Following the discovery of the body of a baby in a rubbish bin in Florida Park on June 3, Just In Time Baby Sanctuary is reiterating the need for a baby box in Roodepoort.
The sanctuary has just recently moved to Discovery from Randfontein, and since their inception, they have provided a loving home to 40 children. The sanctuary’s founder and house mother, Georgina Caetano, explained how one of the main reasons Roodepoort was chosen as the organisation’s new home is because there are no baby boxes in the area.
Even though it is currently believed that the baby was a full-term stillborn, the fear that a child had been abandoned struck the employees at the sanctuary exceptionally hard. “There are so many desperate, angry, terrified, or young mothers who don’t know what to do or how to tell their families they are pregnant. We by no means support abandonment, but we will condone safe abandonment. If these mothers have no other choice, it is better that they leave their babies somewhere they can be taken care of,” said Georgina.
Also read: Just In Time Baby Sanctuary finds a new home in Roodepoort
As a non-profit organisation, the sanctuary relies on community donations to function. Georgina is pleading with anyone who is able, to assist the sanctuary with building their baby box so that it can be made available as soon as possible.
The box will need to meet the following specifications:
• An alarm system to notify the house when a baby has been put inside the box
• A heating pad
• A tiny camera that focuses only on the baby. “The mother needs to be able to put the baby in without fear that she is being seen. This is completely anonymous,” Georgina explained
• Two doors, one for the mother to put the baby in and one on the opposite side for the baby to be taken out. The doors need to be set up so that if one door is open, the other one is locked. Once the mother puts her baby in the box, it needs to lock on the exposed side. So if she changes her mind, she will need to make contact with us to get her baby back,” the house mother explained.
If you are able to assist Just In Time by building a baby box or making a donation to assist with the costs, please contact Georgina on 062 045 8219 or by emailing info@justintime.org.za.
