Holt International

Holt is committed to strengthening loving, nurturing bonds between children and their parents. And a few weeks ago in Thailand, children and families attended an event all about this — for World Emoji Day! 😀

Children drew pictures of emojis to help express their feelings, and presented them to their parents. Our partner organization in Thailand educated parents about the importance of expressing their feelings, and showing love and warmth to their children.

“They are not used to expressing feelings toward each other, and there is little time for physical affection like hugging,” our partner staff says. “Some families felt shy about hugging each other. For some, it was the first time they hugged, while others said they hugged each other every day. But what was clear was that there were smiles on the faces of both the children and the parents.”

"I was excited and nervous when I heard that I had been matched with an American family. Because I was almost 16 years old at the time, I could have refused the adoption, stayed in Vietnam and begun my life as an adult right away. I was finally old enough to make some decisions for myself. I didn’t speak much English and I knew it would be difficult, but it was a great opportunity..."

International Children's Day was a huge success! 🥳

Thank you to all of the Holt sponsors who made it an incredible day of parties, cake, presents and fun outings for children around the world.

Could you or someone you know be the right family for Derek?

Derek has strong relationships with his caregivers, teachers and peers. He is a calm, cooperative, tender and affectionate boy. He can be shy at first, but when he feels comfortable, he will take the initiative to make friends. Derek says that he wants to be adopted by a mom and dad one day.

Derek Needs a Family Meet Derek! Derek is 12 years old! He is waiting for a permanent, loving family who has access to educational support.

“Without the support from Holt, I would have no chance like this..."

Charaya is earning her degree is social work, and someday dreams of helping children, like herself, growing up in poverty in Cambodia.

Smart, Confident & Brave Charaya lives in poverty in the Philippines, but today she is earning her degree in social work, thanks to support from Holt donors.

Erdene and her family live in Mongolia’s northernmost province, where herding families continue a traditional way of life — seasonally migrating with their cattle, sheep and goats across the vast plains. Although the nomadic people of this region have existed here for generations, many live in poverty and struggle to provide for their children. Four years ago, Erdene and her family received a donor-funded gift of hope — a gift that would empower Erdene’s parents to work toward stability and self-reliance, and ultimately meet all of their children’s needs. Holt donors gave the family a herd of 20 goats and 28 sheep.

In early May of this year, a team of sponsors, donors and other Holt supporters journeyed to Mongolia as part of our 2024 vision trip. While there, they traveled hours by bus and plane to northern Khuvsgul province, where they visited Erdene and her family and presented gifts of livestock to three additional families...

They Are the Keepers: Supporting Nomadic Families in Mongolia Holt’s vision trip team travels hours by bus and plane to present gifts of livestock to three nomadic families in Mongolia.

Thank you for the incredible support to help children and families devastated by flooding in Manila.

They still need more of the following items:
-emergency food packs
-clean water
-vitamins and antibiotics
-dry bedding

If it's still on your heart to help, now is a great time to give — because there's a $2,000 match that will double your gift to help children and families get through this crisis!

Urgent Help for Philippines Flooding - Holt International Children and families in Manila, Philippines are in urgent need after intense flooding due to Typhoon Gaemi.

Children and families in Manila, Philippines are in urgent need after intense flooding due to Typhoon Gaemi.

Families are living in temporary evacuation centers and must travel by raft through deep water flooding the streets. Homes are filled with dirty water and trash, and families’ entire belongings are covered in mud. Roofs have collapsed due to the heavy rain and winds, and one family’s home was swept away altogether.

Children are in danger of going hungry, and contracting illnesses like typhoid and malaria.

Your gift will provide emergency food packs, clean water, vitamins and antibiotics, first aid and hygiene supplies, clean bedding and more.

GIVE NOW: holtinternational.org/floodhelp

Dina is a loveable 3-year-old who is waiting for a loving, permanent family.

Her caregivers say she enjoys hugs and cuddles, and that she is active, happy, persistent and easy-going.

The ideal adoptive family for Dina will have access to the medical and therapeutic resources to support a child with Down syndrome. As well as lots of love to give!

Dina Needs a Family Meet Dina! This loveable 3-year-old has Down syndrome and is waiting for a permanent, loving family.

The gift of a vegetable garden changed everything for Adanech — empowering her to feed and provide for her family in a difficult time.

