Baby safe in Kempton Park becomes a reality
The baby safe will be complete once the baby section has been built at the back of the house
A couple wishing to remain anonymous joined hands with Link Pregnancy Crisis Centre to buy a house in Kempton Park for unwanted babies.This helped to establish a Jeremiah’s Hope baby safe, a safe alternative for women to leave their unwanted babies.
This came after disappointment when Sharon Rushton, the centre’s founder and director, wished to buy a property in 2016 that became unavailable. The project then fell through due to lack of funding.
However, the crisis centre found a couple that believed in its mission. They donated R600 000 to purchase the house on Du Plessis Street with the help of a foundation, an organisation that also wished to remain anonymous.
Rushton said the couple pledged the money after she had found the right house. The house was paid off within two days.
Rushton said the baby safe was launched because so many babies were being abandoned.
“It will be a safe place for women to leave their unwanted babies, after which the infants will be taken for medical evaluation and put up for adoption. It will be a short-term emergency centre for abandoned babies,” said Rushton.
The baby safe will be complete once the baby section has been built at the back of the house. The centre will need to do some renovations too so it meets the requirements of opening a baby shelter.
The centre awaits accreditation from the Department of Social Development to install the baby safe. The safe will be built in the wall of the house linking the outside and inside of the house. There will be staff members on call 24 hours a day so someone is available almost immediately to receive a baby from the safe, particularly at odd night hours.
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 there is a “new arrival”.
The house will have fulltime house parents who will be there to remove babies from the safe.
The centre has moved into its new home, continuing with its development work.
Any voluntary help from the community would be appreciated. Volunteers can help with cleaning, packing, sorting, funds, counselling, second-hand baby goods such as cribs, cots, clothes and play mats, as well as general help in the form of labour.
For more information, contact Life Link on 083 562 6106.
