Susana,
Can you give us more details on what happened or what will or could happen to the children. I sure hope it does not delay the adoptions still in process.

I find it interesting that the Primavera raid happened at the same time an article was published in the Prensa Libre regarding the CNA and children's homes. Basically, the article stated that none of the children's homes have filed their paperwork to become certified nor have they passed the inspections. What the CNA fails to mention is that the paperwork required to become a certified children's home is enormous. The CNA offers no technical support to the homes that might not have people who can handle the amount of paperwork and details required by the CNA. The paperwork for Semillas de Amor has been in process since the CNA first started accepting applications. We have completed everything. Our 222 pages for the ministry of education (which is part of the CNA application) was returned to us and we have made corrections and resubmitted the application. I swear, this application is like doing a thesis.

The CNA has been to our new place twice. They have complimented us on our new children's home and even took pictures of our smoke detectors. And at the same time I was meeting with the ministerio publico who said there was talk that the children were suffering because we had no electricity. That is true, no electricity yet, but we do have a powerful propane generator that runs 8 hours a day and our kids are not suffering as they run and play on 4 acres of land.

Just when I was starting to have some faith in the CNA this article comes out. And then a raid on Primavera. Where in the world did they think those kids were going to be adopted to? There are NO adoptions, not international or national. We completed one national adoption but that adoption took almost a year.

At Semillas de Amor we have been looking at our future and what direction we will take. Although we have worked so hard on our application we most likely will not do any adoptions even when they open up internationally. The harassment and constant criticism by the PGN, MP, CNA is just too much. Our goal has been to take older kids and help them find families. Keep the kids long enough to be able to get a good sense about them, their history before they are adopted. But personally I know I could never take another year like I have been through. So we will most likely move toward our school for the kids in Parramos. We still have 15 children without parents and once those children are placed then I suspect we will not take anymore children. We would not even be filing for the CNA certification if we didn't have 15 kids we have promised families. Many of these kids are older kids and do have families wanting to adopt them.

Sadly, the CNA may just get pulled right into the same sad state as the PGN and MP. This makes me so sad for the kids.

Kevin,

On April 7th., early in the morning, the two hogars that Asocicion Primavera sponsors, one in zone ten and the other in the city of Palin, as well as my home and my offices, were raided simultaneously by the District Attorney and the PGN forces in an operative that lasted five hours, with at least one hundred men and fifteen police cars. The purpose was to locate a girl who "looks like a girl that was stolen" more than two years ago and who has some resemblance to a girl who used to be at Primavera, until last January when she left with her American adoptive parents. Such girl went through an abandonment process, her pictures were in the newspapers as part of the attempts to locate her relatives and her adoption was long and full of roadblocks. Just the recording of the adoption took two months, because the RENAP director in her hometown did not know how to record an adoption.

After a very thorough search of all the places, the authorities were ready to leave, taking with them a computer of my offices, when the people raiding the Palin hogar decided to remove the children from the premises. All those children are there by court orders. A warning of the Primavera lawyers that charges against the DA and the PGN would be pressed discouraged them from doing it, but not before leaking misinformation to the press about the “rescue of nine children”.

All the children of Asociacion Primavera are were they are supposed to be in both hogars, safe and sound, and the PGN does not have custody of the children, as they are under the legal custody of the Primavera director, confirmed by the judge of Childhood and Adolescence of Escuintla. The adoptions of the children who were grandfathered continue its legal process towards their approval and finalization.

Asociación Primavera is an NGO who is allowed to have homes for children in all the territory of Guatemala, not only in Guatemala City, so it is not true that the hogar in Palin is a clandestine hogar. The purpose of the hogar in Palin is to shelter those children who have been abandoned and their process of abandonment is still at the Escuintla Court. According to people who have visited both Primavera hogars, they are very clean and nice, the caregivers are wonderful and the children are very well cared for. It is not true as some of the newspapers state that the lack of hygiene prompted the authorities to remove the children from that place and even worse, to state that the children “were rescued”, when they remain at the hogar that has been their home for a good part of their lives. The media should check their sources and do not rely on biased informants who feed them lies.

Susana Luarca, Guatemala City.

My daughter lived at Primavera for over a year and I had visited several times and spent lots of time at the hogar. It is a very clean, nice and a loving home for the children. My daughter was so well taken for, learned a lot for and you can tell she was loved on constantly.
Thank God and Susana Luarca for Primavera and for protecting these children.

Nancy Bailey,

I'm very impressed with your mission to place older children. You said that you keep them long enough to get a sense of their history. That is wonderful becuase many people shy away from older children because they are afraid. I was strongly discouraged by a woman with a PhD in psychology who gave our adoption class to not adopt an older child, otherwise, I would have adopted an older child.

Nancy, we all do what we can do. If we try to do more than we are capable of, we end up breaking.

Kindest Regards, Cheryl

These media reports re: the care given to the children at Primavera are completely false! I have been to the Primavera GC hogar six times over two years. We ALWAYS found them to be clean and bright; and the children VERY well cared for!!

My daughter was also at Primavera although we never visited I know my Daughter had the very best care. Our Daughter came home 8 days short of her 2nd Birthday and I know it's because of the loving care she was given that she adjusted so well with us. I thank God for Susana who cares deeply for these children. These children need her and I respect her with all my heart. God Bless you Susana.

Kathy and Dan

Both of my daughters were cared for by the wonderful Nineras at Primavera, one for a long time and one for a short time. I was there twice. I can not say enough good about those women! I am so thankful for the care and good start to life given by these wonderful ladies. Primavera is a nurturing, clean and safe place. How frightening it must have been for those dear children to have so many strangers around for five hours! I am so sad that the children had to experience this!
Peace,
Lizzie
Proud Mama to Anarosa and Migdalia

My wife and I have been to both of Susana's Hogar's and let me tell you both of them are very neat and clean. The staff is wonderful and our son just loves them. Whenever one of the caregivers picks him up he grins from ear to ear. The love these people show for the children is amazing to see as our son has thrived under their care. We also thank God for Susana and her staff, God bless you all.

Scott and Lorinda

I have been to both Primavera homes(Palin and GC), and was so grateful for the wonderful care that our son has received. I will never forget our visit to Palin. Our son was a little over a year old, and a very proud nanny was so excited to show us how he was starting to walk. She spoke no English, and we speak almost no Spanish, but the love in her eyes needed no translation.

It is very safe to say that the reports in the newspapers about "hygiene" concerns were a bunch of made up lies. Then again, I have never actually come across a newspaper report on an orphanage raid that contained anything resembling the truth.

Stay Strong Susana!

Lo & Scott

To Nancy and Susana,
Thank you both for the update. I think it is sad that the newspapers and the Government powers that be in Guatemala can not report the truth. It is the children that suffer in the end and it seems that no officials in Guatemala can see that. You both are in a very tough place and are on the front lines. I can not imagine what you all have faced in the last year and most likely in previous years. It seems that Guatemala has thrown the baby out with the bath water instead of prosecuting those that have truly committed illegal and corrupt adoptions.

Susana,

Are there American couples attached to the children in the Home in Palin?

It sounds like on the one hand there is a process of being declared abandoned, but that also, the children are in process of being adopted.

If that adoption is far enough along, it seems that the CNA and the Embassy have committed themselves to getting the in process adoptions finished. Were they involved at all in the raid?

Thank you for the update Susanana. This is what I feared is that the PGN and MP will continue to have the power to raid children's homes and put the children's lives and futures in jeopardy. I had hoped, with the Hague and the CNA, that we would no longer be dealing with the PGN and MP.

I am sorry Susana that you, your staff and especially the children have to go through such insanity. At Semillas de Amor we have spent the last year fighting a battle that has damaged so many people and the worst is holding up the children going to their families.

After reading your post Susana it is so clear to me that I cannot continue to work as a children's home and we will move forward to begin the school for children in Parramos. It makes me so sad because I really wanted to help older kids find families. The children who are harder to place. But after this last year of being beaten up by the PGN and MP and nobody taking responsibility for their actions, I could never do this again.

My best to you Susana. Come visit us one day at our new place in Parramos.

Nancy