Dumped newborn baby found alive near Illovo Clinic

A newborn baby who still had its placenta attached was found abandoned near the Illovo Clinic recently. The baby was found by a passer-by and was taken to the clinic before Choices for Life (CFL) was involved in the facilitation of the process. Following a process, the baby was taken to a place of safety.

“We were contacted by Illovo Clinic through Seed of Hope to say that someone had found the baby in a bush near the clinic. The baby was immunised and we had to ensure that the baby was placed in a place of safety. We contacted the police who escorted us to the district surgeon, where the baby was examined and admitted due to a minor skin infection.  The baby is now healthy and was taken to a place of safety. If the mother is still around, she can contact us for counselling because often those decisions are made from a place of fear and desperation,” said CFL centre manager, Sindy Khanyile.

The organisation will aim to reduce cases such as this by providing education and information about unplanned pregnancies to society.

“We focus on prevention, intervention and sustainability. Prevention includes our youth programmes where we go out to schools because we believe that the message needs to be communicated at an early age.  Teenage pregnancy is such a prevalent issue in society and we want to respond to those issues, but it is better to prevent these issues from happening rather than intervening. Through our partnerships, our youth programme is so much more enhanced now. We also offer career guidance and life skills. We are doing three schools at the moment and we have a team of seven volunteers who go into the schools to offer assistance for Grade 6 learners through to matrics. We have had received such enthusiasm from the schools and we are excited.  Intervention focuses on the counselling service, we use a good tool, Equipped to Serve, we counsel from a place that offers education and information. We don’t want anyone to decide out of fear or lack of information. We provide information that will help the person make an informed decision that she can live with for the rest of her life.”

There is also a baby safe at the organisation’s premises which is anonymous. This year choices for life will turn 30-years-old and all of the services offered are free and confidential.  CFL now provides online counselling for the community making it more accessible and safer in times of restricted movement due to the pandemic. Community members can access these services by sending a WhatsApp message to 031-903-7359. ALSO READ: Amanzimtoti pregnancy centre’s baby safe offers life to unwanted babies

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