First baby left in baby safe box in eMalahleni
Please don’t throw your baby in a dustbin or rubbish dump. There are three baby-safe boxes in eMalahleni where you can safely leave your baby.
Baby ‘Jabu’ caused quite a stir last night. The day-old little boy was placed in the baby safe box in Mandela Street.
Little ‘Jabu’ was abandoned by his mother just before 21:00 last night (April 2).
We love seeing messages like this about the impact we are having around the world! Changing the narrative, one parent at a time❤️
Let's show her some love pic.twitter.com/L2IjrGdLb7— Safe Haven Baby Boxes (@SafeHavenBox1) April 1, 2023
Ms Maureen Scheepers, who initiated the baby safe box in eMalahleni back in 2019 said baby abandonment is a serious issue.
“This resource is the ultimate last resort to prevent these babies from ending up in a dustbin, toilet or field, ultimately causing their death,” Scheepers said.
Abandoning a baby is a crime. There are legal consequences for anyone who is found guilty of abandoning a child.
WITBANK NEWS caught up with Ms Nadene Grabham, operations director of Door of Hope who said baby abandonment has increased over the past few years.
“Unfortunately there are no proper statistics in South Africa on baby abandonment. But I can with confidence say close to 3 500 babies are abandoned per year. For every abandoned baby we find alive, two are found dead,” Grabham said.
There are centres out there to assist mommies who feel they can’t cope with the stress of pregnancy and want to give up their baby.
On Facebook you can reach out to the following centres for help: Life Choice Pregnancy Help Centre or Baby Line SA.
The baby safe boxes are in Mandela Drive at New Life Church, Vulture Street in Reyno Ridge and Hertzog Street in the central business area.
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