Eagle Mountain family hoping to bring Haitian children home

EAGLE MOUNTAIN — David Aitken finally has a chance to bring the three Haitian children he is adopting home to Utah.

First, however, his soon-to-be son Fabrice, 8, must be reunited with other children under the care of the Hope for Little Angels of Haiti orphanage. That won't be easy.

For the time being, all Aitken can do is wait and hope that plans set in motion in Utah will bring his Haitian family together soon.

"Right now we are on pins and needles," the Eagle Mountain resident said.

Aitken and his wife, Candice, started the adoption process in November 2008, after he visited the poverty-stricken country and came home with a vision.

"Once you go over and see them and spend some time with them, it's very easy to fall in love with them," he said.

First, Aitken, chief executive of HIT Web Design, convinced his company to sponsor the Hope for Little Angels of Haiti orphanage, matching employee donations each month. The Provo company is now the primary sponsor for the 68 orphans under the care of Hope for Little Angels, sending about $4,500 a month to the country.

Then the Aitkens decided to adopt Fabrice, along with 5-year-old Merlande and 4-year-old Nerlande, to add to their family of five.

Aitken has visited the country several times to be with the children, taking his family with him on the most recent trip. "They are absolutely a part of our family now," he said.

So when Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano announced humanitarian parole for eligible Haitian orphans, Aitken saw a chance to bring his children to Eagle Mountain sooner than he had hoped — and to get them out of a situation that threatens their health and safety.

"We feel exactly how you would feel if your kids were away from you during a major earthquake," he said. "All the people who are going through this are feeling the same way."

The Aitkens rely on "short and spotty" e-mails from Harry Marde, an LDS Church bishop who works part time for the orphanage, to keep them up-to-date with what is happening with the orphans. They're hoping that Marde will be able to bring the children together in time for them to leave the country together.

When last week's earthquake hit, Hope for Little Angels was in the process of moving from Carrefour to better quarters to the north in Port-au-Prince.