Haiti: six months later: Adopting Watson

Watson is one of 36 children at the Notre Dame Des Victoires headed by 84 year old Sister Marie Veronique in downtown Port Au Prince, Haiti. Watson is a 4 year old boy, who will be 5 in August, who was abandoned by his mother sometime before the earthquake. Now he is in the process of being adopted by a French couple, Alain and Sophie Duporte. The process has taken several years leading up to this trip in June 2010 when the Duportes were able to finally meet Watson for the first time face to face.

The Duportes traveled from France to Haiti with two other couples who are similarly in the process of adopting Haitian children. Each adoption is unique and comes with a different set of obstacles. The Duportes have a week to spend with him at the orphanage so the three can get to know each other. During this time they meet with a Haitian lawyer and with the French consolate who tours the facility with the Duportes. The Haitian lawyer examines the Duportes documents and has them sign some legal papers (all written out in longhand). They know they will be returning to France from this trip without Watson. It could be months longer before the adoption moves along and they can return to Haiti to take Watson home with them.

The organization that is working with the family and with Sister Marie Veronique at the orphanage is called Ti Moun which in Creole means “little person” and used in reference to children. The organization is based in the west of France. I could not find a website for them. Watson leaves behind 35 other children at the orphanage. Some are available for adoption, some are already in the process, like Watson and his future parents Sophie and Alain, and some still have parents who need to be contacted before any adoption can take place. The incident involving American Baptist Missionaries who were accused of kidnapping Haitian children in the wake of the quake this past February has not made the process any easier for hopeful parents like Sophie and Alain.

Any editing comments welcome as I do not know how best to edit this down.