Caring for abandoned babies since 2009
Offering abandoned a place of safety.
“What about all the other abandoned babies in South Africa?”
“I have to do something about them.”
These are the words of Bertha Spies, founder of the El-Shammah Home for Abandoned Babies.
Bertha, with the support of her husband Pastor Frikkie Spies, founded the home after she counselled a young man who felt he couldn’t cope with life.
“He told me that he was the son of a prostitute,” she said.
“His mother had abandoned him in the streets of Johannesburg when he was just two weeks old.”
The home was officially opened on May 13, 2009.
The facility is not an orphanage, but rather a place of safety, where abandoned babies can stay and be cared for and loved until the Children’s Court decides what their future holds.
“Our main objective and vision is to care for abandoned/unwanted babies from newborn until approximately 12 months,” Bertha explained.
“We strive to provide a safe and neat home environment, where babies can find a place of love, care and protection and where they can experience true motherly nourishment, physically, spiritually and emotionally.”
This is offered by full time, qualified and trained caregivers who are on hand 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
The El-Shammah Home for Abandoned Babies also has a “hole in the wall”, where mothers can leave their unwanted babies.
This offers a safe, dry and warm place for the baby.
Caregivers check the “hole in the wall” on a regular basis.
For more information on the home, or to make a donation, visit www.el-shammah.com.
Related articles:
