Voie d’Espoir in Belgium: A Day of Institutional Meetings on Intercountry Adoption and the Search for Origins
Following its visit to the Netherlands, Voie d’Espoir continued its European mission on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, in Brussels, Belgium, with a new series of institutional meetings focused on intercountry adoption, the right to know one’s origins, and supporting adoptees in their search for identity.
The day provided an opportunity for representatives of the Haitian organization, Michel Joseph, Founder and President, and Dirk Vermeyen, Treasurer, to meet with officials from the Vlaams Centrum voor Adoptie (VCA) and Afstammingscentrum, two Flemish institutions involved, in different capacities, in adoption and the search for origins.
The Vlaams Centrum voor Adoptie (VCA) is the Flemish Central Authority for Adoption. It is responsible for overseeing and monitoring domestic and intercountry adoption procedures, as well as providing information and support to people affected by adoption.
Afstammingscentrum, or the Flemish Centre for Origins, specializes in matters relating to parentage and the search for origins. Established at the initiative of the Flemish authorities, it supports adoptees, people conceived through gamete donation, and individuals affected by family separations linked to Belgium’s colonial history. Its mission includes facilitating access to information, providing psychosocial support, assisting with family searches, and offering mediation when contact with relatives is being considered.
During this first meeting, Voie d’Espoir’s representatives introduced the organization, its history, mission, and activities in Haiti to support adoptees of Haitian origin and biological families in their search and reconnection journeys. The discussions also gave the Belgian institutions an opportunity to provide an overview of the current state of intercountry adoption, existing mechanisms for searching for origins, and the challenges adoptees face when attempting to reconstruct their personal histories.
Access to adoption records, the reliability of information, the search for biological families, confidentiality concerns, and emotional support were among the key topics of mutual interest.
A Second Meeting with the Central Community Authority of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation
Later in the day, Michel Joseph and Dirk Vermeyen continued their discussions with the Adoption Directorate – Central Community Authority (ACC) of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, during a meeting held at its headquarters at 44 Boulevard Léopold II in Brussels. This institution is responsible for organizing and supervising adoption procedures under the jurisdiction of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, covering both domestic and intercountry adoption.
The discussions focused on Voie d’Espoir’s work in Haiti, its research methods, information verification procedures, and the mediation and support mechanisms established for biological families and adoptees. The organization’s representatives also presented its field initiatives, particularly RAPWOCHE/KONEKTE, implemented in collaboration with Plan Kiskeya with funding from INEA, and RASIN, carried out in the Palmes region with support from the French Embassy and in collaboration with SSI France.
These projects contribute to registering biological families, documenting family histories, conducting field investigations, facilitating DNA testing, and supporting potential family reunions.
Essential Discussions at a Time of Growing Scrutiny of Intercountry Adoption
These meetings took place at a time when issues surrounding intercountry adoption are receiving increasing attention in European debates. Many adoptees are speaking out to demand better access to their records, understand the circumstances of their adoption, find their biological families, and obtain answers about possible irregularities in certain adoption procedures.
In Belgium, as in several other European countries, these concerns are prompting reflection on past practices, institutional responsibilities, and the need to strengthen support systems for those affected. For Voie d’Espoir, these exchanges represent an important opportunity to better understand the approaches developed in receiving countries, share the realities of fieldwork in Haiti, and identify opportunities for cooperation that could facilitate searches for origins. They also serve as a reminder of a reality that is too often overlooked: the search for origins does not concern only adoptees living abroad. It also involves biological families who remain in their countries of origin, sometimes without news of their children for several decades.
Through this European mission, Voie d’Espoir continues to engage in dialogue with public institutions, specialized organizations, partners, and stakeholders involved in the search for origins. At a time when increasing numbers of adoptees are demanding answers about their histories, cooperation between countries of origin and receiving countries is essential. The right to know one’s origins should not depend on borders, the availability of records, or the financial resources a person has to undertake a search.
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