2 of the Haiti orphans are family to us - UPDATED INFO

[quidni]

Two of the orphans in Haiti - a 2 year old boy in Cap Haitien, and a 1 year old girl in Port Au Prince, are adoptive children to one of my sisters-in-law. Needless to say, this past week has been difficult for the whole family. Below is an excerpt from a much longer message received this evening:

On Saturday, the Haitian govt released orphans who had started the adoption process. On Monday night Janet Napalitano has granted legal humanitarian parole to our children (all of whom were approved by the U.S. for us to adopt prior to the quake), but then the state dept/FEMA/dhs/USAID over the last 4 days has refused to:

1. Assist with the safe evacuation of our children

2. Provide organized relief to the orphanages worst hit (I think there are 5-8 in PAP that are like New Life Link: destroyed)

The state dept then REQUIERED that all orphans leave via the US embassy in PAP – which is not a functional embassy: NO water/food, mobs of people trying to get in and only 2 case workers. They have refused to allow evacuate to safe shelter for processing in Haiti and safe shelter for processing in NYC (with food, medical services, beds etc) – both of which were available LAST FRIDAY without taxpayer money. Orphanages have been looted in the last 3 days and many have run out of food/water. Due to lack of fuel for cars: orphanages had to trek children ON FOOT as far as 2 kilometers to the embassy – most children UNDER 3 years old, and without any security escort – walking. Now that adoptive children are showing up at the embassy today – there is HUGE bottleneck—and today the state dept will not allow any more adoptive children at the embassy – they have to stay in orphanages w/o food/water. This sounds like hyperbole but it is not.

Our government which has donated millions of dollars to Haiti relief, and has thousands of military personnel on the ground, has an aircraft carrier within 10 miles, is requiring a few hundred small children of its citizens to walk to a non-functional embassy to get out, without military assistance, food or water. Our country which provided half a billion in donation over the weekend can’t get food and water to babies even when we know the exact location they are. We have information from our senators/congressman that this has been pleaded and pushed to the extent that they can; this is confirmed by JCICS. The decision to withhold assistance to these children is from the executive branch of the govt: State Dept, USAID, DOFA. We are powerless to get to them. I believe that this is NOT an exaggeration.

So where are we? On our own, and relying on private citizens and the kindness of Haitians who have YET to leave the orphanages where they worked and search for their own families.

Please continue to keep all of Haiti in your prayers. Please also pray that the children will receive the care they need to preserve their lives and their health until they can come home to their new families. And please pray that someone in authority, with common sense, will over-rule the bureaucracy that is making a hash of this whole mess.

Thank you!

[quidni]

Two stories from the Durango (CO) Herald News:

Durango couple faces agonizing wait for Haitian orphans

Durango doctor heads to Haiti to rescue orphans

[quidni]

another email received today.

Hi --

Susan has asked me to update everyone. My apologies if any details are not quite correct: I have these second- and third-hand. She is currently in Ft Lauderdale awaiting the children and working ceaslessly to get them out. Michael's mother, Grace, is there with her.

The adoption agency has managed to get the ear of an influential person at the White House who is helping push through visas for the children at the embassy in PoP. They have an appointment for 1pm tomorrow to collect them. My understanding is that the embassy has a skeleton staff and is surrounded by hundreds of orphans with very few minders, no food and no sanitation.

Lovie and the others from her orphanage are being held at a safe house near the embassy. I understand they do have at least a day's worth of food and water.

Today Michael took a helicopter and collected Witson. They are both back at the PoP airport. Michael has diahhrea and vomiting. He has not eaten and is severely sleep deprived. He doesn't have any drugs. Until they are able to get out, he and Witson will be sleeping on the tarmac at the airport with no lighting or sanitation. I believe they have a tent but no sleeping bag. Michael says it looks like a war zone.

Susan is currently trying to pull strings to get the visas sorted now, so that Michael can get out today with the two kids. Even if they get the visas, Michael will somehow need to collect the visas from the embassy, collect Lovie from the safe house, and return to the airport, all in a city with almost no petrol and in his poor condition. Susan would also need to be able to secure seats for them on a flight out.

Susan has asked me to contact everyone and ask for their urgent prayers.

To end with a more positive note: they were able to get two children out yesterday, and Susan has also managed to arrange for two travel-seasoned adoptive fathers to fly to PoP to help (I understand they are en route at the moment), and they are carrying further supplies such as water. I do not know if they have any drugs.

Please do not try to contact Susan or Michael unless they ask you to; both need to keep their lines free and open, and Michael at least will have limited power available. Susan is trying to keep everyone updated through Grace or me.

Dona Beth (Susan's sister)

Prayers - not just for my family, but for everyone who is involved in this effort: adoptive parents, the caretakers, the relief workers giving everything they've got of themselves to help others, and the children and citizens of Haiti.