By Ron Allen
NBC News correspondent
It doesn't happen often, but sometimes a chance encounter can lead to a story that continues for a couple of years.
I hadn't been on the ground in Haiti for long after the earthquake-- which struck two years ago on Jan. 12, 2010 -- when a producer handed me a piece of paper with a name and phone number on it. Brian Williams had met a young pastor on a flight out of Port Au Prince, who had literally begged him for help. There were about 50 children in a life or death situation. They had survived the quake and been evacuated to a makeshift shelter, where food and water were running out. They were getting little help, because there was so much tragedy and mayhem everywhere.
What's more, many of the children were in the process of being adopted by American families. Some of those parents had flown to Haiti and were desperately trying to get their "almost-adopted" kids out.
All of this hit me at a deeply personal level. My 3-year-old daughter Siobhan was born in Ethiopia. We adopted her when she was just a few months old. I've spent a lot of years covering conflicts and disasters around the world and I've always been struck by the countless number of children I've seen living in such desperate circumstances. I didn't go looking for this story in Haiti, somehow it found me. It all felt a bit odd at first, and so close. But after mulling all of this with a few colleagues, I pressed on. And I'm glad I did.
We ran into a man from Nashville named Mike Wilson. He was frantically trying to rescue two little girls, Tia who was 5 and Naika then 6. Wilson and his wife, Missy, had been trying to adopt them for a couple of years. We followed Wilson for a couple of agonizing days, as he shuttled between the American embassy, the airport and the shelter where his girls were staying. The problem was that the girls were not American citizens, so Wilson couldn't bring them to the U.S. On top of that, Wilson had no proof he was adopting the girls. All of the paperwork was buried under the rubble. Hundreds of American families faced the same dilemma.
It took about a week, but eventually, the U.S. and Haitian governments allowed about 1,100 "almost-adopted" children to leave Haiti, fly to the United States and let their new parents finish the paperwork later. While that certainly sounds like a reasonable thing to do, it was in fact an extraordinary humanitarian gesture that's been compared to rescue airlifts of children during times of war. International adoption is closely monitored because of concerns about fraud and illegal child trafficking.
Since then, we've kept in touch with the Wilsons, a bustling and busy family, now with 5 children. Tia and Naika are adjusting remarkably well to their new life in the suburbs of Nashville. These days they pretty much seem like typical American kids. But of course, they have an extraordinary life story and the Wilsons have a unique connection to Haiti.
The Wilsons work for a Christian non-profit group that does a lot of work in Haiti. They've returned at least a dozen times since the quake, often leading dozens of volunteers recruited from across the United States. Our story on Rock Center is about the journey the Wilsons took during the quake and since then. We met them in Nashville and in Haiti a few weeks back, to see some of the work they're doing. We think its an important story, because these days Haiti, still struggling to recover, isn't in the headlines much. And that's the point and the problem.
Editor's Note: Wat Ron Allen's full report, "Naika and Tia," from Rock Center with Brian Williams:
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Aren't there plenty of childern in this country to adopt , we should do that 1st before we go somewere else to get children.
Just read an article last week concerning the millions of children that are neglected and go hungry each day. It doesn't sound as good I guess writing stories of Americans helping Americans.
We should but the bastard people of this country won't relinquish parental rights to children they put in foster care that they are not only not raising but not visiting.
It is always beautiful when children are saved from starvation and death and given loving families, regardless of their country of origin. Those children couldn't help where they were born. Also, it is extremely difficult and expensive to adopt children in the United States, and there are no guarantees that their birth parents won't take them back in a few years.
I will try to simplify it for you Mike
1) There are no orphanages in the U.S. I will give you a made up scenario: If teenager becomes pregnant usually her family, a distant relative, or close family friend will adopt the baby. (I think this is a good thing)
2) If there is no one that is willing to adopt the hypothetical baby the teenage mom can use a private agency. The couples that apply to adopt babies in these situations pay a very high fee and have to wait a very long time. Just the home visit alone is $1,000 not to mention court fees, attorney fees, adoption fees, private agency fees, and all of the bills clothes etc that couples pay to the teenage mother ( which I also think is a good thing)
3) 90% of all U.S. adoptions are now OPEN adoptions. This means a life long connection to the birth family. You may or may not like this, especially if the birth family is mentally ill--other people love this idea.
4) Lets say you want to adopt from foster care. That is a possibility and it is relatively inexpensive. However, all of the children have emotional, psychological or physical special needs. Please just go to your Children Services county home page and there are lists of children available for adoption. I think this is a wonderful option but not for the faint of heart or first time parent. If you do the slightest bit of digging you will see I am 100% right.
5) There are healthy babies in poor parts of the world with absolutely no families, with no care and NO HOPE. Many of these babies are left to die by the side of the road, a lot of times just because they are little girls. It is not a sin to want to build your family through adoption AND want to save a life.
