HoltInternational
CHILDREN’S
SERVICES
Mission Statement
Holt International Children’s Services is dedicated to carrying out
God’s plan for every child to have a permanent, loving home
through family preservation, in-country adoption, and international
adoption.
Motto
“Every child deserves a home of his own.”
—Harry Holt, founder, 1956
Who We Are
• Holt International is a private nonprofit organization, tax
exempt under IRS 501(c)(3).
• We are headquartered in Eugene, Ore., at 1195 City View, with
branch offices in Little Rock, Ark., Portland, Ore., Sacramento,
Calif., Omaha, Neb., and Trenton, N.J.
• Our programs assist children in Bulgaria, China, Ecuador,
Guatemala, India, Korea, Mongolia, the Philippines, Romania,
Thailand, Uganda, the United States, and Vietnam. In the past
Holt has also served children in Bangladesh, Belarus, Brazil,
Cambodia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras,
Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Russia, Taiwan, and Ukraine. Holt
serves children in these countries through a network of partner
agencies, including some that Holt has helped establish.
• Our services to children and families include direct child care,
abandonment prevention, family rehabilitation, family reunification, domestic adoption, international adoption, foster care,
medical support/therapy, nutrition services, child development
programs, daycare, student sponsorships, and unwed parent
services.
Holt’s Founding
In 1955 Harry and Bertha Holt of Creswell, Ore., wanted to help
children who were suffering in Korean orphanages in the aftermath of the Korean War. At that time Harry operated lumber and
farming businesses, and the Holts had six birth children. The
Holts’ Christian conviction that children needed families led them
to adopt eight Korean children, an act requiring the U.S. Congress
to pass a special bill. After Harry returned to Oregon with their
eight children, the Holts wanted to help the children who remained
behind. Harry returned to Korea in 1956, and Bertha began coordinating adoptions from her home in the United States. Bertha
Holt’s book The Seed From the East documents these events.
While serving children in Korea, Harry died of a heart attack in
April 1964. For more than 35 years afterwards Bertha continued
to lead the organization in pursuit of the dream that every homeless child will receive a loving family. Bertha Holt passed away
July 31, 2000, at the age of 96, and Holt International continues to
pursue the dream of a home for every child.
Highlights of Holt’s History
1955—Harry and Berth Holt adopt eight Korean children in the
aftermath of the Korean War.
1956—The Holts establish the organization that became Holt
International Children’s Services.
1961—Harry builds a home and training center for disabled children at Ilsan in Korea.
1966—Bertha Holt is named the U.S. “Mother of the Year.”
1975—Holt safely airlifts nearly 700 children out of Saigon,
Vietnam, shortly before it fell to Communist forces.
1979—Holt sends a delegate and observer to a United Nations
conference on international adoption and foster care.
PO Box 2880 • Eugene, OR 97402
541.687.2202
www.holtinternational.org • info@holtinternational.org
Holt Fact Sheet 2002
1992—Holt participates in representing the United States at the
conference to establish The Hague 1993 Convention on
Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of
Intercountry Adoption.
1996—Holt celebrates its 40th anniversary by holding an international adoption conference.
1999—Holt helps organize the first Gathering of the First
Generation of Korean Adoptees in Washington, D.C.
2000—Holt helps organize the first Reunion of the First
Generation of Vietnamese Adoptees in Baltimore, Md.
2002—The late Bertha Holt is inducted into the National Women’s
Hall of Fame.
2002 Program Statistics
• 2,248 children at risk of abandonment were reunited with or
were able to remain with their birth families thanks to support
in 2002 from Holt and our partners (family preservation).
• 1,039 homeless children were placed in loving adoptive families in their birth countries (in-country adoption).
• 977 children from overseas found homes with adoptive families
in the United States through Holt (international adoption).
• 168 children with special needs were placed with parents in the
United States. These children had disabilities, had medical
conditions, were more 5 years of age, or were part of sibling
groups.
• 47 children in the United States were served by Holt’s U.S.
Programs. Of that, we helped place 21 children into permanent
families and provided services to 133 adoptive and birth families.
• 14,672 families overseas were served through family preservation, adoption, and assistance programs.
• Overall, 41,967 children overseas were cared for by Holt programs.
• More than 60,000 children worldwide have found families
through Holt and its associated agencies since 1956.
• More than 36,000 children have been adopted internationally
by U.S. families through Holt since 1956.
Finances
• Holt’s finances are audited every year.
• Holt’s annual financial statement is available upon request.
• 85 percent of Holt’s expenses in 2002 were for programs that
benefit children.
• 15 percent of Holt’s expenses in 2002 were for Management
and General, and Fundraising.
• Holt’s expenses in 2002 were $18.9 million.
• Individual donors contributed more than $4 million to Holt in
2002.
Organization Membership
Council on Accreditation (accredited in 1998 and again in 2002)
Child Welfare League of America
Children’s Charities of America
Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
InterAction
Joint Council on International Children’s Services
North American Council on Adoptable Children
Advisory Council on Intercountry Adoption
The Collaboration to AdoptUSKids