FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions by Prospective Adoptive Parents

Once a family is matched by the Aloha House Director, and the family has accepted the child, they will prepare for our REQUIRED 3 DAY minimum visitation and bonding. This information will help you in your preparation.

Can we, the Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) write the Children's Home where our prospective adoptive child (PAC) lives?

The Inter Country Adoption Bureau (I.C.A.B.) allows an adoption agency to forward e-mails from the PAPs to the child caring agency -Aloha House (AH).

Can we send a gift or toys?

Yes, a gift such as a book or a clothing piece is fine. You may send your PAC a washable toy that will not harbor mold, no stuffed toys or cloth toy items please.

Can we send pictures?

Yes, we recommend that you send one larger, high quality JPG format picture via the internet for your PAC to familiarize himself with you. It should be both parents together, a face shot, close up, with big smiles. He will have it posted on the wall and be trained to point at you, when asked, "Where's your mommy and Daddy?" You can also send up to 12 smaller jpgs (30K each). We will use them in a slideshow on our computer to familiarize your PAC with your family, house and friends. 

Can we send a video?

In addition to a good picture, we highly recommend a 10 minute video narrating your PAC's future home, bed room, yard, pets, etc. The PAPs should be talking into the camera. "Hi, Jimmy, I am your daddy, this is your bed room. Jimmy, look over here, this is your truck..." A DVD in NTSC or PAL formats are allowed. You could also e-mail a Quick Time movie format.

If you are sending a toy (see above) you can "give" it to your PAC in your video. Then we will present it to him the first time he views the video, if it's not too much logistics for you it is a nice touch.

You should use DHL for shipping as a first choice, otherwise FEDEX. A big photo can also be included in the video if you want to go deluxe, we put parents pictures up on the wall where the child can touch it.

How long must we stay?

ICAB has it's own requirements. Aloha House requires 3 days in Palawan for successful bonding. More days are better, 3 is the minimum.

Where will we stay?

Our family room is available on the second floor if you want to be in the middle of the action! It sleeps six: a queen bed, one bunk for 2 and a pull out sofa bed that sleeps 2. We can always book rooms at a local hotel if people need more privacy. You have to book on line for our family room when you finalize your dates:

http://www.be3.com/en-us/asia/philippines/palawan/aloha_bed_and_breakfast.html?Cur=USD

When we have advance notice, we can access a corporate discounted booking for our PAPs at Legend Hotel, if you book through us. They even stock the same crib that our children sleep in and make it available in your room. They also have hotels in Manila if you like seamless accommodations. We can book both locations for you. Check out The Legend Hotels for tourist options also.

If we decide to change his name, what would be your recommendation on how to start getting him familiar with his new name? What has been your experience with that process?

About half of our adoptive families change the name of their child. If you already know the name, we can start using both his old and new name till you come. Then, after you are home and settled to his normal routine, you can drop the old name. Too much change at once is hard to manage, young or old! Add punctuation to make sure we pronounce the new name properly, as the alphabet is different here.

Can we bring something for Aloha House?

Yes, our care package needs are as follows:
-*Care Package Current Needs*-
bibs w/pouch
cloth diapers
small shoes for toddlers
sandals for toddlers
training pants
plastic panties
washable development toys (no stuffed animals)
cough and cold meds for babies
diaper rash ointment
Batteries: Rechargable AA bateries and regular D, C and AAA

If you want to send items the best way is through a BALIKBAYAN box. It is the least expensive method to send items to the Philippines and is duty free. They are called LBC, ATLAS SHIPPERS, and DHL. Do not send through regular mail or shipping, as customs will not allow it's release without "special" fees. You can ask them for box dimensions. They sell you the first box, then each time you ship a box they give you a free box for the next shipment . There is no limit for weight as long as you have the right box dimensions.

When you send boxes thru a Balikbayan system, please use this address:

Keith and Narcy Mikkelson
C/O Aloha House Orphanage
Mitra Rd., Santa Monica
Puerto Princesa City
5300 Palawan
PHILIPPINES
(Tel. No. 048-434-6011)

Can we bring something for the staff?

Yes, but money is not appropriate for the staff. You can show your appreciation to the care givers, cooks, gardeners and social workers with simple thank you cards and a small token of appreciation. Chocolate is always welcome. If you are from Wisconsin, you can bring cheese.

Is there malaria danger to us?

This is the tropics, please consult your physician. The cities are considered low risk.

Are there other dangers we should consider?

Yes. Please heed your embassy's instructions and be alert when you travel. The founder, Mr. Mikkelson has lived in Palawan since 1998 and feels safe, but there are no guarantees, so be wise when you travel.

What is the climate there?

Tropical, warm and humid. You might want some casual travel wear when you come.

New E-Book "Practical Adoption Advice"

I recently bought this e-book and think it would be helpful for those thinking of going through the process. It is a downloadable E-book for Adoptive Parents. How to go through the process and enjoy it! It may be helpful for people seeking to adopt.

This new E-Book "Practical Adoption Advice" can help make adoption less difficult...

Click Here!

The Farm

Life on the farm is good. We are reporting great yields and enjoy eating our own produce. We have lots of papaya and tomatoes as well as many other vegetables, fruits and herbs. Even the goats are happy grazing and growing the way God designed them.

Our mega-papaya system is getting a lot of interest from local farmers and we will start the training when we return end of month. We have many seminar sign-ups and interest in our book on Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropics. We hope to print a color version when we return also.
A 10 lbs. Papaya is posing with our organic Tundan banana, the most delicious banana available on the planet. Naturally grown foods are more nutritious and always taste the way food used to be...


