — and it’s one that’s been answered best by the adoptees who’ve taken our tour. Traveling overseas, especially to a country where you don’t speak the language and may be visiting for the first time, can be exhausting. You’re constantly navigating logistics: where to eat, how to get around, what to do if something goes wrong. On Holt’s tour, all of that is taken care of so adoptees can focus entirely on the experience.

On Holt’s heritage tour, you’re also traveling with people who understand the adoption story. Adoptees often face questions in daily life — about their families, their identity, their background. On this tour, there’s no need to explain yourself. It’s a safe space. And that is something that I cannot overstate. You’re surrounded by people who get it. That sense of belonging is incredibly powerful, especially during such a vulnerable and transformative journey.

Q: What kind of support does Holt provide during the tour?

A: Our staff and guides are with you every step of the way. If something comes up —whether it’s a logistical issue, a health concern, or an emotional moment — you have people you can count on. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and we know how to help adoptees get the most out of their time in Korea.

Q: Can’t adoptees just do a file review on their own?

A: They can, but the difference is in the ongoing support. If questions come up days later —about something in the file, or about processing the experience — who will be there to help? With Holt, our post-adoption services team is available before, during and after the tour. Whether it’s help packing, navigating medical needs or emotional support, we’re here for the entire journey.

Q: What’s the best age for an adoptee to join a heritage tour?

A: That’s one of the most frequently asked questions from adoptive families — and our answer is always: your child will tell you. We’ve had adoptees join the tour as young as 8 and as old as 70. Some are ready early, others much later. Even siblings adopted into the same family can feel differently — one may be eager to go, while the other has no interest.

Q: Should parents encourage their child to go, even if they’re unsure?

A: We always advise parents not to force it. Listen to your child. They’ll give you clues about whether it’s the right time. And it’s not uncommon for adoptees to return to Korea multiple times — once with their parents, and later with a partner or their own children.

Q: What else would you like to share about Holt’s heritage tours?

A: It is founded on the idea that when you place a child from a country overseas, you don’t erase that child’s background. It really is a disservice to the adoptees and their understanding of who they are. Since that time, many other organizations have begun their own tour opportunities, but it all sprang from that very first tour that Holt began in 1975, born out of the idea that we do have a commitment to the children we’ve placed through adoption. This is a lifelong relationship that we have with adoptees and adoptive families.

Travel with Holt on a Heritage Tour!

For adoptees ages 9 and older, Holt offers guided tours of China, Korea, Mongolia and Vietnam. Experience the culture and customs of your birth country and visit sites significant to your adoption story.

Learn About heritage Tours

The post Fifty Years of Holt’s Korea Heritage Tour appeared first on Holt International.

Kristine Altwies has dedicated her life to serving orphaned and vulnerable children.  

As the executive director of Hawaii’s leading international adoption agency for the past 34 years, she has helped over 1,000 children join loving adoptive families. She is also a licensed marriage and family therapist specializing in parenting, attachment and adoption, and in 2021, she founded the nonprofit organization PonoRoots Counseling Center, which provides trauma-informed mental health services in her community. Since 2022, she has also served on the board of directors for Holt International.

Recently, Kristine was recognized for her lifelong service to children when she was named Hawaii’s “Remarkable Woman of the Year” — one of 125 women across the U.S. who were honored by Nexstar Media Group for the difference they have made in public policy, social progress and the quality of life in their communities. After spending a week in L.A. with her fellow honorees, she came away inspired and motivated to do more.

“What was inspiring was all the women who are doing incredible work,” she says. “I came away with the idea that there’s more to be done and that there are people doing things in all kinds of ways.”

Reflecting on her own life’s work, she says she feels not proud, but grateful.

“I’m deeply grateful for being able to do meaningful work, which only happens because of all the people who participate along the way,” she says.

Kristine found her path in the early 1990s, when she first arrived in Hawaii from Michigan, where she had attended Kalamazoo College. Although she studied art history and education in college, she wasn’t sure where she wanted to focus her energy.

“I was doing a bunch of things trying to figure out who I was, and I met the founder of Hawaii International Child (HIC),” she shares. Inspired, she began working with the organization to unite children and families, and in 1991, she took over as executive director.

In the years that followed, Kristine significantly grew the small organization — opening adoption programs in several countries over the following three decades, including in China and Russia.

As Hawaii has a very large Asian population, she notes that many children placed through HIC were able to join adoptive families who shared their cultural heritage and identity. Kristine’s husband, Bruce Chen, is a Chinese American physician who joined Kristine to welcome their first daughter from China 15 years ago. Today, Kristine and Bruce are the parents of six children, including a son from China and a daughter from Vietnam.

As both an adoptive parent and long-time leader of an international adoption agency, Kristine brought extensive experience when she joined Holt’s board of directors three years ago. She also had a longstanding connection to Holt, having partnered with the organization to find families for children from Korea in the early days of her work with HIC.

“I was lucky enough to work with Holt in my early days, which gave me good insights into this incredibly ethical, compassionate work that Holt does,” she says.

I’m deeply grateful for being able to do meaningful work, which only happens because of all the people who participate along the way.”

Since joining the board of directors, she has become increasingly impressed with Holt’s ethical approach to adoption and dedication to ensuring stable, loving homes for children.

“It’s always been what’s best for the children, and that feels so good to be connected to,” she says.

Kristine also feels blessed to be a part of the dedicated group of individuals who make up Holt’s board of directors. While they bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives, they all share a heart for orphaned and vulnerable children and a profound commitment to Holt’s mission.

“I’ve been on many boards, and I have to say this board is my all-time favorite board because everybody there is so committed to seeing Holt succeed,” she says. “It’s really about the health of the organization and honoring our mission.”

Today, Kristine continues to lead Hawaii International Child, which rebranded as A Family Tree in 2020. With adoption in decline across the globe, A Family Tree discontinued its work placing children for international adoption five years ago and shifted to direct support services such as homestudies, adoptive parent training and post-placement reporting.

The following year, in 2021, A Family Tree expanded its services with the opening of PonoRoots Counseling Center. Like the name “A Family Tree,” the symbolism of a tree and its roots captured what Kristine hoped to convey about the organization’s approach to mental health.    

“PonoRoots just came to me. … Understanding people from the roots up made sense,” she explains. “And pono in Hawaiian means righteous, good or compassionate.”

As a licensed therapist and the clinical director at PonoRoots, Kristine specializes in parenting, attachment and adoption — and often counsels adoptees and their families. With her extensive background in adoption — and as an adoptive parent herself — she brings a depth of understanding to her work with adoptees and families.

“I don’t presume to understand everything, but at least I have time on my side that I’ve spent in the field,” she says, adding that her best asset as a therapist is having worked personally with thousands of families and adoptees in the adoption process over the years.