“Now It Is Possible For My Family To Live With Dignity” Gifts of hope from generous Holt donors have empowered Adanech to support her family and live with dignity!

Adoptee Libby Van Cleef and her parents, Lisa and Carey Robertson, recently returned from Holt’s first heritage tour of China since 2018! The 24 participants on this year’s trip visited some of China’s most famous sites, including the Great Wall and Summer Palace in Beijing, and traveled to the ancient Chinese capital of Xian and the southern city of Guilin. They also spent the night in a farming village where they learned to make traditional Chinese dumplings. One special part of the journey included an opportunity for each adoptee and their family to spend two nights in the adoptee’s birth city.

Holt’s China Heritage Tour is open to families of children adopted from any province and through any agency. The tour offers adoptees and their families a time to bond and support one another — and at the end of this year's trip, Holt presented each adoptee with a traditional Chinese outfit, called a qipao. Since 1992, Holt has helped to unite more than 7,000 children from China with adoptive families in the U.S.

The director of the Philippines adoption authority (NACC), undersecretary Janella Ejercito Estrada, paddles through the streets of Manila to check on the safety of children and homes in nearby communities.

Manila, Philippines and surrounding areas were hit with terrible flooding earlier this week due to Typhoon Carina.

Our partner in the Philippines, Kaisahang Buhay Foundation, shares that all children and families in our programs are currently safe, either in their homes or in nearby evacuation centers. However, there is substantial damage to homes, loss of belongings and risk of water-borne disease.

We are currently assessing how we can best help the children and families in our programs, and will share updates here as soon as possible. In the meantime, please pray with us for receding floodwaters, and continued safety for children and families in Manila.

Rihanah is an 8-year-old girl who lives with her mother and three siblings in rural Uganda. Her mother works as a farmer and is able to provide food, shelter and protection for her children. But without the monthly support of Holt sponsors, she couldn't afford the cost of education for her children. Recently, Rihanah wrote a letter to her sponsor, thanking them for their support...

“My sponsor, I am so grateful for the support you render to me every year. Thank you for my New Year’s card. My name is Rihanah and I am in primary one. My teacher is Madam Gertrude. I stay with my parents and I like drawing pictures like hut. Thank you for the love and support. My family in Uganda greets you.”

Visit the Holt blog to see a sweet video of Rihanah singing a song for her sponsor when we visited her in 2022! holtinternational.org/thank-you-for-the-love-and-support

Could you or someone you know be the right family for these siblings?

Micah is the oldest, followed by his sisters Masie, Mia, Maddie and Ellie. Their brother Isaiah is the youngest. Holt staff met this sibling group during their February Special Needs Project Trip. We had so much fun spending the day with this sibling group. They were excited to show us their choreographed dance (which we have videos of). The oldest siblings, Micah and Masie, choreographed the dance which earned them 1st place at their center’s talent show!

Micah, Masie, Mia, Maddie, Ellie and Isaiah Need a Family! This friendly and outgoing sibling group of 6 is looking for a family that has access to different therapies.

On National Play Day in Uganda, children in Holt programs jumped rope, built clay sculptures and made woven dolls. And their parents joined in too! This event was more than just a day of fun, but an opportunity to show that play is a critical activity for children, and a tool to nurture deeper connections between children and their parents.

“I was glad to see my mother and other parents play with us!” one child exclaimed.

What a Joy! Holt-supported schools in Uganda invited students and their caregivers to unleash the power of play on the nation’s first National Play Day.

Chickens changed everything for Srey and her family. Read how at the link below!

Thriving with Chickens With the gift of chickens through Holt Cambodia's income-generating program, Srey now meets all of her family's needs.

Holt's child nutrition program team continues to develop innovative resources to help bring better health and nutrition to vulnerable children across the globe! In 2021, the team created a book that social workers can flip through when visiting with families to teach proper nutrition and health practices. The following year, Holt worked in close partnership with the Chinese government to create a Chinese version of the flipbook — distributing it to hundreds to social workers as a tool they can use when meeting with vulnerable children and families living in impoverished rural communities.

Bringing Nutrition and Health Education to Rural China Social workers in rural China have a new tool to help vulnerable children — thanks to a resource created by Holt's child nutrition program.

Could you or someone you know be the right family for Benjamin?

