Baby abandoned in veld (now 33) looks for her biological parents

She is appealing to anyone with information that might lead to the trace of them, to come forward.

The 33-year-old resident of Bosmont, on the West Rand, was left in an open field, near a fire station not far from the Benoni area, at birth.

Two police officers and their dog found her and took her to a place of safety.

At the age of eight months Faith was adopted by Lydia and the late Omar Faith.

Although she loves her adopted parents immensely, it is important for her to learn about her roots.

Among clues that helped the search, Faith said she found an immunisation clinic card of the Mary Moodley Place of Safety, in Actonville, the welfare society where she was placed at the time.

The name on this card reads “Joy Modise” and the date of birth is October 16, 1980.

“My adoptive mother said that this was my name prior to the adoption,” Faith said.

“I was told that my biological mother was a young girl in her teens when she had me.”

Despite contacting multiple adoption institutions, hospitals and children’s courts on the East Rand, Faith still has not had any joy in locating her parents.

“I even went as far as requesting a copy of my birth registration from Pretoria,” she added.

“There is nothing — the only details found were from after my adoption.”

At the Mary Moodley Place of Shelter, she learned that the nurse who signed her immunisation card at the time has emigrated.

“I was told by the staff and management that they have no record of my adoption,” she added.

Faith said she feels many positive and negative emotions at this point and that other people don’t seem to understand what she is going through.

Her advice to other individuals who might be facing the same struggle was to be emotionally strong to take this journey.

“It’s extremely difficult and painful, especially when your adoptive parents are withholding the truth from you,” she said.