Although Randfonteiners are already familiar with the new baby sanctuary recently launched in Greenhills, they are not familiar with the story behind it.
Georgina Caetano, founder of the Just In Time Baby Sanctuary explained that it is a story of pain, courage and lessons learned.
Georgina’s life started out in a place of safety similar to the Just In Time Baby Sanctuary, as her grandparents didn’t like the idea of having an out-of-wedlock baby such as herself around. After a while, she was returned to her parents’ care and soon she became the older sister of three little brothers.
At the age of 21, she already had three sons, and then her marriage fell apart. She then remarried and fell pregnant with twins, but unfortunately her second marriage fell apart as well.
“[At] that stage my life just became a whirlwind for 15 years because I became so focused on my career in order to provide for my children. I never questioned my purpose,” she said.
During those years, she met someone whom she truly believed was her life partner, but he walked out on the relationship nine years after their meeting. Shortly after they split, her godchild and her brother were murdered and only six months later, one of her sons died in a fatal car crash.
“In less than a year, I experienced more loss, pain and trauma than anyone probably would in their lifetime,” Georgina said.
She said she remembers being reckless and carefree after she met another partner, only to lose everything once she discovered he was involved in criminal activities.
At the age of 45, Georgina moved back in with her parents. At the time, her father had been diagnosed with cancer and eventually he passed away.
“When I got back on my feet, I wanted to start over, only to realise everyone else had already moved on –my friends, my family, and my children,” she said.
“I became so lonely that I started down a three-year spiral towards self-destruction. My entire family was watching me kill myself,” she said.
She then experienced a painful intervention that struck a chord, and ended up at the Cradle of Hope’s House of Restoration in Krugersdorp. During a period of six months, Georgina had the opportunity to grieve for the first time in years and discover herself again.
After a while, she became the housemother at Cradle of Hope. Later, she was promoted to general manager. During that experience, it became clear to her what her purpose was – to love abandoned babies and keep them safe. Subsequently, she resigned from Cradle of Hope to establish her own baby sanctuary.
“With faith and unconditional love, all things are possible. All the signs were there; I have no Plan B, because I know this will not fail,”
She decided to name the baby sanctuary in honour of her late son, Justin, who had passed away in a car crash at the age of 17, thus the name – Just In Time Baby Sanctuary.
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