BOSTON -- The magnitude of the tsunami disaster in south Asia has brought out an outpouring of compassion. Many have been struck by the images of orphaned children, and many families are looking for information on adoption.

Video

Sonya Pfeiffer Reports On Adoption Adoption Resources International Adoption Agencies www.adoption.org More Info

NewsCenter 5's Sonya Pfieffer reported that the children are perhaps the most vulnerable survivors of the tsunami -- the instant orphans of the disaster -- some with heartbreaking smiles.

"When I saw that, my heart was just broken. It really was. And I thought about the homeless children and the parents who lost their children," said Jane Lenson.

Lenson adopted her son, Freddy, from Guatemala last year. After seeing the needy faces from south Asia, Lenson is ready to adopt again from any of the countries devastated by the tsunami.

"My heart just goes out to them. We can give them a better life. My son would have died multiple times if he stayed in Guatemala, and I know here he got the medical attention he needed," she said.

Filis Casey runs the Alliance for Children adoption agency and said the desire to adopt children after any kind of disaster is an expected reaction.

"When they see that they are children and they know there is need, they will want to do it. Even for families that are not thinking about adoption, they look at a child and they need a family and they feel that they have love to give and that is very normal," said Casey.

But the adoption process is not easy, even in the face of such great need.

"You have to establish the fact that their parents are actually gone, and that takes a lot, and especially for a government that is in such horrible turmoil, to be able to establish that a child is actually legally free. Nothing will happen for a few months," said Casey.

But that won't deter Lenson. She said she knows firsthand the true gift of adopting a needy child.

"It is a win-win situation. And in the long run, the world is a better place," she said.

Casey said south Asia will become an area ripe for adoptions, even though until now, many of the nations there have not had any policies or programs set up for international adoption. However, it will take at least six months of attempting to reunite children with parents or other relatives before international adoptions will become an option.