Holt will always have work to do because there will always be need. There will always be sadness. There will always be people needing education or housing or resources, and that was the Holts’ initial commitment.”

Although she has a unique awareness of trauma and adoption, she also approaches her therapy practice with humility and an open mind.

 “Somebody said … ‘If you’ve met one adoptee, you’ve met one adoptee,’ she says. “And so I go in with that attitude, and try and get to know each person as the unique individual they deserve to be seen as. …  I really let them determine they’re the authors of their own stories, or we want to get them to be the authors of their own stories eventually.”

Looking ahead, Kristine hopes to sustain her connections with her fellow “remarkable women” — and share about the inspirational work they’re doing on her podcast.

“I have 125 new best friends and I’m planning to switch up my podcast, which in the past was about parenting,” she says. “I’m going to launch a new podcast about remarkable women. Title TBD, but I’m planning to interview all 125 of my cohort.”

Through her service on Holt’s board of directors, Kristine will also continue to help guide the organization through the changing landscape of international adoption — and a deeper focus on in-country services that help families stay together and children thrive.

“I see intercountry adoptions continuing to decrease,” she says, “and Holt will always have work to do because there will always be need. There will always be sadness. There will always be people needing education or housing or resources, and that was the Holts’ initial commitment. In addition to helping orphans, they were wanting to help the places where they were working.”

All along, Kristine’s goal and the goal of others working in adoption has been to work themselves out of a job.  “That’s the goal in a dream world. We don’t have any more children in need of intercountry adoption,” she says.

Until that day comes, Kristine will continue her lifelong commitment to helping children, adoptees and families thrive.  

When asked what’s most memorable from her remarkable life and work, she has a very simple answer. “The children are the most memorable,” she says. “That goes without saying — the children who have touched me.”

Learn more about Holt’s work and history!

At Holt International, we help children thrive in the love and stability of a family. But our services extend far beyond the adoption work we are known for.

learn about holt

The post A Remarkable Life of Service to Children appeared first on Holt International.

On Friday, April 25, nearly 30 Holt staff, board members, adoptees and members of the Holt family gathered for a special event celebrating the book “His Eye is on the Sparrow” by David and Ani Pearman, published in July 2024.

Holt President and CEO Dan Smith opened the event by sharing how he discovered David and Ani’s book.

One day he walked into his office to find a thick, brown envelope on his desk with the name ‘D. Pearman’ scribbled across the front. Curious, he opened the package.

“Inside was a lovely book,” Dan said, smiling at David and Ani.

Cared for by Holt

As a child with polio, David stayed at Holt’s Ilsan Center in Korea — a nurturing care home founded by Harry and Bertha Holt in the mid-1960s for children with disabilities — until joining an adoptive family in 1971. It was at Ilsan that he met Molly Holt, Harry and Bertha’s daughter and a nurse who devoted her life to caring for children with special needs.

Molly could be called the Mother Teresa of Korea for what she had done for the Korean orphans. She devoted her life to caring and advocating for the unwanted children — orphaned or abandoned. She defended the most forgotten, those with developmental problems or physical needs like my handicap from polio. She loved us like her own children, but she knew if the organization could match us with loving families who would adopt us, we would thrive even better.

His Eye is on the Sparrow, pg. 62

In his book, David shares his powerful journey of resilience and faith in his search for identity as an adoptee. He reflects not only on Molly Holt’s lasting impact but also on another of Holt’s early founders, Dr. David Kim, whose kindness and guidance left a profound mark on his life.

Celebrating an Adoptee’s Story

It was a moving and memorable event — full of connection and a few tears as David read emotional excerpts from the book.

“These are tears of joy, really,” David said as he read Jeremiah 29:11, reflecting on his departure from Ilsan at the age of 10. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a future and a hope.”

David read excerpts from the book, tracing his journey from life at Holt’s Ilsan Center to his arrival in the United States to join his adoptive family — a mix of joyful and heart-wrenching moments.

One afternoon when I was attending my watermelon garden, a significant event happened. I saw a tiny bird fall from a tree. It was a brown and beige bird like a sparrow. He cried out in pain, and I could see his wing was hurt badly. I could see he was trying to breathe in and out. Compassion for the helpless hurt bird overtook me. I reached down to pick up the sparrow … caring for the sparrow would later display important values in my life.

His Eye is on the Sparrow, pg. 56

Reception by the Holt Community

Robert Holt and Suzanne (Holt) Peterson, son and daughter of Harry and Bertha Holt, came to the event, along with Nancy Kim, wife of David Kim, who passed away in January 2018 at the age of 86.

“I enjoyed this — it was wonderful,” Suzanne said of the event.

The book was well received by many, including Nancy.

“I couldn’t stop reading,” Nancy said after David finished reading from his book. “I want to give [copies] to my children, grandchildren and some of my church members.”

Nancy was by David Kim’s side throughout his lifelong service to orphaned and vulnerable children. The first employee Harry Holt hired in Korea, David’s dedication to the Holt mission later led him to serve as Holt’s CEO and President for 10 years. Nancy shared about his efforts to help build Ilsan Center in Korea alongside Harry Holt, expressing how meaningful the book was to her — it brought her back to those early days.

“It was totally moving,” Nancy said, looking at David and Ani. “I admire you so much.”

Reflecting on His Journey

“His Eye is on the Sparrow” invites readers to explore themes of identity, belonging, adversity and disability and to consider the power of faith and forgiveness.

“There are many things which can apply to many people,” David said as he reflected on what he wants readers to take away from the book. “For me, God had a plan. The book ‘His Eye is on the Sparrow’ is so good in that the bird, like in the orphanage, is for a purpose. He cares for the fallen bird, as I cared for the fallen bird. God even more cares for us — whatever we’re going through … God has a purpose behind it. And if we trust Him and we open up our hearts to him and to other people around us, that will be a good thing.”

“I just believe that all these things happened for a purpose,” David continued. “It takes time to forgive, but if we just have that willingness to change, to be open to God and to people around us, we will know our purpose and identity.”

Readers can buy David’s book online from various retailers, including Kharis Publishing.

Learn more about Holt’s work and history!

At Holt International, we help children thrive in the love and stability of a family. But our services extend far beyond the adoption work we are known for.

learn about holt

The post Adoptee Book Event Held at Holt Headquarters appeared first on Holt International.

In the sweltering, suffocating heat of 1975, South Vietnam teetered on the edge of defeat.

Tensions had reached a fever pitch. The air was thick with uncertainty and fear.

Tens of thousands had already fled to Saigon, seeking refuge as North Vietnamese forces bore relentlessly through the countryside.

It was only a matter of time before the forces descended on Saigon.

Just three years before, Holt International had come to Vietnam to help unite children with families through adoption. Holt’s team on the ground had also just begun to implement Holt’s first family strengthening program — empowering families at risk of separation to continue caring for their children.

But as it became clear that Saigon would soon fall to the North, Holt’s team knew they needed to make an emergency plan for the children in their care. Even during this perilous time, foster parents and caregivers at Holt’s care center in Saigon continued to provide nurturing care for the children — some of whom carried the weight of uncertainty, aware that their futures hung in the balance, while others were too young to understand what lay ahead.

Called to Vietnam

In September of 1974, John Williams received a call out of the blue. On the other end of the line was David Kim, Holt’s deputy director at the time. John had never heard of Holt International.

“David shared with me that they were looking for someone to serve as a project manager in Vietnam,” John remembers. Holt had received a USAID grant to establish a family assistance program there, and he asked if John was interested.

John had spent two years in the Peace Corps in Thailand as a volunteer and seven working for USAID in Laos, where he met his wife. He had returned to the United States and was looking for a job.

After some time spent thinking, praying and talking with his family, John felt called to Vietnam. He signed a one-year contract … which turned into 28 years with Holt International. John eventually served as president of the organization for 10 of those.

Family Strengthening Efforts in Vietnam

“When I arrived in Saigon in early October 1974, there was no [family assistance] program. We had to design, start the program and get the word out,” John says. “Holt had primarily been an international adoption agency up to that point.”

Holt began its international adoption program in Vietnam in 1972. Over time, Holt staff recognized that many families felt they had no option but to relinquish their children — in many cases, because poverty prevented them from being able to provide the care their children needed.

“They were seeing a lot of birth parents coming in saying they wanted to relinquish their child,” John says. “If given an alternative to consider keeping their family together, that’s what they were looking for. They just were under so much stress — their child was suffering from malnutrition, health issues, etc.”

And the formation of the family assistance program changed everything.

Once families realized they had a viable option to keep their families together, they no longer wanted to relinquish their children. Within a few months, Holt’s first family assistance program was thriving, providing families with a renewed sense of hope.

“It was much like many of the family strengthening programs today,” John explains. “The role of social workers and case workers was to determine what the interests, abilities and skills of the family were. My background as a Peace Corps volunteer was as a community development worker, meaning that it was all about finding out what the interests of the community or village were and helping them develop that interest into an income-generating program that created independence, not dependency.”

Some families in the program were supported in starting small businesses, such as sewing or tailoring, which required training and equipment. Others raised animals like ducks or chickens, providing sustainable food and income. The goal was to complete each family’s case within six months, helping them get on their feet and provide for their children, keeping the family together.

“It was the first time that Holt began to broaden its services to children with a list of priorities — preserve the birth family, domestic adoption, international adoption — with no one being better than the other,” John says, describing the model of service that Holt has long ascribed to, and later advocated for when we sent delegates to help draft the Hague Convention on the Rights of the Child. “It’s based on the best interest of the child.”

Tensions Rising in Vietnam

By January 1975, Holt’s family assistance program was growing and the number of families in the program was significant. But the atmosphere in Saigon had begun to turn.

“In early 1975, we began to hear rumors and stories of unusual military activity on the part of the North Vietnamese,” John recalls. “Holt, by that time, had the adoption program and the three centers in Saigon. We also had a childcare center in Da Nang, the central part of the country, and a relationship with an orphanage in Vũng Tàu, which we supported.”

In mid-March, John and other Holt staff went up north to visit Da Nang to check on the childcare center and assess the possibility of expanding the family assistance program.

While there, they were invited to an event at the U.S. consulate compound. A consular officer told them there was no cause for concern — there was no possibility that the North Vietnamese could reach Da Nang because of the Hai Van Pass blocking their path.

Ten days later, Da Nang was overrun by the North Vietnamese.

“When we realized that Da Nang was going to be overrun, we did manage to get all of the children evacuated along with the staff and get them evacuated down to Saigon,” John says. “There were tens of thousands of people who were fleeing south, and the population of Saigon began to grow tremendously. We weren’t sure what the final outcome would be, but it didn’t look good.”

“By the end of March, the embassy staff was being reduced, and thousands of Vietnamese were attempting to flee the country by any means possible,” John says.

With their connections to the U.S. embassy, John and his co-workers tried their best to stay informed on the situation. At one point, one official told them, “You better make your plans to get out.”

“So, we did,” he says. “We began making plans to get out.”

Preparing to Flee

Arrangements were made for Holt to charter a Pan Am 747 to evacuate all the children in Holt’s care.

“When it became apparent that Saigon was not going to hold and it was going to be overrun, it was not uncommon for desperate mothers to come to us, pleading for us to take their children,” John recalls.  

As Holt staff spoke with each family, offering alternatives, the desperation of the situation was palpable. The families would do anything to save their children. But with Holt’s commitment to keeping birth families together when at all possible, the team declined to take in the children that had loving families, regardless of the unknowns that lay before them.

“We stopped accepting children a couple weeks before the final evacuation,” John says. “And we came under some criticism for that.”

As a newer member of Holt’s staff at the time, John shares that the decision not to bring more children to the U.S. spoke volumes about Holt’s integrity.

“I signed a one-year contract with Holt and if it hadn’t been for that experience, I don’t know if I would’ve stayed on with Holt or not,” John says today, looking back on his first dramatic months with Holt. “It said so much to me about Holt’s integrity and how careful it is. If a child is placed in our care and [is] going to be placed for international adoption — for all intents and purposes, that child does not have a good option to remain with a family in their birth country.”

Holt and other agencies began lobbying and requesting that visas and paperwork be expedited for children in the process of adoption. They appealed to both the U.S. and Vietnamese governments, and the request was approved — for Holt and several other agencies in Vietnam. Across all agencies, approximately 2,000 children were cleared for evacuation.

“Our flight was scheduled, the visas were approved and three or four days before we were scheduled to leave, the caseworkers began to spread out around Saigon,” John says. “We had maybe 250 children in foster homes scattered around Saigon, and so arrangements had to be made for them to be brought in time for the flight on April 5.”

The First Flight of the Vietnam Babylift

As the days grew closer to the scheduled April 5 flight, the Holt team was feeling the pressure.

“By now, the noose around Saigon was getting pretty tight,” John says. “There were occasional rockets coming into the city. The night sky was full of flares and tracers.”

A few days before April 5, the U.S. embassy notified Holt that President Ford had authorized U.S. military aircraft for the babylift. They were given the opportunity to be on the first flight, which was set to depart on April 4.

“We thought long and hard about it. In the end, we had already made arrangements for the Pan Am flight, and we felt good about those arrangements,” John says. “We were really encouraged to be a part of the April 4 flight. But the more we heard and the more we thought about it, we just didn’t feel comfortable with those arrangements. … We declined the offer.”

On April 4, at the time of the military flight, John and the Holt team were busy preparing for their own flight the following day.

“Here we are on April 4 and we’re frantic,” John says. “All of a sudden, we get word that the C5A — the first flight of Operation Babylift — had taken off and crashed. … Holt’s office was very near the airport. We could actually see the plume of smoke from our office.”

The plane had two decks — an upper and a lower, and tragically, many on the lower deck didn’t make it. A malfunction in the rear cargo door caused it to blow open, sucking the oxygen out of the cabin. Desperate to make it back to the airport, the crew turned the plane around. But it crashed just a few miles short of the runway in a rice paddy — killing 78 children and 50 adults. “A lot of people we knew were on that flight,” John says, his eyes growing misty as he sits in the Holt office, almost exactly 50 years later. “We didn’t have a lot of time to reflect on it at the time, but the thought crossed our mind, ‘Oh my gosh — by the grace of God….’”

Holt’s Flight Out of Vietnam

In the thick heat of April 5, 1975, the day arrived for Holt to evacuate children from Vietnam.

They proceeded with their arrangements to evacuate all the children in Holt’s care — a total of over 400 children. The Holt compound was full of children running around, while Holt staff frantically worked through paperwork. Over 250 of the foster children needed to be brought to Holt’s office for departure.

“The remarkable thing to me — so many remarkable things happened then — was that the foster parents were amazing,” John says. “With all that was going on, with all the stress and uncertainty that they faced, how much they cared about the children. … We didn’t lose a single child. Every foster family brought their child in that they were caring for.”

One image stands out in John’s memory — an image not too different from what our in-country staff still see today whenever a foster parent has to part with a child they have selflessly cared for while they waited to reunite with their birth family or join a family through adoption. It is always a bittersweet moment for these devoted foster parents, whether in the midst of war or on an otherwise peaceful day.

“One of the images that’s just seared into my mind,” John shares, “is as the busses were loaded, most of the busses had mesh on the windows — like screens or wire that you could get your fingers into and hold on — and as the busses were pulling away, a number of the foster mothers were clinging to the side of the bus to kind of get one last glimpse of the child they had cared for.”

With over 400 children in their care, they hurried to the airport and began loading the plane. Time was critical — the aircraft could remain on the ground for only an hour, and every minute cost thousands in insurance fees, totaling around $50,000.

Inside the 747, the upper deck had been transformed into a makeshift medical unit. Infants were carefully placed in baskets and boxes lined with blankets, ensuring their fragile safety for the journey ahead.

“We had four identification bands — two armbands, two leg bands — for every child with their information on it to make sure that if one came off, there would be redundant systems to keep track of who was on who,” John explains.

All the children were loaded, 409 in all, along with 50 adults. And with a deep breath, the plane took off.

“There were a lot of cheers and tears as we took off out of Saigon.”

Operation Babylift Complete

The flight first landed in Guam, then Hawaii and then Seattle. The arrival was late — around midnight, but many people had gathered at the airport to welcome the flight.

The door of the plane was opened, helping dissipate the pungent cabin air.

It had been a long ride.

“The children were taken out one by one — not rushed out,” John says. “Nametags were checked and accounted for — double-checked and triple-checked by the Holt staff there.”

John recalls that many of the adoptive parents were waiting to welcome their child at the airport in Seattle, while for others, the flight continued on to Chicago and then New York. With each landing, a family was united with their adopted child for the first time.

A Hasty Return to Vietnam

Rubbing their sleepless eyes, John and his colleagues that traveled with him on the flight had made it back to the United States.

But it wasn’t over.

John and two of his Holt colleagues, Bob Chamness and Glen Noteboom, knew they had to go back for the staff that had been left in Vietnam. And they made their plans quickly.

“We were now concerned about the Holt staff — the Vietnamese staff — in Vietnam,” John says. “We made arrangements three days later to return to Saigon. In those three days, watching television in the States, things had deteriorated tremendously. Things were changing very, very quickly.”

With uncertainty hanging in the air, the three set their course for Vietnam.

“I’ll never forget — when we flew into Saigon, we were still at 30,000 feet and then they made a very tight spiral landing down to the airport in Saigon,” John shares.

Their corkscrew landing on the airfield was much like the whirlwind to come. The city was in chaos. On their drive back to the office, the streets were in complete anarchy.

“There was very little law and order to be had,” he says.

After returning to the Holt office and strategizing with the staff, the team got to work compiling records to be flown out of Vietnam.

“We were also concerned about the records — knowing how important the child histories are,” John says. “That was another thing that impressed me about Holt, that they made every effort to document the background and circumstances for each child coming into care. We chartered a DC3 aircraft to take out all the boxes and boxes of childcare records and medical histories for the kids.”

An Overflowing Operation

The U.S.-sanctioned babylift flights were intended for children with approved parole visas in the process of adoption. There were originally 2,000 children approved for the airlifts, including the 409 children who were in the care of Holt International.

“I don’t know how many children were eventually flown to the U.S. and other countries under the name of Operation Babylift. I’m pretty certain that the number exceeded the [number] that it was designed for,” John says.

Between April 2 and April 29, it is estimated that over 3,000 children were evacuated, joining families in the U.S., Europe, Australia and Canada.

“I can only speak for Holt, my experience in Vietnam and the way that Holt conducted its affairs during that period of time,” John says. “The integrity of the program and the care and carefulness that Holt social workers took to document, provide care, and provide alternatives to birth parents, the efforts to research the background, to make sure that if a child was placed for international adoption, that there were few, if any, viable options for that child to remain in a safe and secure family setting in Vietnam at that time.”

Time Running Out in Vietnam

As the levels of desperation and panic rose, the plan to evacuate Holt staff became imminent.

“We developed a list of our staff that we believed would be vulnerable under a North Vietnamese regime because of their close ties — either having worked with the U.S. military before or government agencies before,” John says.

They made arrangements for those who wanted to leave — around 150 Holt staff and their immediate family members — to be evacuated on a flight leaving on April 27. On April 25 and 26, Holt began transporting staff members to the airfield.

“Someone from the embassy had left us their car which had diplomatic license plates on it — and it didn’t get stopped,” John says of the military and police personnel who were turning people away, regardless of their papers. “With that one car, we ferried people to a holding area in the air base where they were told to wait.”

After many hours, all 150 Holt staff along with their family members had made it to the airfield, along with hundreds of boxes full of childcare records for the DC3 chartered flight.

A Promise for Evacuation

It was April 27 and the DC3 was loaded with all of the child histories. There hadn’t been any fixed-wing airplanes that had taken off for several days.

“We wanted to wait till [the Vietnamese staff] had been taken out — to make sure they got out — but we were told by one of the U.S. officials, ‘You’ve got to leave now. If you don’t leave now, the likelihood of you getting out is very slim,’” John recalls.

They were promised by an official with a connection to Holt that the Vietnamese staff would make it out. Thinking that he’d have the Holt staff’s best interests in mind, they took him at his word.