The book is called A Natural Farming System: Sustainable Agriculture in the Tropics and is available in the US at www.lulu.com/mik

Visiting Placed Children

We were able to visit some of the children we placed into permanent homes this trip. We saw two of the little girls and a boy that are now loved and secure in their families. What a joy it was to see them de-institutionalized and able to bond to their own mommy and daddy.

One is living with her Christian parents in a great area of the country. Her mommy is a Filipino! They came to see us while we were near by. The child seemed to remmember Archie the most.




We posed with the whole family and it was a good day for us. We were encouraged by the progress of all the children we were able to visit.





Another is adjusting well and loved by two solid Christian parents who are guiding his future. He has lots of energy and enjoys sports and outdoor activities and does school work too.




Archie and him were old play partners and enjoyed getting to see eachother again. They were able to wear eachother out a little also...




Another new family. She still recognized us and was very friendly. She likes her new home and loves her mommy and daddy.

Manila Edition II

Metro Manila is one of the largest, most crowded, dirtiest, worst traffic cities on the planet. With 10 million people and only 1 million jobs, it is a place of great despair. But despite it all, most are oblivious to the poor quality of life and would not dream of living in the provinces. A world calss city with world class poverty.

And the people keep coming to settle and try their "luck" in the city. A few thousand people move here every day. Usually their skill set is limited and they can't compete in the job market they dreamed of. They don't find a niche. They end up with few options. Of course at $1.00 per day you can recycle the waste from the middle classes. These school teachers, office workers or government employees earn about $300.00 per month and are a wealth of waste, with their plastics, styro foam boxes and paper wraps from their expensive $2.00 lunches. The hard working father can even support 2-3 children if he hustles his cart.

The traffic, smog and pollution become secondary in the daily task of getting a bus, finding parking or going to the air conditioned Mall. As each one pursues a career path they are sold a coping mechanism. It is marketed endlessly throughout the day on giant bill boards and droning electronic devices. Good cell phone reception and lots of movie and restaurant choices are some of the reasons they tell me "Manila has it all."

The tricycle is one of the best inventions for overcrowding. It allows up to 5 people to load up the 100cc Motorbike for economical transport. Getting one during rush hours or during a rain storm takes the fun out of it, but it can get through crowded streets that taxis and buses could never manage. And the growth will continue. As national government keeps propping up it's economy and printing more money, they strive to put the best press forward and suppress the rest. The building is very aggressive, with prime locations growing vertically at the expense of the infrastructure. Many multinationals are pulling out because of recent economic upheavals and political unrest. A recent rating put the Philippines as one of the most corrupt countries in the world. We've finished our necessary trip. We are glad to be going home to Palawan. And we are glad we can match our children at ICAB for adoptive families that will bring opportunity to the Filipino in years to come. And Manila just grew by a few more thousand today.

Manila Edition

We are here matching babies to parents and will be at ICAB Tuesday for the presentation of our picks. We just returned from an ABSNET Consultation with the DSWD. The Area Based Standards Network is helping Welfare agencies to get registered and licensed with the government. It is illegal to take children into your home and give them permanent care without proper monitoring. That's how many of the children end up getting abused. Narcy shared with a cabinet member of the president, the Under Secretary of the DSWD, as well as other presidents and directors of caring agencies and NGOs.

Anyone willing to help children have lots of options. But you have to file your intentions. Narcy's the President of ABSNET Palawan. They give you the starter pack and all the steps up front. You are required to at least be a licensed foster parent to take in children. That's how Narcy and I started out. Then we developed a local board of directors and incorporated Aloha House Inc. as a non-profit, non-stock, charitable mission with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Next we pursued licensing by developing an manual of operation, hired a social worker to monitor the paper work and develop care plans for the children. We were ready to license in one year and then pursued accreditation. That is a higher standard with more scrutiny of your paper work, case management and caring facility.

Archie was there and took copious notes in techni-color. He was able to sit through some of the boring stuff and do his work from the travelbox his grandpa made him in Seattle. It's full of little cars and papers and colors as well as a few bugs! We also toured the area and shot lots of video, so we had fun. It was good to see the government delegating some the responsibility of accountability to the private sector. We are more in tune and available to help the new organizations and spot the fakes trying to exploit the tribes, children, and elderly. People that want to help are always grateful for ABSNET guidance and coaching. And this consultation was just the first after two years of implementation of Administrative orders. Others will follow. It was worth the side trip to Lucene and I'm really proud of Narcy and the ABSNET leaders from around the countries.

Inter Country Adoption

We are in Manila undergoing matching at ICAB. Archie and I checked the farm before we left. We will miss the open space and clean air. Our legumes are doing so well now. Archie bikes through the garden between the rows.

We spend lots of time reading and note taking at ICAB. Each child gets matched to pre-approved families. We will be looking at a list of 200-400 names, to find the best family for our guys. We read the case studies and background reports to determine the best family for our children. Some need siblings, others might not do well with pets, etc. We prefer full time moms who will be available for bonding, catching up with the child is important because they are one or two years old already.

We took a one hour flight and were able to meet the captain. That's Archie's favorite part of the trip. Air Philippines is a safe choice, but we always study the emergency cards. "Daddy,when do we get to ride the jump and slide?" Narcy finds Archie's questions amusing. At six years old and learning to read, we are constantly amazed at the active mind of our adopted son. What a blessing he is to our family. God intervened in his life and placed in a family that loves him and nurtures him. That's our job.

We also have a 3 day meeting to go to for the Area Based Standards Network. Narcy is President of our chapter and leading the nation in our region, I will be presenting a report on accomplishments for the Network. We will try to post again this week on our progress. We have some side trips planned to a farm and orphanage too.