GALLERY: Second chances
Lanseria safe haven provides mothers in crisis the chance to give their babies to life rather than death.
A stone’s throw from Lanseria International Airport, high on the banks of the Crocodile River is Refilwe Community Project.
One of their many on-site projects is the El Roi Baby Home for abandoned and orphaned babies.
“We currently have 11 babies in our care, including our newest baby girl, whom I fetched from hospital a few days ago,” said Nicole Gillette, a long-term volunteer from the United States.
“After surviving being abandoned in a public toilet at birth, and waiting for paperwork to get sorted for weeks and weeks in the hospital, she was finally released to come home to her ‘Aunties’, our dedicated caregivers, who named her and love her already. She is our youngest at six weeks old. Our oldest is two and a half.”
The baby home opened in October 2014.
To date they have cared for 28 babies, with 12 of those being placed for adoption, both locally and abroad.
In June 2014, a baby safe was installed to provide a point of anonymous and safe abandonment for mothers in crisis.
“According to the South African Adoption Coalition, on average 200 babies are abandoned in Gauteng every month,” said Gillette.
“Although our baby bin has yet to be used as a point of safe abandonment, I do believe it is being used as a conversation opener for mothers in crisis who are dealing with an unplanned or unwanted pregnancy. It acts as a visible reminder that there are options that benefit both the mother and the baby. We are saying that we understand that not all pregnancies are the same, that not all stories are the same.”
El Roi Baby Home relies solely on donations to carry out the work they do.
Keep up to date with various fundraising initiatives on their Facebook page, or to contact them directly regarding a wishlist of items they currently need.
Details: El Roi Baby Home; Refilwe Community Project
Corné Engelbrecht, Refilwe donor relations manager, 084 580 8883.