“One of the hardest decisions that any of us ever had to make was telling our staff, ‘Okay, you’re here,’” he says. ‘“We’ve been promised that you’re going to be put on an evacuation flight.’”

John boarded the DC3 aircraft, intended for transporting records, along with Glen and Bob. The seats were lined with boxes full of records — child histories and medical documentation from the children that had been in their care.

Left Behind in Vietnam

When they arrived in Singapore, their first stop, they called the Holt headquarters immediately.

“We called the office in Eugene to let them know we were out,” John says. “They said that they had just received a call from a Holt staff member in Saigon. How on earth they managed to get a call through — I don’t know. But they were pleading for Holt to get them out.”

As they waited on the airfield for their flight out, the Holt staff were told, “You’ve got to get on the bus. We’re going to have to take you back to the Holt office.”

The staff pleaded, “There are North Vietnamese soldiers coming down the street. Isn’t there anything you can do to help us get out?”

John says that while some of the Holt staff in Vietnam did subsequently get out, others didn’t. “We know what happened to some and others we don’t,” he says.

Between 1975 and 1995, over three million people fled Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. More than 2.5 million refugees resettled around the world. And it is estimated that between 25,000 and 50,000 refugees perished at sea.

Reflecting on This Pivotal Moment in History

Had it not been for the evacuation of children in Holt’s care, John says their fate may have been grim. Many of them were biracial children born to Vietnamese mothers and foreign soldiers, caught in the grip of poverty with no family to care for them. Much like the children born to Korean mothers and foreign servicemen who Harry Holt felt called to help two decades before, the “Amerasian” children born during the war in Vietnam would likely face discrimination throughout their lives. 

“There’s a term that applied not just to Amerasian children but to Vietnamese street children: ‘The dust of life’ or ‘bụi đời.’ If you were a street child without means, you were not treated very well,” John reflects. “A lot had to do with social status — if [they were] on the streets or in an orphanage without the social status of being from a higher society family … I don’t even want to necessarily think about what would have happened to them. By that point, they were already separated from any known birth parent. [They] would have been in very, very, difficult circumstances.”

Their futures were forever altered by the evacuation flights that famously came to be known as Operation Babylift — bringing them across the ocean for a chance at a new life and into the arms of loving adoptive families.

“I don’t know how many people in this day and age know there was something called the ‘babylift’ in Vietnam,” John says. “But the babylift was one moment in time, and it was part of a much, much bigger story about Vietnam. And for that one moment in time, I like to think of it in terms of Holt’s role and how it conducted itself in that moment.”

More Stories to Be Told

John William’s incredible account of the events that transpired in Vietnam is just one story of so many.

The story continues with the lived experiences of adoptees today — what were their childhoods like joining adoptive families in the United States? Where are they now?

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Four-hundred-and-nine. Four-hundred-and-nine children evacuated from Holt child care centers in Vietnam in the spring of 1975. The most notable being the Pan-America “babylift” flight out of Vietnam on April 5, 1975.

The flight took off from Saigon, current-day Ho Chi Minh City, just before the city was overtaken by the northern Vietnamese army.

John Williams, who some years later served as Holt’s president, was working with Holt in Vietnam at the time of the airlift.

“All the kids had arm bands and leg bands on every limb to identify them so they wouldn’t get mixed up or lost,” John says of the children on Holt’s flight, most of whom were already matched with adoptive families in the U.S. at the time of the emergency evacuation.

“It was a long, long flight,” he recalls.

The plane flew from Saigon to Guam to Honolulu to Seattle to Chicago and finally New York. Beginning in Honolulu, and at each stop along the way, children united with adoptive parents who were extremely relieved to know their children had made it out safely. Because this wasn’t the case for everyone… An evacuation flight just days before — a flight the Holt children had nearly been on — tragically crashed several minutes after takeoff.

And just a few days later, John Williams – upon his return to Vietnam to help Holt staff evacuate – described the scene as “total anarchy in the streets — which were littered with uniforms and military equipment discarded by South Vietnamese soldiers fearing for their lives.”

This year marks 50 years since Operation Babylift, which was a defining and iconic moment in Holt’s history and legacy of caring for orphaned and vulnerable children.

But this flight was not the beginning of Holt’s work in Vietnam, and it certainly didn’t mark the end.

Holt Began Work in Vietnam

Holt first began working in Vietnam in 1972. The program primarily helped place children with adoptive families in the U.S. Because of the decades-long conflict in Vietnam, there were an estimated 900,000 homeless children in the country at the time.

Holt opened a child care center in response to this great need, providing the food and care that children needed while searching for permanent families for them through international adoption.

While some of these children had no known living parents, many of them did.

“Because of the conflict,” John says, “there were a lot of parents of children who were under great duress and thought their children would be better off in an institution because they were short of food and medical care.”

Realizing this, Holt’s team in Vietnam believed there should be alternatives or options other than international adoption for birth families to consider. Holt sought and secured a USAID grant to help reunify children from institutions with their birth families and empower families in poverty to continue caring for their children.

This is how Holt’s first family strengthening program began — in October 1974.

“The program was getting off to a very good start,” explains John, a former community development Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand and USAID agriculture and refugee resettlement officer in Laos, hired by Holt to manage the program. By January 1975, John says the number of families in the program was significant. But as it became clear mid-to-late March that Saigon would soon fall to the North, the program was cut short — and Holt’s team on the ground realized it was time to make plans to leave the country.   

International Adoption Today

After the babylift, Holt couldn’t fully serve children in Vietnam again until 1989, when the Government of Vietnam invited Holt to help support and operate orphanages. In the ensuing years, Holt continued what they started before the babylift in 1975 — developing programs throughout the country that enabled children to stay in the loving care of their birth families.

International adoption from Vietnam to the U.S. occurred mostly off and on throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, as adoption legislation and country agreements changed, and was suspended in 2008. But in 2014, Holt was specifically invited to reopen the international adoption program to begin finding families for older children and those with special needs.

Today in Vietnam, similar to in the 1970s, most of the children in orphanages have living parents or extended birth family. But the reasons they remain in orphanage care are complex, from neglect or abuse to poverty or other crises that keep their families from being able to meet their child’s basic needs.

Child welfare centers are meant to provide temporary care for children — with the first goal being to reunify each child with loving birth family. Domestic adoption is pursued for the children who can’t reunify with their birth family. And only once these options are exhausted, international adoption is seen as the best opportunity for a child to grow up in a family, and not an institution.

Huong Nguyen, Holt’s Vietnam country director, explains that the government has strict criteria for who can and can’t be enrolled into orphanage care. “First, [the government] sees if the child has any kind of relatives who can take care of them,” she says. “And even if a child does come to live at the center, they have a plan for reaching out to the family to discuss when they are able to reunite the child and the family.” 