6) I am a biological mother and an adoptive mother both domestically and internationally. Adoption is wonderful. It is a beautiful way to start a family. After your child is home for about a year you will forget they were adopted. You don't feel any different between your adopted child and your biological child. I can't explain it but its the truth.
7) Adoption needs to be a selfish act...I know that sounds crazy but you can't adopt to save someone you need to adopt because you want to be a parent. Your kid whether adopted or home grown isn't going to care how they came to you. They don't care that you saved them. They are going to give you the same back talk, difficult times as any other kid. THey don't grow up feeling grateful--not really until they have their own kids. :)
thumbs-up
We need to take care of America and the American kids first.
Arieus--no, there are very few children here to adopt, it is a very long waiting process (see above) Yes, definitely take care of American children and put your money where your mouth is---go tutor in the public school, work for foster care initiatives, volunteer for after school programs ( I DO!!!!)
To sit at your computer spouting STUPID LIES like "there are plenty of children here...." is just ignorant. Get to know the actual situation before you post. Yes, we all love America, we all bleed red white and blue.....but for Goodness sake read a little about a subject before you come off looking like a jack @. There are more and more couples becoming infertile, if they want to start a family with a healthy baby it simply makes more sense to go overseas right now. sorry. thats the truth.
A friend of mine has several American foster children - at least one of whom constantly goes around singing about how he wants to cut up and murder people. I think I'd rather take my chances with the Haitian orphans.
Actually there is a shortage of white children in this country to adopt. The waiting list is long especially for people who want infants. So if they can adopt outside the US and help those who need it, who are you to say it's wrong? Children are children no matter where they were born. US children are no better, no worse & not necessarily more deserving!
We were foster parents for 11 years and you're right, there are a lot of children in the states that are waiting for adoption ,but 75% of have huge medical ,emotional or mental problems caused by abusive and negelectful birth parents and "loving relative's.Another 10-15% are over 13 ,this is real life not the movie the Blind Side.We were lucky and got the chance to adopt two sisters that we got as infants that don't have problems. These factsiare why people go overseas for adoption.
That kind of talk my friend is selfish! What matters is that children in desperate need are adopted and cared for. It is less important where they are adopted from!
This always annoys the crap out of me when people says things like "why don't they do it here." I hope you're not another hypocrite who is driving a foreign car and using foreign products in your house (Sony? Honda? Toyota?) On another note, I have a friend who adopted from China because they had several failed attempts here (mother backing out on one and one child was a Native American and they only allow adoptions to Native American families). Regardless, after several failed attempts and several tens of thousands of dollars (not to mention the heartache) later they decided to go to China.
Finally someone with some sense. Stop the selfishness of who is first. We have enough negativity in this world. If someone is doing a good deed rejoice in the moment. There's no need for criticism.
That's great! You should adopt some. Believe me, I tried to adopt from this country. If you would like to have failed newborn placements or adopt a sibling set of 5 from foster care, be my guest. Just because there are needy kids in the US does not in any way imply that they are available for adoption. I ended up going the int'l route and would not trade my kids for anything. To each his own.
Hmmm. I thought I was going to read a story, but it's only an ad for Rock Center!
I knew this tragedy would turn into an immigration amnesty program for haitians.
YOU'RE 100% CORRECT.
I am trying to say this with tact but I know it will elude me, so here goes. Parents that adopt internationally are usually very wealthy. Their children will attend the best schools, the best colleges and go on to be top in their professional fields. They will get the best medical care, tutors, and all of this will be saturated by unconditional love and support. They will usually be raised in a stable two parent household. These children pulled from starvation and the brink of death will be tomorrows top, physicians, surgeons, lawyers. I see it all the time, you are so off base on this particular topic.
The little girl pulled from the streets of India or an orphange in China, yep she grows up to be the American heart surgeon that saves your life when you have that heart attack. sorry its the truth, you might as well embrace it and go adopt :)
Here's little Ms Know-It-All again: You know this for a fact don't you. *Yawn.
Rich class fat-catters may adopt like anyone else but not on such a massive scale as you suggest. Also, in the US the taxpayer absorbs the costs of these kids brought over here by tragedy. Your tax dollars are carrying the load right along with everyone elses. "I see it all the time" --- SOURCES PLEASE! Yeah, didn't think so, you just know it.
*Yawn*...the idiots are out again. EVERY time there is an article even mentioning international adoption the haters come out. If YOU are SO concerned about Americans helping Americans then by ALL MEANS DO IT. That is good and honorable. But quit telling other people where they should be helping. People helping people is the bottom line, not geography!
