Baby saver box provides ‘last resort’ option for desperate mothers
The baby saver box is open 24 hours a day.
Mothers who find themselves unwilling or unable to care for their newborns now have a safe alternative.
KZN Hot Spots Turning Point Crisis Counselling Community Project recently launched the first ‘baby saver box’ on the lower South Coast.
It’s situated at the Port Shepstone Baptist Church, in the car park fence, just across the road from the Port Shepstone Regional Hospital.
The visionary behind the project is Cisca van Zyl.
She is passionate about this project and has been at the forefront of its development.
Pastor Ryan Smulders of Port Shepstone Baptist Church cut the ribbon to mark the official opening.
We have already seen a positive response to the project and we believe it is very important to do what we can to save the lives of babies, – Ps Ryan Smulders.
Cisca explained that at the request of Ps Ryan, while the project had the church’s wholehearted support, it was not to be a Baptist Church project, but was rather a community project.
“The intention is to save the lives of babies that may otherwise have been abandoned or aborted,” she said.
She explained the seeds for the project were sown back in 2007.
“We raised funds from various sources, including main sponsor Pebbles and Ripples, a non-profit organisation involved in a feeding scheme,” she said.
Cisca said the baby saver box is open 24 hours a day.
You can leave a baby there anonymously as a last resort. An alarm will sound and the baby will be taken to the hospital for medical care, and from there placed in foster care or adopted.
“The Bible says that God did not come to be served, but to serve. That is what we should do and that is what this projects wants to demonstrate,” she said.
She added that her team would, where possible, help girls who experience a difficult pregnancy get access to medical attention.
“We work closely with local doctors, and we can be contacted at 082 3535556 or 071 6872900.”
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