Holt partners with both government-run and private child welfare centers across the country, providing caregiver trainings and other services to ensure the best care possible for the children who call these centers home.

While many of the children living in the centers are healthy and developmentally on-target, there is a much higher rate of children with disabilities and special needs living in institutional care than you’d find in the general population. The resources needed to care for a child with a disability are so much greater, and for a family already living in poverty, it can feel impossible. 

While orphanages in Vietnam have a high rate of children with disabilities, this reflects a higher overall rate of children born with birth defects and disabilities than other countries — particularly in certain regions of Vietnam. And the reason for this is tied to events from over 50 years ago.

While it was their grandparents and great-grandparents who lived through it, even generations later, Vietnamese children are still feeling the physical effects of the war. One region that was especially impacted is the city of Hoi An.  

Special Needs in Vietnam

Hoi An is a World Heritage Site and a beautiful coastal town that was once a significant Southeast Asian trading port in central Vietnam. It’s also the location of the Kianh Foundation – an incredible school for children with disabilities and special needs that’s supported by Holt sponsors and donors.

“The rates of disability are about 15 percent higher here,” says Hoang Pham, the program development director of the Kianh Foundation. And the likely cause is Agent Orange.

During the Vietnam War, American forces blanketed Hoi An and the surrounding region with the deadly chemical compound Agent Orange as they tried to fend off enemy troops. Thousands of innocent civilians died from exposure. And for more than two generations, women in areas once hit by Agent Orange have given birth to children with much higher-than-normal rates of physical and developmental disabilities.

But in this region with such high needs, there are few resources specifically for children with disabilities. That’s why the Kianh Foundation is so important.

The Kianh Foundation is an incredible, one-of-a-kind school for children with disabilities and special needs in Vietnam. Here, they learn life skills, have access to occupational and physical therapy — and grow and develop beyond what their families ever dreamed possible.

Every day, children with autism, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and more come from the surrounding area to learn. But there are many more who want, and need, to come.

“We have a wait list of about 200,” Hoang says. “And the school can hold just 80.”

Through word of mouth, parents hear about the Kianh Foundation and desperately hope their child can have a spot. Attendance here is one of the greatest hopes they can find for their child to thrive, and have as independent a life as possible.

Throughout Vietnam, some families know about Holt and come to us for help. But the majority are referred to Holt by the local child welfare officials. Since the end of the conflict in Vietnam, and the reunification of the country, Vietnam operates through a strong centralized government, with local branches in each province and city. Holt works closely with the government, often filling in the gaps to provide help.

“We support the parts that the government cannot,” Huong says. This can be Holt donor-funded programs like the Kianh Foundation, as well as individual families throughout the country who are living in poverty.

Family Strengthening in Vietnam

Life in Vietnam has dramatically changed in the 50 years since the end of the Vietnam War. Economic reforms have led to greater prosperity for many people. But they have also increased disparities between rich and poor, rural and urban, and ethnic majority and minority families. Rural families often migrate to cities in search of work, putting children at risk of family separation, trafficking and exploitation.

Because of this, Holt’s family strengthening program – which began because of the needs children and families faced towards the end of the war – is active and strong today, serving more than 6,000 children and families across the country.

The Vietnamese government is quick to identify families living in poverty, however they often don’t have enough resources to provide the help children and families need to overcome it. This is where Holt Vietnam and Holt donors come in with education, single mother support and economic empowerment programs.

Helping Children Go to School

Helping children go to school is one of the foundational ways Holt donors help children in Vietnam. While some aspects of school are free to students, essentials like tutoring fees, school supplies and more can easily force a child to drop out sooner than they should. But with the right materials, and the caring oversight of a Holt social worker, thousands of children are excelling in school and on their way to graduation.

This begins at even the earliest ages, at Holt-supported daycares and preschools throughout the country. Many families living in poverty would never have the option to send their child to preschool, or even have a safe place to send their child while they go to work. And because of the nutritious meal these children receive each day at preschool, malnutrition rates have dropped significantly!

Older children receive the economic support they need to continue in their studies. And for older teenagers who may have already dropped out of school — a common occurrence for those who don’t pass the entrance exam for secondary school — Holt sponsors and donors help provide vocational training. By learning a trade such as hairdressing or running a food cart, they have the opportunity to learn a stable trade to support themselves.

And the support Holt donors provide stretches to help the entire family.

Strengthening the Entire Family

“They are the poorest of the poor,” Huong says of the families in Holt’s family strengthening program today. “They’re really in need of support, and we come at the right time, when they are at the risk of family separation or at the risk of children dropping out at school.”

Some families, out of desperation and poverty, will place their child in an institution if they aren’t able to provide enough food, medical care or other basic needs. But keeping a child in the loving care of their family is Holt’s biggest goal.

They are the poorest of the poor. They’re really in need of support, and we come at the right time, when they are at the risk of family separation or at the risk of children dropping out at school.

Huong Nguyen, Holt Vietnam’s country director

To do this, Holt’s family strengthening program comes around families living in poverty, equipping them with the tools to become self-reliant and independently provide for their children.

Once these families are identified with help from the local government, a Holt social worker will visit their home, get to know their family, understand their needs and begin to make a plan with them. For many families, this can mean helping them start small businesses or other income-generating activities like raising ducks or goats, opening a small shop, and more.

“We work with them to identify their potential and abilities, and make a business plan for them,” Huong says. “It’s very individualized. It’s a case management approach.”

In Vietnam, this often works in combination with providing education to their children. Or, if they are young, single mothers, Holt’s team in Vietnam also provides support and resources as they learn to care for their baby.

The result is that each family receives just the help they need to make their life better, overcome poverty and stay together.

While Holt’s work has grown and changed over the years, its goal and the dedication of Holt staff and donors have remained the same since John Williams first arrived in Saigon in October 1974 to help create Holt’s first family strengthening program.

Amazing Commitment in Vietnam

“The degree to which the staff, under tremendously stressful circumstances, did their job…” John trails off as he fights back tears, recalling the days leading up to the babylift in April 1975. “Their commitment was amazing.”

And this amazing commitment continues today from the Holt staff, and the Holt sponsors and donors who make Holt’s work in Vietnam possible — all for the sake of children and families in need.

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The post Fifty Years After the Vietnam Babylift, Holt’s Work Continues appeared first on Holt International.

This past year, we captured some amazing photos of the children and families around the world who you help through kindness and generosity. In April, we visited children and families in Uganda who are thriving with the support of sponsors and donors. In May, we traveled to rural northern Mongolia with a team of Holt supporters, where they got to deliver gifts of livestock to traditional herding families. And in December, we celebrated Christmas with children who attend a unique special education program that you support in Vietnam.

Below, we share some of the photos that we felt best showcased our programs — and your impact — in 2024. Take a moment to view them again or discover them for the first time!

