Hope springs eternal for abandoned babies

Joey, who together with her husband Barry, are senior pastors at the LifeLine Church in Freeway Park, have turned a vision they have had for years into reality.

Still in its infancy, Window of Hope will be a place of safety for abandoned babies.

Their aim is to provide abandoned infants a place of safety for at least 60 to 90 days, which will offer the mothers enough time to reclaim their babies.

If the baby is not claimed within that period the infant will then be placed into a foster-care facility, followed by an adoption programme.

According to Joey, too many children are simply left for dead in dustbins, on the side of the pavements and in front of police stations.

“We at Window of Hope want to reduce the statistics of dead babies by offering mothers an alternative. We focus on success stories,” Nel said.

Joey said they will have a safe box installed in the wall where the babies can be left.

There will be a sensor plate installed that activates an alarm once a baby is placed inside the box, which will alert the house mother and the security guard that there is a new arrival.

“We will take the baby in and follow all the critical procedures, hospital, courts and final placement with us until a foster home is ready for the arrival of the baby.

“We are an emergency centre that exists to care for the baby at its most crucial stage of the beginning of its life, which could make a huge difference between life and death,” she said.

Windows of Hope dates back to 2010 when the Nel’s adopted their daughter, who is now seven years old.

Joey has over the years been involved with local organisations and welfare organisations to provide homes for abandoned babies.

She recently won the Nedbank Local Social Justice Hero Award for dedicating her life to helping the less fortunate.

According to her, God has heard her prayers that she wanted to spread her wings in helping the community in a broader way.

“God then touched the heart of one woman who attends our church and she donated her house, which she was using a a hair salon.

“I am very grateful for the donation as this was an answer to my prayer. Luckily the house is next to the clinic and a police station in Dawn Park, which will make our service so much easier,” she said.

The new safe house is being renovated to make it child-friendly.

According to Barry, they will be visiting the nearby clinics and police stations to introduce the service they offer.

“Our legal documentation of Window of Hope are being finalised and once everything is done we will open our doors. I am supporting my wife’s vision and I know that by the grace of God we will change many lives around Boksburg,” Barry said.

The safe house will be up and running around April this year.

If anyone would like to donate anything to this cause, they may contact Joey and Barry Nel on 072 209 8957 or 072 209 8956 respectively.