Resident has a big heart for abandoned children

Ramona van der Heever is not only a woman with a big caring heart but an inspiration.

The resident, who runs a home of safety for abandoned children since 2016, has taken care of about 90 babies who have now moved to foster homes or ended up being adopted.

Apart from having her own children that she birthed and those that are hers through her children’s marriages, she is a mother to the motherless and has a big heart for people.

Speaking to Van der Heever in an interview, the Randfontein Herald journalist Mbali Maqhwara was able to get a sense of love and warmth, as well as her passion for people when she entered her home.

Upon arrival, all the children under her care were full of smiles and wanted to get a share of her love. Although she makes a big difference in the lives of many, Van der Heever downplayed the impact she has on people and just calls it a passion.

“I’m just an ordinary woman with a passion for babies, particularly those that have been abandoned and old people as well. I grew up very poor so it pains me to see people going through a difficult time and that’s why I always want to help. This goes back to when I was in school. I couldn’t stand seeing the next person struggle and I’d share the little that I have with the others, just so we all have a full stomach,” said Van der Heever.

Asked what advice she would give to mothers who feel that they cannot go through the process of raising their children for different reasons and want to abandon them, Van der Heever said there’s always a better solution.

“People go through things differently and it’s always better to explore other options than abandoning a baby in the streets or the veld. Rather explore the option of dropping them off at our drop box or putting them up for adoption as well. At least in that way, the mother can rest assured that their baby is in good hands and that they will be well taken care of, as opposed to leaving them in a veld and wondering whether or not the baby will be found,” she said.

She is the founder and director of Door of Care and Safety, an organisation that allows mothers to place their babies anonymously in a baby-saver box, without having to abandon them in an unsafe environment. She added that what inspired her to do the work that she does, is an encounter she had with a woman who had a two weeks old baby but wasn’t coping with raising her.

She quickly stepped in to assist and has never looked back ever.