Top Photos of 2024 Around The World

Children with special needs in Vietnam are dressed to the nines as they celebrate Christmas, with performances, food and presents from their sponsors.

Children wore traditional dress as their families received gifts of goats and sheep personally delivered by a group of sponsors and donors who traveled on Holt’s vision trip to Mongolia in May 2024.

Some of our favorite photos this year came from adoptive family submissions. Sisters Ivy and Lili love being goofy together, and are known to be little “spitfires.”

Children in Cambodia enjoy school lunches you help provide through our Child Nutrition Program.

National Play Day in Uganda where Holt-supported schools invited students and their caregivers to play and learn together. Here you’ll see a young girl playing with a toy on the left, and on the right, a caregiver making the toy.

Visiting some traditional herding families in the northern hills of Mongolia, who received the gift of goats to provide for their family of seven.

In Vietnam, we visited a family who has greatly benefitted from the additional income they began earning after they received a gift of ducks through Holt’s Gifts of Hope catalog. This mom showed our team how she feeds her ducks that she uses to provide for her children.

In China, children residing at Peace House, a Holt-supported medical foster home, took a field trip to a nearby ecological farm.

Thank you for helping children around the world in 2024!

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You’re amazing! Through your heartfelt giving in 2024, you helped make a tremendous difference in the lives of over one million children, families and individuals around the world. Whether you provided regular support as a monthly child sponsor, gave on Giving Tuesday to help a girl go to school and stay safe from child trafficking and early marriage, helped a child with special needs receive the care they need to thrive through the Molly Holt Fund or helped meet one of our president’s year-end priorities for children in greatest need, you brought hope and opportunity to the lives of many of the world’s most vulnerable children and families. Keep reading to learn about some of the specific ways that your gifts to Holt made a difference in 2024!

While much of Holt’s work is community-based, your gifts also provided direct care and services to over 431,000 children this past year. Designed to provide the exact help a child needs at the time they need it, this kind of direct care includes everything from emergency food and safe shelter for a family in crisis to surgery or needed medical treatment for a child with special healthcare needs to foster care and social work support to help a child reunite with their family or join a family through adoption.

In 2024, you helped 181 children join permanent, loving families through adoption — 110 of them through international adoption, and 71 through domestic, in-country adoption to families living in the child’s country of birth. Overall, 95% of children adopted internationally were older than age 5, part of a sibling group or had at least some minor special needs. This past year, 65% of children placed internationally had moderate or major physical, cognitive or developmental disabilities. And while the number of children with complex special needs joining adoptive families internationally has increased, so has the number of older children. This past year, 64% of children were older than 5 at the time they joined their families — and 29% were between the ages of 10-18! This shift is a truly wonderful development for children who in prior years would watch as younger, healthier children left the orphanage to join families, while they stayed behind with little hope of ever being adopted. Your support of advocacy programs for older children like Holt’s Thailand and Philippines special needs programs — and the Colombia hosting program — has helped make this shift possible.

Today, the overall cost of international adoption exceeds the actual fees and expenses required to complete the process. This is one key reason why so many agencies have closed their doors in recent years. It’s only through the generous support of donors like you that Holt is able to continue this vitally important practice for children who cannot remain or reunite with their birth families, or join domestic adoptive families in their country of birth Thank you for supporting this vitally important path to a family for children who would otherwise grow up in, and age out of, orphanages overseas.

Visit our waiting child photolisting to learn about the more than 200 children waiting for families who are older or have complex special needs — and how you can begin the process to adopt, or support their journey to a family!

For children growing up in orphanages around the world, Holt stands by our belief that joining a family through adoption is the last, best option for them. For these children, an adoptive family provides the attentive, nurturing care that they need to achieve critical developmental milestones and to reach their potential in life. Countless studies have shown the detrimental emotional and developmental effects that long-term institutionalization has on children, and this is compounded for children who already have special medical or developmental needs — as is the case for many of the children growing up in orphanages overseas. This is why we stand by our commitment to continue international adoption for children in an ever-changing and increasingly challenging landscape.

But we also firmly believe that every child should have the chance to grow up in their birth family, and birth culture, whenever possible. Before we ever pursue adoption for a child, we first strive to help them grow up in the loving care of their birth family.  For children living in orphanages, this often means a long social work process to identify their immediate or extended family and explore the possibility of reunification. And in 2024, with donor support, Holt teams around the world helped reunite 302 children with their birth families — a significant number when you consider the time and resource-intensive work that goes into identifying relatives and ensuring children can thrive in their care.

But everywhere we work, our first goal is always to prevent family separation in the first place. And with the generous support of sponsors and donors, 29,023 children who were at risk of separation were able to remain in the loving care of their families in 2024. With support tailored to each individual child and family, you helped provide everything from clothing, warm bedding, safe housing and school supplies to livestock for nourishing food and income. In 2024, 4,405 individuals also participated in Holt-supported economic empowerment programs, including job skills training, education in how to grow gardens or tend livestock, financial literacy training, village savings and loan groups and other innovative programs that empower families to generate a stable income and independently support their children.

With generous donor support, 4,817 adoptees and families received support from Holt’s post-adoption services team in 2024 — 1,264 more than in 2023. While this shows greater success in outreach to those needing support, it also underscores the tremendous need for post-adoption services among those touched by adoption. In 2024, we saw an increased need for assistance with citizenship and documentation, in addition to other services such as birth search support, counseling referrals and post-adoption parent education through our PACE program. Over the summer, over 180 campers attended Holt Adoptee Camp in Oregon, Wisconsin and New Jersey — a unique program designed to build adoptee community and help adoptee youth explore their identity alongside campers and counselors who share the unique experience of growing up adopted. After a five-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we resumed our counselor-in-training program to help recruit more Holt Adoptee Camp counselors. Our post-adoption team also held an adoptee networking event designed to introduce adoptees to each other and local adoptee organizations that hold events, community support groups and education. With more than 50 attendees, this event also gave adoptees the opportunity to access and review their original adoption file with a member of Holt’s post-adoption team — rather than sending them a digital copy. Returning original documents is a great step for adoptees to reclaim and honor their identity and history.

In many countries around the world, an education is not a right. It is a privilege. Children living in poverty do not have access to a free public education system and equal opportunity to achieve their goals. The cost of fees, uniforms and supplies required for school mean that parents may have to choose between feeding their child — or giving them the opportunity to learn and one day, escape the cycle of poverty. Often, children drop out of school to work and help earn income for their family. In some cases, girls as young as 12 or 13 are married off and when they do, their formal education ends. But for over 22,500 children and young adults this past year, you helped them stay on the path to completing their education, leaving a life of poverty, and following their dreams.

