Holt International Children's Services

Luisa, the director of our Mongolia adoption program, is headed to Mongolia next week to meet and assess children in this new program! She’ll sit down with each child one-on-one, and get to know them and their specific needs to help assess the best adoptive family to match them with. One of the best tools she’ll use in this process is… TOYS! Art supplies, action figures, balloons, card games and more will help a child feel comfortable and at ease while they talk together. And at the end of each session, she’ll gift the child a goodie bag so they know just how special they are. Below is her Amazon wish list of items she still needs for these assessments. Please take a look if you’d like to be a part of her trip, and a part of helping to find the right adoptive family for each of these amazing kids. But please give soon, so the toys are delivered before she leaves on June 17!

Read this month's updates from Holt programs around the world! Highlights include a World Library Day celebration for children in India, TBRI® parenting workshops for parents in Colombia and more!

We have several free, online adoption info sessions coming up this month, join us for one for a commitment-free way to learn more about international adoption!

Holt President and CEO Dan Smith recently returned from a trip to Colombia. While there, he got to meet a special group of siblings awaiting adoption and visit one of Holt's local partners, FANA, which is working tirelessly to help children thrive. "I lifted 6-year-old Carlos up off the paved basketball court, just high enough so he could reach the rim. As I looked up at him, the smile on his face said it all — his first slam dunk! As we visited Foundation for the Assistance of Abandoned Children (FANA) our partner child caring agency in Bogotá, I learned we’d have an opportunity to meet with and play outdoors with some children. I didn’t do so well on the soccer field, but I was more than willing to join kids on the basketball court. I started shooting hoops with a group of children, who I learned was a sibling set of five — Carlos and his siblings."

"What is the one thing you want to tell parents starting the adoption process, and how would this advice have impacted your adoption journey?" This is the prompt for our Adoptee Scholarship Contest this year! This scholarship contest is open to ALL adoptees, domestic and international, adopted through any agency. Three winners will be awarded $700 apiece to put toward the educational pursuit of their choosing. We encourage you to interpret the prompt creatively — either through a self-portrait, an essay, digital art, a zine, a song, original choreography, poetry, a short film or any other form that inspires you! For non-essay submissions, please include a brief artist statement describing your piece in 200 words or less. Submissions are due by June 1, 2024, and will be evaluated by a panel of judges made up entirely of other adoptees. Learn more!

This year's China Heritage Tour is coming up this year from June 16-29 — come join us! Holt’s China Heritage Tour offers adoptees and their families the opportunity to experience the rich culture, customs and history of this ancient land, traveling from big cities to rural villages. Over 12 days, participants will visit famous sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum, and enjoy a rare glimpse into China’s countryside, by visiting farming villages and taking a bamboo-raft trip down the Yulong River. Families also have the chance to participate in hands-on cooking classes and learn to make traditional Chinese dumplings and other dishes. Whenever possible, adoptees have the opportunity to visit their adoption cities, former orphanages and/or sites significant to their adoption story. They may also meet the people who touched their early lives before they joined their adoptive families in the U.S. The China tour is open to families adopted from any province and through any agency. Learn more!

This International Women's Day, empower women around the world with a gift uniquely suited for their needs! #IWD2024

Happy International Women's Day! Today and every day, we're proud support strong women around the world who persevere to complete their education, raise their children and support their communities. 🌍 #IWD2024

Holt Cambodia's program manager sent a heartfelt thank you to Holt sponsors and donors that we wanted to share: "2023 has not been an easy year. The economic crisis, high inflation, increase in food price, reduction in or loss of family incomes, family debt, and health problem have impacted the life of children and families. Children who are orphaned, abandoned or at serious risk of separation from their family are in need of our services more than ever. But because of you, 2023 became a year of success although there are many challenges. Your contribution enabled Holt Cambodia to support the children and families in the program to overcome difficulties during this challenging economic situation. Moreover, your contribution made it possible to meet the needs of children and families in the program, including food, nutrition, basic medical care, hygiene, protection, education, proper shelter, and nurturing care of their family or caregivers. I couldn’t say thank you enough for your generous sponsorship, which not only helps your sponsored child thrive but also makes a positive change to the lives of thousands of children and families in Cambodia in 2023." ~ Ung Pola, Holt Cambodia Program Manager

Holt sponsors and donors had a huge impact in 2023! Nutritional support is one of our most transformative programs, providing growing children with the nutrition they need to focus in school, reach their developmental milestones and have the energy to play!