‘Baby safe’ on its way for unwanted babies
During August alone, three bodies of new-born babies were found dumped in Kempton
THE Kempton community has witnessed a number of newborn babies being abandoned and left for dead the past few months.
During August alone, the bodies of three newborn babies were found dumped in Chloorkop, Maxwell Street in the CBD, as well as Kempton Park Golf Course. And these are only the cases which have been reported and discovered by the police. How many more go unreported?
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This is why Life Link Pregnancy Crisis Centre and Child Welfare Kempton Park want to join hands in creating a much better and life-giving solution to mothers of unwanted babies: through the “baby safe”, an alternative to abandonment.
“We want to create awareness around the fact that young girls and women don’t need to abandon their babies or have abortions,” Life Link founder and director, Sharon Rushton, said.
Although the idea is still in its conceptual phases, the two organisations have already identified a property for the project.
“This will become a baby shelter. The idea is to build a ‘baby safe’ on the wall of the home, which connects the outside and the inside of the property. There will be staff members on call 24 hours a day so that someone is always available to receive a baby from the safe almost immediately, especially at odd hours of the night,” Rushton explained.
This safe will also be protected in that when someone puts a baby inside and it closes, the safe will automatically lock, preventing anyone from snatching the infant.
An alarm in the baby safe will go off and ring inside the house, signalling that there is a ‘new arrival’. Whoever is on duty will retrieve the baby.
“From that point there will be medical intervention to make sure the baby is okay and thereafter social workers will register the baby into the shelter.”
People bringing the babies to the shelter will not be prosecuted and this can be done anonymously.
“We do have a property we have identified. We won’t need to buy it but we will need to do some renovations so it meets the requirements of opening a baby shelter,” Alice Tandi, child welfare acting director explained.
“The shelter will function as a sort of ‘interim’ home for the babies while we try find them new homes, whether it be adoption or foster care.”
For now, the organisations would appreciate any help from the community. Whether it be builders who can help with renovations, painters, donations of furniture from shops and general help in the form of labour.
Second-hand baby goods such as cribs, cots, clothes and play mats would be highly appreciated.
Life Link is an NPO, started 15 years ago by Rushton, which offers help and support to women who have unplanned pregnancies and are left confused, in a crisis and in need of assistance.
The organisation offers free and confidential essential services such as HIV and pregnancy testing, ultrasound/scan, pregnancy counselling, pre- and post-adoption advice and adoption facilitation.
For more information, contact Life Link on 011-394-8560, 083-562-6106 or send an email to lifelink@global.co.za.
Child Welfare can also be contacted on 011-970-1814. Both child welfare and Life Link offices are situated at 19 Maxwell Street, Kempton Park.