I happen to have adopted several children from Haiti, three of whom came home, just as these two wonderful little girls did, after the earthquake on humanitarian parole. And hey, Absolutelywrong, these kids were NOT some dole on the public dime. Inform yourself before you spout crap. The ONLY thing that our kids got for free was a ride to Miami on a returning and otherwise EMPTY cargo plane. WE HAVE PAID FOR EVERYTHING OURSELVES. You want to talk about taxpayers absorbing cost let's talk about our defense budget.
The comment about mostly wealthy people adopting is, well, funny. I know dozens if not 100s of families who have adopted internationally and the vast majority of them are not of means, but are regular joes.
Oh, and here's a little thought, since that's all you self-centered people can handle: while kids in the US waiting to be adopted may wait for years, they at least have food, a roof and school, much more than children in impoverished orphanages in the developing world.
PS- Please don't adopt anyone.
Good ! Very few have actually helped an already impoverished country recover and get back on its feet.
Charity begins at home. If these "do'gooders" want to adopt kids, they didn't have to go to Haiti to do it. If God had wanted these kids in the U.S., they would have been born here. I think we have absorbed enough "refugees".
Yup- didn't Jesus say that we should only help others if they are American and let foreign babies starve to death?
Self centered folks like lightning rod believe that
@kpokeefe, Just have to try and ruin a very nice article about people trying to help desperate children. What does the fact that they are not american children have to do with it? They are good people trying to help these kids. Aparently that is just not good enough for you. Try getting off your ass and doing half of the good work that these people are trying to accomplish then come back to make your stupid commments.
No there are not enough children here, Mike. Children in Foster care are placed there by CPS and each state mandates that the parents should get their children back regardless of what crap parents they are.
Yeah, keep dragging anyone & everyone here- the US taxpayer can bear unlimited burdens forever in a land with no jobs
Comments like this make me sick. These children have been adopted by families that have accepted the responsibility to care for them like one of their own. There is absolutely nothing in this story to suggest your precious little tax dollars are going to help these children any more than they do any other citizen. We all benefit from the tax dollars we all put into the system -- be it through income tax, sales tax or whatever. These taxes are used to create the infrastructure that allows society to function -- and we all benefit. In that regard - you are benefiting from my tax dollars, too, so should I resent you for it? What disturbs me the most is that you are offered a story about human beings who have opened their hearts, homes and, yes, their own pocket books to add new members to their families -- and all you see is the possibility born of paranoid fear that somehow this act of love might take something from you. You should be ashamed of you gross selfishness, but I am sure you are not. Grow up. Or better yet, grow a conscience.
You are 'saddened' that I am 'absolutelyright'- love it! Go crawl back into your hole and bury your head in the sand where it obviously is. Deny reality all you want and while you're at it carry a barf bag since you feel sick by hearing the truth. *yawn
Absolutelyright you crawl back into your disgusting mud caked hole. Parents that adopt internationally are usually very wealthy. Their children will attend the best schools, the best colleges and go on to be top in their professional fields. They will get the best medical care, tutors, and all of this will be saturated by unconditional love and support. They will usually be raised in a stable two parent household. These children pulled from starvation and the brink of death will be tomorrows top, physicians, surgeons, lawyers. I see it all the time. That little girl pulled off the streets of China, India or Haiti will be your kids boss or be the one that owns the hospital at which you are being treated for P.S.D ( perpetual stupidity disorder) You are probably a fat lazy old guy sitting in front of an old computer-- That heart attack that is building will be operated on by one of these kids--trust me on this. ;)
Inflammatory comments made on Newsvine are a violation of the code. Grow up please.
and u don't think when u said crawl back into your hole wasn't inflammatory ????
I put it in italics for emphasis because it was inflammatory. Unfortunately, the moderators seem to be ignoring it.
Try adopting from this country before posting comments like that.
Funny, I don't hear the Japanese children having to resort to being adopted by Americans and they have it worse off than Haiti: a record breaking Mw 9.0 earthquake, followed by a monstrous tsunami, with a nuclear meltdown to boot. Yet the Japanese are re-building themselves with civility and honor while Haiti is still waiting for aid.
That's the reason Japan isn't classified as a Third World country.
Japanese have it worst off than haiti ???? WTF ??? are u serious ?
Japan does not allow international adoptions. They have very strict rules on who comes in or goes out of their conuntry. Doesn't mean there are no orphans there or that the country takes care of them.
Japan was not a third world country to start out with when their earthquake hit. They had and have a lot of resources that Haiti still does not have. One way to help children in other countries without adoption is sponsoring them through agencies like Compassion Int. Depending on what agency you go through it costs about $30+ a month which gives the child food, clothing, medical care, an education, and helps the family and community. It is a good way to help if you are not in a position to adopt, but you desire to help children in countries like Haiti.
