In Les Cayes, Haitian Parents Give DNA in Hope of Finding Children Adopted Abroad 

Some have not heard their child’s voice in twenty, even thirty years.

In Les Cayes, more than one hundred biological parents gathered with a shared hope: that somewhere overseas, a son or daughter might also be searching for them.

As part of the RAPWOCHE / KONEKTE project, led by the Haitian organization Voie d’Espoir in partnership with Dutch nonprofit Plan Kiskeya, more than fifty DNA tests were conducted in a single day. The samples will be analyzed by the U.S.-based laboratory FamilyTreeDNA in an effort to identify potential genetic matches with Haitian-born adoptees living abroad.

For these families, this is not just a scientific procedure. It is a chance at truth.

During the ceremony at La Cayenne Hotel, mothers and fathers spoke about the circumstances that led to separation often poverty, crisis, or limited options. Many described years of silence, unanswered questions, and the emotional weight of not knowing what became of their children.

Since the pilot phase launched in Jérémie in 2024, more than 500 biological families have been registered in a growing database that now covers Haiti’s Grand North, Grand South, and Port-au-Prince. Behind each registration is a story paused in time.

Ysmith Dallemand, whose son and daughter were adopted in France, expressed cautious optimism:
“After so many years, this gives us hope. It means someone is finally listening and helping us search.”

Results may take weeks or months. Some matches may never come. But for many parents present, the simple act of being recognized of having their story recorded and their DNA submitted already represents a step toward closure.

For members of Haiti’s global diaspora, this initiative reflects a broader, often unspoken reality: thousands of Haitian families were separated by international adoption, and many are now seeking reconnection.

Across borders and generations, science is becoming a bridge one DNA match at a time.