Holt International Children's Services (HICS) is a faith-based humanitarian organization and adoption agency based in Eugene, Oregon, United States, known for international adoption and child welfare. The nonprofit works in thirteen countries, including: Cambodia, China, Colombia, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Mongolia, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, and the United States.[2] This work includes a range of services for children and families including efforts in nutrition, education, family strengthening, orphan care, foster care, family reunification, and child sponsorship.[3] The organization's stated mission is to seek a world where every child has a loving and secure home.[4]
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in recent years , Holt become subject of controversy and sucutry for illegal adaptions and human trafficking of children with false field papers include case of Jeong In[5][6][7][8] [9][10]
In 1954, Harry (1904–1964) and Bertha Holt (1904–2000) were busy raising their six children on a farm near the small Willamette Valley city of Creswell. In addition to farming, Harry ran a lumber company. Bertha, trained as a nurse, was a homemaker and mother.[11]
After seeing a documentary film about "G.I. babies" of the Korean War in orphanages in Korea, the Holts decided they would adopt some of the children who needed families.[12] Harry began preparations to go to Korea, and Bertha asked a friend how to go about adopting eight children from another country. Learning that it would be possible only if both houses of Congress passed a law allowing it, Bertha Holt decided to push for such a law.[13]
Two months later, the "Holt Bill" was passed, and in October 1955, Harry Holt and eight children arrived at Portland International Airport. The resulting publicity stirred interest among many families in the United States. The Holts set about helping others to adopt, leading to the creation of the foundation. [14]
in recent years, the Holt agency was accused for illegal adaptations with Brothers Home between 1970s and 1980s where Peter Moller, an adoptee from Denmark learned his mother was alive and demanded inquiry of illegal adoptions between 1960 and 1980s to Truth and Reflection commission, Adam Crapser who adopted into an abusive home, discovered his citizenship was illegal.[15] the agency under fire when in 2014, when a 3-year-old Madoc Hyunsu O'Callaghan was murdered by his adoptive father Brian O'Callaghan prior of adoption, Hyunsu's foster mother asked Holt to adopt Hyunsu as her son but it would't allow and his adoptive father hide PSTD during screening test [16] [17] and in 2020 16-month-old Jeong-in was murdered by her adoptive parents after Holt matched them and death of Sherin Mathews in Texas which Indian government suspended ties with the agency
