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Our story

Hawaii International Child (HIC) (founding name, Hawaii International Child Placement and Family Services, Inc.), was established in 1975 by members of Hawai'i’s adoption community. HIC’s founding members came from a background of personal connection to international adoption. Some had parents who’d been adopted, others had adopted children themselves, or were raised with siblings who’d been adopted. 

In its early years, HIC worked directly with Holt Children’s Services International, bringing nearly 2,000 orphaned children from Korea to American families. In 1991 HIC moved from the Big Island of Hawai'i, to Honolulu on the island of Oahu, to better serve a larger adoptive parent population. HIC has actively sought to maintain its reputation as a friendly and client-focused agency. Our staff is united in our love of children, our respect for adoptive parents, and our enjoyment of the important work we are lucky to be able to do.

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From 1975 to 2020, HIC helped more than 3,000 children find their forever families. We ran adoption programs in China, Russia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, the Ukraine, Taiwan, the Philippines, Hong Kong, Africa, Thailand, Vietnam and the Republic of Georgia. We worked in cooperation with other agencies and parties, to place children from Cambodia, the Philippines, Peru, Guatemala, Mexico and Japan. We served as a contract agency with the State of Hawai'i Department of Human Services to place children from foster care into permanent homes in Hawai'i. We worked with adoption attorneys in private adoptions and facilitate private domestic adoptions. We worked to place children from mainland state foster programs into permanent homes in Hawai'i.

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In an effort to work more closely with our families in Hawai'i, in 2020, HIC grew into A Family Tree. As AFT, we continue to offer the full range of adoption services, domestic child placement, home studies, parent training, (birth) parent support. As also opened our PonoRoots Counseling Center, support families, couples, children and individuals. 

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As a 501(c)3 non-profit agency, AFT is governed by the AFT Board of Directors and is licensed by the State of Hawai'i.