Benjamin is described as friendly, helpful, active, polite and mature. He loves sports and currently plays on his school’s basketball and soccer teams. For his soccer team, he plays outside wing and on his basketball team, he is the team’s shooting guard. Benjamin has close relationships with his coaches and his friends at his care center. When his friends need help – with homework or sports skills – he is always willing to step up.

Benjamin Needs a Family! He is 12 years old and would thrive with a loving family that have already parented older kids before.

Thank you to all of the Holt sponsors and donors who make it possible for these children in rural Ethiopia to attend preschool! Because of you, they are receiving a critical early education in a safe and nurturing environment while their parents work during the day. From all of the children in this program, and all of us at Holt, āmeseginalehu! Thank YOU!

Every summer, families in Mongolia stream out of cities to spend a few weeks in the countryside. It’s a cultural tradition and a chance for families to leave the heat and air pollution in the cities, and enjoy fresh air and sunshine during Mongolia’s brief warm months.

But this is out of reach for families who live in poverty, including the families of children with special needs in a Holt-supported daycare and preschool in Mongolia. That’s why, starting last year, we began supporting a special summer camp for children with disabilities and their families.

These children receive physical and occupational therapy every day at school, but this often comes to a halt over the summer break, as their parents aren’t equipped with the knowledge or training to provide this same therapy at home. But now, parents are gaining the tools to help their children to grow and thrive!

At the camp, physical therapist led sessions about how to loosen the joints in children’s hips and legs, helping children to move and be more comfortable. They also showed parents feeding techniques for children with disabilities like cerebral palsy or genetic malformations, conditions that often impact a child’s ability to chew and swallow properly. Now, those children are safer at home during mealtimes.

Camp was completely free except for the gas needed for families to get there! Families stayed in traditional Mongolian homes called gers at the campsite. The food was provided by staff with training in child nutrition and feeding methods. Support staff from the school gave all-day supervision for all the children who attended.

Families left refreshed, and empowered to take the best care possible of their children.

The warm, thick air smells wonderfully of earthy soil and sweet flowering plants. Black-and-white spotted butterflies flutter through it — catching your eye as you walk, dodging around long-hanging vines and shady fruit trees. But plants aren’t all that grow here.⁠
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Tha Sala Learning Center is a place for children and families to grow, too. Located in an impoverished coastal region of southern Thailand, this three-and-a-half-acre property is a shared garden, summer camp and community center all rolled into one.⁠
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Due to increased poverty, nutrition is a major concern in this area. Many children and families primarily eat instant noodles and prepackaged meals because they’re cheap and convenient. But as a result, children are malnourished. ⁠
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That’s why Tha Sala Learning Center is so important! Families gather here to plant, tend and harvest food — and are empowered with the seeds, tools and knowledge to then do so at their own homes! But in between the gardening work, children also play on the center’s obstacle course, and families grow closer together. ⁠
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Organically grown fruits and vegetables not only provide children with the vital nutrients they need, but when families grow their own food, they also save money they would have otherwise spent at the market. Families have found that a thriving garden can cut their food expenses by 40%! ⁠
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Either in a well-tended plot of land, or in large pots outside of their city home, families are growing peppers, corn, rice, mushrooms, carrots, lemongrass and other nutritious food. Gardening empowers families in Thailand to improve their health, earn an income and achieve great self-reliance! Thank you for supporting this incredible place and these children and families in Thailand.

Could you or someone you know be the right family for Phoebe?

Phoebe is described as a quiet and sweet child. But she is not afraid to tell her caregivers if she wants to do something or not. She recently moved to a different child caring agency that is smaller than her previous one. At the new facility, there is one main caretaker for six children. Phoebe told us she has a favorite caretaker and friend. She also told us she enjoys playing!

Phoebe Needs a Family! She is 7 years old and we have so many photos and videos to share with any prospective families.

The moment a child meets their adoptive family for the first time is full of anticipation, joy and even some nervousness. While it’s not always a fairytale moment, for older children it’s the moment that their years of waiting have built up to — when their dreams of having a family finally come true.

Our partner agency in Colombia films each meeting, or “encuentro,” between adoptive families and adoptees — a forever keepsake to remember a very special day. In the blog below, watch the heartwarming moments that three families are united through adoption!

