Divine Mercy for pregnant women need urgent assistance
"We want to show these women that there is still hope! If they feel isolated from their family and friends, they are welcome to come here, and we will do everything we can to give them hope and show them that they can be wonderful mothers."
In the heart of Ruimsig, tucked away in the suburbs, is a house for destitute pregnant mothers and their unborn babies.
The Divine Mercy House has seen the birth of over 130 babies and currently houses five pregnant women.
What initially started in 2008 as a group of community members, forming the Culture of Life Apostolate (CoLA), as a response to the abortion bill (Termination of Pregnancy Act 2008) that was passed.
“They wanted to challenge it, they prayed at clinics and tried to show the community and the government, that abortion was not the solution,” Belinda Balkison explained.
According to Belinda, the CoLA was founded by a group of lawyers and several Catholic nuns. They reasoned, “We must do something to communicate the Scripture. We understand that there are many social ills associated with it [single pregnant women], but it [abortion] cannot be the solution.”
So they were attempting to challenge the Constitution with a few lawyer’s letters.
“They used to pray at the abortion clinic, and we had an education branch where they would go into schools and say, ‘These are the responsibilities we have as participants in our relationships,’ and so on. ‘Now that you have a baby, what is the right thing to do,’ and just putting it out there for the youth to know,” she elaborated.
“So it was quite a substantial group, but the home eventually became a necessity of what happened because when they spoke to the women outside the abortion halls, they had no choice. These were pregnant women with no other options. As a result, this house became a critical need in the community. It took them at least another three or four years to come together.
“They tried to get people to donate houses to the cause. Fortunately, the late Ferreira’s offered their family home,” she explained while pointing to the house they are currently using.
“Fernando Ferreira and his wife Maria Isabel raised their family of five children here. This safe space for pregnant women was his dream. In 2012, they officially gave us this house and allowed us to use it for free.”
Fernando and Maria Isabel Ferreira both passed away in 2021; on February 1 and July 9, respectively.
This is a non-denominational and non-judgmental home.
“We want to show these women that there is still hope! If they feel isolated from their family and friends, they are welcome to come here, and we will do everything we can to give them hope and show them that they can be wonderful mothers,” Belinda elaborated. The Divine Mercy Home is in desperate need of donations to stay open.
Some mothers give birth at the home and remain for three months before being placed in moms’ and babies’ shelters or moving on if their families finally accept them.
“We would appreciate any help or donations from the community,” Debbie Phillips added, “and we would love an artist to help us with a mural on our front gate, which we hope will attract community members to come and see the work we do.”
The home also requires a nurse to assist pregnant women and a psychologist to help them work through previous traumas and provide a stable foundation for their future.
“We are also looking for companies or individuals who can provide accredited skill development training to the ladies in our care,” she added.
“We also have a major issue: one of the trees in our garden is growing and causing damage to the plumbing around it. We would appreciate it if someone could come out and remove the tree before it causes any further damage,” Debbie elaborated.
The CoLA invites community members to talk with them and learn more about what happens at the Divine Mercy House. Contact Debbie at 084 400 5656 for more information on how you can donate or volunteer your time.