I personally know this story. I know the family. I can personally assure you that they are not receiving your tax dollars. Also I have a friend who works in the court system and have several friends who have adopted in the states and outside the states. They all say it is easier to adopt from another country than it is in our very own! That is just sad to begin with. And those that try to compare Haiti to other countries need to know that unfortunately the government is so corrupt there is nothing much the people can do but ask for help. Trust me I do work there. If you pay attention to nothing else I say please remember this. Do your homework first before you complain and also go visit a 3rd world country. I promise it will change your life.
If the "Christian" adoptive parents are raising them in the Haitian culture, religion and language, all different from America's, then good. Unfortunately most have taken them into their homes and turned them into future evangelicalizers for the adoptive parents "Christian" religion. I know this from many other stories I have read since the Haitian earthquake and our local news. I put Christian in quotes because I come from a Christian upbringing and the true meaning of Christ is to give and expect NOTHING in return. That is not what is happening in these households. They want to raise them not only to save them, but also to "save" them into the parents religion.
If you not living in a child's country, it is impossible to raise that child in his or her culture. I know white American couples with Chinese children, and they think that sending the kid to language lessons once a week, and taking them to Chinese restaurants is exposing that child to her culture. Nonsense. Culture is human relationships, how one sees oneself in society. You cannot impart another culture if you are not from that culture.
There are 190 other countries that they could go to but don't. Once the Haitians get to Florida we can't get rid of them. Why don't they go somewhere else?
There is so much wrong with this story and its' promotion.
Don't we already have enough illegal mexican brats running around this country? Now we need Haitians? Really? So is the the new in vogue adoption (haitian)? in our area we already went from the chinese girls to the Russian babies. I guess we better prepare for the next influx.....@!$%#ty Haitians.
Humanity at it's best.
Cheesehead, why don't you go back to where your ancestors came from. You are not truly an American.
Yes, Lockandkey. Thanks for the sarcasm. The knuckle draggers have not evolved.
Why are you so insensitive people even positing on this! These are about children and many of us cannot have children! What the stupid thing is people have to get into political crap and pay thousands of dollars to adopt when idiots run around and have children.
Lori idiots do seem to have more children than responsible parents, we dont need more children here, our country already seems overpopulated. Bringing in 3rd world children here just adds to our country's burdens, we just cant keep on growing. Think where that leads. The amount of resources to raise and educate children is tremendous we dont need more, we need fewer.
And, square dude, how many children have you brought into this world through your procreation to "overpopulate" this country and add to our "burdens"? What's the difference if I adopted 3 children from a different country or I procreate 3 "American" kids on my own, there are still 3 more kids using "resources to raise and educate children", their race or country of birth has nothing to do with it.
Now we're truly beginning to show our real colors square. U don't want people u feel beneath u to become your equal. Keep'em down and stay down is your philosophy.
Wilsons,
Don't worry about those people who say you should adopt Americans first. I've found that children are children all over the world. All children in need, need someone. To them it maters not what country they come from. Love is universal and always will be.
Good luck with your family and may each day bring you greater love.
LL
If you can't be the rock, be the ripple.
Good point just the facts.
I ended my last post with one of my favorite sayings. "If you can't be the rock, be the ripple." Apparently a lot people posting to this board have never been either one.
LL
Wow that's deep.
I never cease to be amazed at how an innocuous story about children from Haiti getting adopted turns into rant after rant by the posters in these forums. I suspect that some of you, upon discovering a $5 bill on the sidewalk, would bellyache that it wasn't a $50.
As a human being with a heart as well as someone who absolutely adores children of all races, religions and creeds, I would like to applaud the people who adopt. Regardless of whether they are adopting from this country or another, I respect you and thank you for being a new positive foundation for those children who have known only pain and hopelessness. You are their hero, and they most likely will appreciate you more than your own birth child would because you not only "chose" them, but you went the extra mile to have them brought into your life and home. Thank you for showing them that there really is good in the world and there is a reason to hope.
@ MasterQ ~ I really enjoy the saying that you posted. I just might have to borrow that one. A nice, positive piece of advice.
Wow, a lot of the postings make me wonder...just how many ignorant people are there? Well, i know that's not something anyone could possibly know the answer to, but many of you let us know that there are a lot more than we think. For goodness sakes, they are children, no matter where they came from...AND most of you- your ancestors came here from somewhere else. Why don't you make our lives easier and catch the next plane or boat back there!!
Wow, this is just great. I feel all warm and gooshy inside.
I blame Angelina Jolie. She started this and all the other stars and wanna be stars followed. It became the trendy thing in Hollywood and trickled down to everyday life, people copying celebrities. I guess if celebrities adopted kids that looked like they could be theirs they wouldn't get noticed as much. And desperate Madonna is trying everything to get her career back.