Encuentro Videos: Older Kids in Colombia Meet Their Adoptive Families Videos of older children in Colombia meeting their adoptive families for the first time. Learn about older waiting children from Colombia!

We hear it again and again from prospective adoptive parents: They want to adopt as young a child as possible.

And it makes sense. The younger a child is, the less trauma they’ve endured, the easier bonding may be for them and their family, the more “firsts” a family will experience, and the more time the child will have to live and grow up in their home.

❤️But the reality is that more and more older children are waiting to be adopted. And they are just as needing and deserving of a loving, permanent family.❤️

They want parents and siblings and a dog. They want their own room or a bicycle or someone to teach them to drive. They want to go to the zoo with their family, have someone to help with their homework and celebrate when they score a goal in their soccer game. Most of all, they want to be loved, and to love in return. To be a part of a family — to have loving parents to support them for life.

Learn more about these amazing older children, how they are the ones to determine whether or not they are adopted internationally, and how older child adoption can be a perfect fit for many adoptive families.

"My dream is to have a family that loves me and be good [to] me." - Max

On a recent trip to Colombia, our adoption team walked into a room in an orphanage to find this message on a white board, written to them from a 15-year-old boy waiting for a family.

You can read Max's full message in the link below. But his final line, shared above, is what we hear again and again from older children in orphanages around the world: Their dream is to have a family.

Older children are some of the most overlooked in international adoption. But older children are just as needing and deserving of a loving, permanent family.

Learn more about these amazing older children, how they are the ones to determine whether or not they are adopted internationally, and how older child adoption can be a perfect fit for many adoptive families.

Older Kids Want to Be Adopted Older kids are often overlooked by prospective adoptive parents, but they desperately need and deserve families of their own.

When Holt’s local partner in Colombia first met Monica, she and her 4-year-old daughter, Yalena, were living in a single room with nothing but a mattress for the two of them. Monica and her husband had recently separated, and he offered no support. Sometimes, her ex-husband’s mother — Yalena’s grandmother — would sneak her some milk and sugarcane for Yalena.⁠
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But many nights, they went without food.⁠
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Then Holt’s local partner visited Monica at her home to share about services available to her and Yalena. At first, she felt unsure of herself and how the program could help her. But “they told me that whenever I was ready, I could go fill out the paperwork and there was always an open door for me,” she says.⁠
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When she got up the courage to open the door, and step inside, a whole new world opened up to Monica. She saw the bright, colorful daycare center where other moms and dads left their children while they worked during the day, and began getting up before dawn to drop Yalena off in the morning. She also began a vocational training program that empowers parents with the skills they need to earn a better income.⁠
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Monica learned how to sew and crochet, attended entrepreneurship classes and developed a business plan. She received a sewing machine to help her start her business, and now earns significantly more money working as a tailor. ⁠
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“With all my heart and speaking for all of the moms who have received help, I would like to give a very heartfelt thanks, and may God bless you today and forever,” she says to sponsors, speaking through the camera. “Because there aren’t people like you in other places. You help us open doors that allow us to support our families. With all my heart, I give you thanks.”⁠
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Visit holtinternational.org/a-whole-new-world to read more of this story originally published on Holt's blog in July 2019.

Happy Fourth of July to you and your family from everyone at Holt!

Could you or someone you know be the right family for Violet?

Violet is a fun kid who’s always dancing. She loves to dance and sing along to her favorite tunes. Violet’s sweet nature is evident to all who meet her. She’s described as a “kind girl who loves animals and makes friends easily.” Her favorite animals are cats and dogs – she’d love to raise a pet with an adopted family one day.

Violet Needs a Family! She is 13 years old! Violet says she would be happy to be adopted by two parents or just a single mom.

In a slum community in Bengaluru, India, two girls stop on their way to school to receive eggs and porridge provided by Holt’s local partner. With the support of Holt donors, families in this impoverished community receive assistance to provide nourishing meals for their children.

July is a great month to start your adoption journey! Join one of our adoption info sessions on July 10th or 23rd to learn about country requirements, parent eligibility guidelines and, most importantly, the children who are waiting for families through international adoption. Each session is held remotely via Zoom and presented by our expert team of adoption specialists who are eager to answer your questions and support you as you take the next step. Register now!

Adoption Information Meetings Considering adopting a child? Attend a free adoption information meeting on Holt's programs, country requirements, parent eligibility and more.