Open a Door of Hope for future generations
Thank you for helping us Help Door of Hope
THE Southern COURIER nominated Door of Hope as the beneficiary for this year’s charity proceeds from Mandela Day and pleaded with the community in our last edition (July 12) to help us help Door of Hope.
Situated in 15 Barbara Avenue in Glenvista, the organisation aims to home any abandoned, abused and orphaned babies and children. The caring and devoted staff provide a temporary Christian home for all babies and children while seeking a forever family, suitable long-term foster care or other permanent care for each one so that they may grow up to be people who have a positive effect in South Africa and the world.
A hole in the wall
Door of Hope began in 1999 as an initiative of the Berea Baptist Mission Church. Based in the inner city of Johannesburg, Pastor Cheryl Allen and the church leaders discovered that scores of babies were being abandoned each month, many of which died. Cheryl realised that many of the desperate women and girls may well have acted differently had there been an alternative.
The church made a hole in their wall and a ‘baby bin’ was installed, allowing for mothers to leave their babies anytime day or night for the church to take care of.
The moment a baby is placed, care workers on duty receive an electronic signal alerting them. The baby is taken in and the anonymity of the ‘donor’ is ensured.
News has spread and other babies have been brought in personally by their mothers or have come through other means such as the police, community members, hospitals or clinics.
Ever growing
By faith and reliance on God and from small, humble beginnings, the ministry has grown, with hundreds of children’s lives being saved. In 2014 Cheryl’s two sons, Richard and David also felt the need to commit their time and energies to the work of saving abandoned babies.
In recent times the need in South Africa has become all the more urgent with abandonment increasing and adoptions decreasing by as much as 50 per cent.
Richard and David joined the Door of Hope team at the start of 2015 in order to seek a solution to this unfortunate reality. In order to provide a home for children who are not being matched with forever families, they began the pursuit of a Village.
The Village has gathered momentum and continues driving forward in the quest to bring children home, build people of character, and bridge a new and better world.
The Door of Hope operates a number of delightful baby homes – not institutions – where babies enjoy the loving care of caregivers and volunteers. There are two homes based in Glenvista and one home in Berea.
The Village land has been purchased and will be a space where those children who don’t get adopted will find a home and a family to be raised with love and care. Numerous homes will be built where house parent/s will care for up to six abandoned children in each dwelling.
Door of Hope has a reputation with civic and social authorities for providing a high standard of quality care and rendering superb service.
At any one time, the home shelters between 58 and 72 babies ranging from ages 0 to 24 months.
The CHRONICLE would like to thank the following companies for contributing to the charity drive and feature.
o The Glen Shopping Centre, Oakdene
o Gym Company, Winchester Hills
o Simpsons Little Learners Academy, Aspen Hills
o Clifton Tailors, Mondeor
o Torga Optical, Aspen Hills
o Balwin Properties, Edenvale
READ:
AACL invites corporates to spend their 67 minutes for Mandela Day with them
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