Whether you provided monthly support for school fees and supplies as a child sponsor, gave a scholarship through Gifts of Hope or supported our Giving Tuesday campaign to help girls go to school, you helped provide the support and resources needed for 21,356 children to receive an education in 2024! Additionally, donors like you helped 1,211 young adults growing up in poverty or in orphanages to pursue higher education — including through our ILEA program for children aging out of orphanage care in the Philippines. By empowering children through education, you also help protect them from trafficking, abuse, child labor and other dangers that increase exponentially when children are out of school. Thank you for keeping children safe and making their dreams possible in 2024!

In the impoverished communities where you support children, food security continues to be a major concern. Children arrive at school hungry and tired, without lunch, and go home unsure if their family will eat a full meal before bed. But because of you, over 195,000 children received the nourishing food they need to thrive in 2024.

Whether you gave emergency food to a family in crisis, supported a preschool program that provides free lunch or provided a cow, goat or garden for a family to produce their own food, your gifts provided the essential nutrition that children and families need to grow strong and healthy and work toward a better life. In total, Holt sponsors and donors provided a staggering 2,361,064 meals to hungry children and families in 2024.

In 2024, Holt also celebrated 10 years of our Child Nutrition Program, a multifaceted effort that seeks to strengthen nutrition and feeding practices for vulnerable children living in orphanages, foster homes and impoverished communities across the globe. What started as a pilot program in two locations in India has since expanded to eight countries, serving more than 55,000 children over the past decade.

Holt’s specialized care and support for children with disabilities is one way that our programs are unique from other organizations around the world. Many of the children you support through Holt programs have special healthcare needs or disabilities. In 2024, you helped 2,280 children with disabilities to live fuller, happier lives. In Vietnam, you provided special education and an outreach program in a community where children with disabilities would otherwise stay home all day. In Mongolia, you helped support a program that helps children with disabilities living in impoverished communities to access the specialized resources they need. Through Gifts of Hope, you helped provide adaptive equipment like wheelchairs and hearing aids. And through Holt’s pioneering Child Nutrition Program, you provided the resources to train 15,554 caregivers and parents in how to properly feed children with disabilities so that they are able to receive the full nutrition they need to thrive. 

Through your kind and generous donations in 2024, 3,692 children living in orphanages, group homes, kinship 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.

Holt’s kinship and foster care programs provide more nurturing, family-like care for children who would otherwise live in institutions. Through kinship care, sponsors and donors provide the support children need to live with a family member —  if not a birth parent, then possibly an aunt, uncle or grandparent who can provide loving, attentive care. In many cases, children living in foster care are waiting to rejoin their birth families or join a family through domestic or international adoption. These highly trained and loving foster families provide the one-on-one care, attention, and social and physical development children need to reach critical developmental milestones — and thrive once they join a permanent family.

Whether you helped provide routine health screenings through Holt’s Child Health Days in rural Uganda or a life-changing surgery for a child with a special medical need, your generous donations helped provide vital healthcare for 131,914 children in 2024. As children need caregivers who are healthy and equipped to give them attentive, engaged care, your donations also helped provide medical care for 111,215 parents and family members.

Around the world, children are often sick when they first enter orphanage care. Sometimes this has to do with underlying medical conditions or special needs. Sometimes it has to do with the impoverished conditions they lived in before coming into care. Sometimes it’s because they routinely experienced hunger. Often, it’s a combination of all three. This was true for one 2-year-old girl living in an orphanage in India who donors helped this past year. But thanks to Holt sponsors and donors like you, she received the medical care, nutritious food and therapies she needed to become healthy again.

In 2024, you and your fellow donors gave 5,456 Gifts of Hope to children and families in need around the world. You gave food for hungry children, shoes to keep children’s feet warm, dry and protected on their long walk to school, an egg a day to provide vital protein to growing kids, and livestock likes goats, chickens and cows to nourish families and provide vital income when they sell the offspring. You provided school scholarships for children who might not otherwise go to school, as well as the books and supplies they needed to succeed. You gave the gift of nurturing foster care to children waiting for a permanent, loving family, and urgently needed orphanage supplies like diapers, cribs and blankets. You empowered single mothers to earn income for their family through the gift of job skills training or a small business microgrant. You gave Christmas and birthday gifts to children whose families or caregivers can’t afford to provide gifts on these holidays. And you gave to Holt’s Where Most Needed fund to make it possible for our staff and partners in the field to meet immediate, vital needs of children and families that might otherwise go unmet.

Thank you for your heartfelt gifts to children and families in need in 2024. We can’t wait to partner with you again in 2025!

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The post See the Difference You Made in 2024 appeared first on Holt International.

Below, Jordan Love, a Korean adoptee and Holt staff member, shares about the party at the Ilsan Center for individuals with disabilities. The Korea Gift Team sang Christmas carols and delivered presents hand-selected for each resident based on what they specifically requested.

Concerned about children who wouldn’t be adopted, especially children with profound medical and developmental conditions, Harry and Bertha Holt personally funded and built the Ilsan Center in 1962. As Jordan notes, some of the residents have lived here for over 60 years. Others, like Jordan, stayed at Ilsan for a short time as children before they joined adoptive families. Some residents have even been able to leave the care home and lead mostly independent lives after receiving specialized therapies, vocational and skill-based trainings, and other support at Ilsan. Today, the Ilsan Center is a state-of-the-art facility that is world renowned for its care and support for individuals with disabilities.

As Jordan shares, “I feel so much gratitude and appreciation to be able to return to Holt Ilsan Center, somewhere that was vital to my life story. To be able to celebrate Christmas with the residents here (some of whom were here when I lived here) is a memory I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am blessed to be in a position to be able to advocate and show donors how transformative their caring hearts and generosity has on those in Holt care.”

The 2024 Korea Gift Team Christmas Party at Ilsan

While traveling in Korea, the gift team members also had the chance to visit the Goyang Community Center, a facility Holt donors support to empower and enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities through art and music. Below, Dan Smith, Holt’s president and CEO, shares about this amazing facility.

Visiting the Goyang Community Center in Korea

This year, the Korea Gift Team also had the chance to spend some time with the women and children living at the Morning Garden shelter.

One of six Holt donor-supported shelters for single mothers in Korea, Morning Garden provides everything from housing, food and healthcare to parenting courses, childcare and vocational training. The women receive counseling to help them cope with the stigma and discrimination that single mothers and their children face in Korean society. And they may stay at Morning Garden for as long as they need to become empowered and confident in their ability to independently raise their child.

Catch a glimpse of the Korea Gift Team’s Christmas celebration at Morning Garden below!

A Special Visit With the Women and Children at Morning Garden

Couldn’t join this year’s Korea Gift Team trip, but still want to help children and individuals with disabilities? Give a gift to the Molly Holt Fund!

Learn more about Holt’s work in Korea!

See how sponsors and donors create a brighter, more hopeful future for children and families in Korea!

view korea programs

The post See Video From Korea Gift Team 2024 appeared first on Holt International.