London , England ( CNN ) -- Three aid groups called Thursday for an immediate halt to any new adoptions of Haitian children after last week 's earthquake . Save the Children , World Vision and a unit of the British Red Cross said the focus first must be on tracing any family members that children may still have and reuniting them . `` Any hasty new adoptions would risk permanently breaking up families , causing long-term damage to already vulnerable children , and could distract from aid efforts in Haiti , '' the agencies said in a joint statement . Full coverage | Latest news updates | Twitter updates . The disaster in Haiti has led to an outpouring of support around the world , with the United States alone donating more than $ 305 million as of Wednesday , according to the Chronicle of Philanthropy , a newspaper covering nonprofit organizations . Stories of Haitian orphanages struggling after the quake and the plight of the children there also has led many to ask about adopting children . After reading a CNN report on Haitian orphans , CNN.com reader Dana Fanning wrote , `` It broke my heart . My husband and our 4 children want to know if and how we could adopt [ any ] of the children orphaned by the earthquake . '' List of missing , found | Are you there ? | Impact Your World . Save the Children Chief Executive Jasmine Whitbread said the `` vast majority '' of children on their own in Haiti are not orphans , but were simply separated from their families in the chaos . Their family members may still be alive , she said , and `` will be desperate to be reunited with them . '' `` Taking children out of the country would permanently separate thousands of children from their families -- a separation that would compound the acute trauma they are already suffering and inflict long-term damage on their chances of recovery , '' Whitbread said . Allowing a flood of new adoptions also could open the door to traffickers , said World Vision Chief Executive Justin Byworth . The poverty in Haiti already makes children there `` extremely vulnerable '' to exploitation and abuse , Byworth said . `` We are concerned not only about premature overseas adoption but also about children increasingly being sent unaccompanied to the Dominican Republic , '' he said . Aid groups said adoptions that were already in progress before the January 12 earthquake should go ahead , as long as the right legal documents are in place and they meet Haitian and international law . For those who want to help Haitian children , Whitbread said , they should donate to aid agencies who are working on reuniting those children with their families . The International Committee of the Red Cross has opened an office at the headquarters of the Haitian Red Cross in Crois de Prez to help people locate their relatives , said Pete Garratt , a disaster response manager at the British Red Cross . The ICRC also has set up a Web site to help people searching for relatives , he said .
Three aid groups say focus first must be on reuniting kids with any of their relatives . `` Any hasty new adoptions would risk permanently breaking up families , '' agencies say . Reports on plight of children in Haiti has led many to ask about adoptions . Flood of new adoptions could open the door to traffickers , one official says .