Adoption

If you are interested in adopting a child or children from Haiti, the first step is to contact a Hague approved agencies to receive information about the adoption process. All families, no matter what country, are required to work with a Hague approved agency to prepare their dossier and help them through the adoption process. Haitian Social Services chooses the orphanage that you will work with in Haiti.  You do not get to choose the orphanage or the child. Here are a few agencies that we have worked with in the past.

American Agencies

Canadian Agencies

European Agencies

Adopting from Haiti & GLA

  • Adoption can be requested jointly by a married and not legally separated heterosexual couple, after five (5) years of marriage and when one of the spouses is at least thirty (30) years old.
  • The age of the adoptive parents may not exceed fifty (50) years for the older of the two (2) spouses  or a single parent at the time of a referral of a child.
  • Both parents must be able to come to Haiti for 2 weeks after a child’s referral.  This is a requirement of the law.
  • Applications from single men and women aged at least thirty-five (35) years of age are accepted.
  • Biological and adopted children in the home are acceptable.
  • If the adoptive parents already have biological or adopted children, the children must give their opinion if they are eight (8) years old or older.
  •  Biological and adopted children in the home are acceptable.The Haitian government requires families to travel to Haiti twice during the adoption process.  Once at the time of the child referral by IBESR (Haitian Social Services) and then at the end of the process to take your children home. 
  • IBESR does not allow same-sex couples to adopt.All families when sending their dossiers to Haiti will be put on a waiting list until IBESR decides that the family matches a child who is available for adoption. The child matched may come from any orphanage authorized to do adoptions. Your matched child might not live at God’s Littlest Angels under the new adoption policies.   
  • IBESR SAYS THAT THEY WILL NOT ALLOW ANY EXCEPTIONS TO THE ABOVE CRITERIA.

Post placement IBESR report form

FAQ about Adoptions

IBESR stands for ” Institut du Bien-Etre Social et Recherches ” in French. In English, this means the Institute of Social Well-Being and Research.

IBESR is Haitian Social Services. The role of IBESR is changing in Haiti. They are the Central Authority for Adoptions. They have social workers that study your dossier to see whether you meet their requirements to adopt a child. They interview biological parents and counsel them on adoption and also family preservation. IBESR now does all of the matching for children and adoptive parents. They have contact with all adoption agencies. They also judge whether your proposed child is a good match for your family. Once the social worker approves, then IBESR gives a Certificate of Authorization telling the courts that they have approved you to adopt your Haitian child.

An adoptive parents cannot be older that fifty (50) years old at time of referral. This means that forty-nine (49) must be the cut off age when sending a dossier to Haiti.

IBESR requires that a family be able to support any child they want to adopt. They will definitely look at your income while GLA looks at your salary to make sure you are above the current Poverty Guidelines put set forth by the US Government. These guidelines serve as the minimum acceptable yearly income for a prospective adoptive family.

There is no set form for your Home Study. It should be an International Home Study which is usually 5 to 10 pages long. Some Home Studies are as short as 3 pages. We have never seen a North American Home Study under 5 pages and most are closer to 10 pages or more.

Your Psychological Evaluation must be done by a psychiatrist or a psychologist. Someone with at least a Master’s degree in psychology who works as a family therapist or counselor is also acceptable. Your social worker can not do your psychological evaluation. A one-page letter addressing your competence to parent an adopted child is acceptable. You do not necessarily need extensive psychological testing with multiple sessions. Usually one session is sufficient.

You will need a Power of Attorney listing your agency’s representative who is in Haiti so that he/she is allowed to do the work for your dossier at IBESR. Your agency will give you this information as you put together your dossier.

IBESR is giving all proposals, and the time line is 1 to 3 years from the time your dossier is submitted to Haitian Social Services. As they become more adept with the process, we pray that this time will speed up and time for proposals will decrease. Right now, it is taking longer because they have all of the children in all the orphanages throughout Haiti to approve for adoption eligibility.

GLA tries to send photos and updates once a month on your child. We do not always have time to answer emails about your child until the updates are sent out. We will try to answer all of your questions at update time. These updates will only be sent to your agency and your agency must communicate all questions to us. IBESR does not allow families to directly write to the orphanage except for things like travel plans.

Once you arrive in Haiti and take your child to be with you, you will need to use your own supplies and clothing for your child. Bring diapers (if needed), shoes, clothing, supplies for bathing, hair supplies, etc. GLA staff or your agency will give you a list of needed items along with sizes closer to the end of your adoption.

