THE dramatic three-hour rescue of a newborn baby from a stormwater drain in Newlands East, just outside of Durban, attracted international attention and, once again, highlighted the issue of child abandonment in South Africa.
As a result, the Durban-based non-profit organisation, The Peace Agency, has announced its intention to establish a new Baby Home in uMlazi South of Durban to meet the ever-growing need for registered childcare facilities.
They are appealing to the public to donate funds to purchase and establish the much-needed new baby home.
The latest case is, tragically, one of the many cases of infant abandonment reported on an almost daily basis countrywide.
It’s estimated that at least 3 500 babies are abandoned in South Africa every year, with KwaZulu-Natal experiencing a disproportionately high number of incidents. In another incident in February, a newborn baby was rescued from a medical waste bin in King Edward Hospital in Umbilo.
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To assist Child Welfare in accommodating these children, non-profit organisations like The Peace Agency have established homes for babies in dire need of safe care.
These facilities provide the necessary care and support for infants, with the ultimate goal being to home these children with adoptive parents.
However, many of these homes are already overburdened and the number of babies needing a caring home merely increases.
“The reality is that a disproportionately low number of babies are adopted annually, yet the number of children seeking a loving home, rises steadily. The opening of our uMlazi Baby Home will assist in meeting this need by providing a caring, restorative space for babies traumatised by the most horrendous experiences. We will also continue to lobby for increased adoptions in the province in an effort to provide these children with a secure, loving forever home as quickly as possible,” explained Justin Foxton, founder of The Peace Agency.
According to Marietjie Strydom, chairman of National Adoption Coalition of South Africa’s KZN Branch, data from the Department of Social Development indicated that only 174 adoptions took place in a seven-year period in the province.
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Strydom explained that the first 1 000 days of any child’s life are incredibly important and the lack of care or broken bonds in early life leads to trauma that alters the physical brain and its functions permanently.
This will have a lifetime of negative consequences.
“The uMlazi Baby Home will have a hugely positive impact on the lives of some of our most vulnerable members of society – abandoned babies. Through community support and assistance from the general public, we can make an incredible difference in the lives of these children,” said Foxton.
In addition to housing vulnerable babies, the uMlazi Baby Home will also be a training centre for local women who are looking to be carers.
These women provide an invaluable service to the community, acting as surrogate mothers to vulnerable children on a daily basis.
For information on the new baby home and to donate, visit www.peaceagency.org.za.
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