THERE is hope and positive alternatives for desperate women who find themselves in an unwanted pregnancy situation, or who are in such dire situations that they are forced to abandon their newborns.
The hope comes in the shape of two remarkable women, Glynnis Dauth and Youandi Gilain, who run a home for abandoned, abused and HIV babies, as well as a social media platform where desperate women can contact them anonymously to discuss their situation or arrange to have their babies taken in by the home.
The message of hope and understanding comes comes after two incidents reported in the last week of babies found abandoned in Durban. A baby boy’s body was found in a packet on the side of Bulwer Road, Glenwood, on Tuesday, 5 February, and on Monday, a baby girl was miraculously rescued from a stormwater drain in Newlands East, north of Durban.
In the past four years, Berea Mail has reported on at least 24 cases where newborn babies or foetuses have been found dumped in Durban, or babies have been abandoned by their mothers.
ALSO READ: Newborn found in packet, dumped in Glenwood
As a young woman, Glynnis says she had experienced a lot of anger after she suffered seven miscarriages and the death of her three-day-old baby girl. With a passion for children, she had always nurtured a dream of having a big family of her own.
She said the passion to care for children never left her, and a prophecy over her life, based on the scripture Isaiah 54: “Sing, O barren woman, you who never bore a child; burst into song, shout for joy, you who were never in labour; because more are the children of the desolate woman than of her who has a husband,” eventually took hold in her heart.
“I eventually had to listen to God’s calling,” she said, adding that she decided to open a home for abandoned, abused and HIV babies 32 years ago. She also went on to adopt four children.
The home is aptly named, Isiaiah 54, and is situated on the Bluff. It serves as a home for babies until they are adopted. It also helps in cases where crisis care is required.
“We deal with a lot of emergencies where babies are brought to us in the early hours of the morning or on the weekend. The babies are all fed breastmilk and thrive in our care. This is a family home and everyone lives on the premises, which also gives the children a great family dynamic,” she said.
Glynnis said when Youandi joined her she had not ventured onto social media and had no online presence.
“A baby, Themba, was brought to the home and it was obvious he had been looked after by his mom as he was clean and well-dressed, wrapped in a blanket and was still wearing his hospital arm band. Clearly his mom wanted to make sure he was found and I remember wishing I could tell her that he was fine. That night I had an idea after reading an article on how Africa was online, and that even the poor have access to a smart phone. I decided I would give an online help desk on Facebook a try,” said Youandi.
ALSO READ: ‘Clean bill of health’ for Durban baby rescued from stormwater drain
Youandi set up a Facebook page, Open Arms SA, and within two weeks had amassed 3 000 likes. Now, four years later, there are more than 11 000, with at least 20 new cases posted per week.
Open Arms operates all over South Africa and is an online platform where pregnant women can get in touch with Youandi for advice, support and a chance to give their child up for adoption, if that is what they choose to do.
“I am linked to a lot of pregnancy centres and work with social workers in different areas, but the online platform is great as moms can remain anonymous and the service is non-judgmental,” she said.
Mothers contact Youandi and she offers emotional support, answers any questions they may have and offers to get them the help they need.
“For some moms, giving their baby away is likened to suicide, but they are in a desperate situation and don’t know what to do. In cases, such as we have seen in Glenwood, pimps don’t want prostitutes to have babies, so they are either made to dump them or they are taken away from the women and abandoned,” she said.
Youandi is very excited about new posters (available on the Open Arms SA social media pages) which are to be printed and placed in shops and offices to encourage women not to abandon their babies.
The pair said they would also like to have more ‘baby safes’ erected in the Durban area where women can leave their babies. There is currently a baby safe on the Bluff where a mother can place an unwanted baby. The pressure of the child’s body activates the safe alarm, alerting Glynnis and Youandi that a baby has been left and they then go and fetch the baby. According to the them, there are 30 baby safes in South Africa. Details of where they are situated can be found on their website.
Contact Open Arms on 084 488 1359, m.me/openarmssa on Messenger, email: help@openarmssa.org or visit: https://www.openarmssa.org.
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