Testimonials

Our family was introduced to GLA in 2009 during the process of adopting our son, Cleo, and we have been changed by this ministry ever since. Although we wanted Cleo home the moment we saw pictures of him and his adorable face on DVD, we knew he was getting the best care possible in Haiti. Throughout the past four years we have followed the work of GLA and been privileged to return to Haiti with teams from our church. We are always impressed with the GLA staff and encouraged by the difference they are making in the kingdom of God that reaches beyond the walls of the orphanage into the community, from assisting other orphanages to their school sponsorship program. We praise God for His faithfulness in choosing forever families for the beautiful orphans they care for and His provision for Fort Jacques. God is shining through GLA and we are honored to have a small part in it.
Ryan & Sue
USA
I am a single woman that has always wanted to be a mom. When a relative suggested that I adopt, I laughed it off, but the seed had been planted. After much prayer I began the paperwork. When I traveled toHaiti for the first time and met my son I knew that God had been leading the way, we fit like a glove! When I was finally able to return and bring my son home, who had just turned 2, it was a very emotional time considering it had been a very lengthy process. He was just beginning to speak, but was still able to communicate all his needs to me. He adjusted very well to all the changes he experienced in those first few months. He has been very affectionate right from the first time we met so I knew that he had been given lots of love and attention at GLA. He is a happy, easygoing boy with a great imagination. God blessed me when He chose to make us a family. I am so thankful for the love and care he received while at GLA, as well as the love and care extended to ma as an adoptive mom.
Myrna
Canada
The staff of GLA made the craziest, most frustrating time of my life bearable! While I made my way through the adoption process I was comforted by knowing my son was receiving such great care at GLA. Since coming home when he was 28 months old he has attached and adjusted amazingly well. He is loving, smart, affectionate, and really funny! He loves dinosaurs, balls, and anything that he can ride! He is absolutely the best 3-year-old ever!
Paulette
USA
We can’t say enough great things about GLA. It all starts with the love and care that they provide for the kids in the orphanage. From there it spreads out to the work teams that come to assist and moves on to the parents and families going through the adoption process. Once we were matched with our child, we started receiving monthly updates that included a recap of his activities for the month, his health and at least 3 recent photographs. These updates were like clockwork. We always got them on the last day of the month, and it was something that we looked forward too. It allowed us to see him grow and change even though we were not physically with him. One of the neat parts about our adoption journey was getting to meet other parents that had adopted internationally. All of those parents were amazed that we had this level of updates and communication about our son. The updates from GLA provided us with an incredible level of comfort during the unsettling times of our adoption journey. In both of our trips to Haiti, we had the chance to meet folks that were there on work trips. A handful of the people on those trips had made multiple visits to GLA to volunteer. Knowing that they had decided to return for a additional work trip speaks volumes for the experience that they have. We got to see firsthand the work that they did to help care for the ministry that is GLA. We also got to see how they interacted with and played with the kids at the orphanage. You can tell that it is a highlight for all involved. We have had our son, now 6 years old, home for three months now. From the very beginning, it was obvious to us that GLA had prepared him well to be part of our family. Our return trip to the States was one full of wide eyed amazement on his part. From the very beginning, he was affectionate with everyone that he met. We have had no real issues with his eating or with his sleeping. Also, the time he spent attending school at GLA allowed us to quickly get him involved in kindergarten here at home and that transition has been great. We feel so blessed to have been connected with GLA as our partner in this adoption.
Brad & Leslie
USA
My husband and I chose to form our family through adoption and it has been the best choice we EVER made. We became a family of four with the help of GLA through two separate adoptions. Adoption is not an easy process...from the scrutinizing dossier collection, to the funds needed, to the utter lack of control over the bureaucratic systems of another country, to the waiting, and the waiting and then there was the waiting. I was a different person during the adoption process--not always the best of myself. However, in the end, it has been so worth it. Just today I was commenting to my husband about how far our second son has come in 7 months. When he came to his U.S. home, he was weak, tired, and not really a happy toddler. Now, he laughs, he rolls off of the couch onto pillows in giggles, he plays, and is forming a great imagination. Our first son makes everyone he meets feel special and is a joy. Both needed lots of care upon coming home to us, in spite of the good care received at GLA. One has received physical and occupational therapy, while the other receives occupational therapy. We speak about adoption and skin color often in our home, as well as seek out connections to Haiti and other adoptive families that look like ours. The adoption process is work, as is life after the waiting, but once you fully commit to parent a beautiful child born in Haiti, YOU will forever be the lucky one.
Kent & Kathleen
USA
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