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83 Adopted Haitian Children Arrive In U.S.
Adoption Process Expedited After Haiti Quake
POSTED: Friday, January 22, 2010
UPDATED: 12:59 pm EST January 22, 2010
MIAMI -- More than 80 Haitian orphans arrived in South Florida Friday to begin their new lives with their adoptive parents.The 83 children from an orphanage in Petionville and their new parents were in various stages of the adoption process when the earthquake struck last week. Most of the paperwork was lost in the rubble of the government buildings in Port-au-Prince. Info: How You Can Help
In light of the disaster, the U.S. smoothed the way for the children already in the process of being adopted to come and live with their new parents."Our hearts break for everyone who's still in her country, but we're glad that she's here and she has the opportunity for a future that she didn't have," said one adoptive father.The parents were at Miami International Airport early Friday, exhausted and elated to rewrite the future of their children."We just had to learn that every moment was really fluid. We weren't sure what was going on. We were, but it changed so frequently. But that's OK because what everyone was doing was the impossible," said another adoptive father."I fell down on the floor on my knees and was crying, crying, crying, thanking God, and shaking so hard I could not send an e-mail to all my family. My hands would not type," said an adoptive mother.The children, who have seen lots of heartache in their short lives, showed that they were willing to open up to new people. One of the children, Daphne, was proud to demonstrate her hair braiding skills in the airport terminal.The families also kept in mind the children who were not given the opportunity to come to the U.S. Their leaving opened up dozens of beds in the orphanage, which can now be used for other children who have lost their parents.
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