Abandoned babies find sanctuary
Anne had always been a volunteer in baby homes and it did not come as a surprise for her to open Angels Baby Sanctuary.
In 2014, Anne Ebrahim, founder and chairperson of Angels Baby Sanctuary received her first baby to take care of at their Rosettenville home.
They have since moved on to a bigger and better haven in La Rochelle where they take care of abandoned babies.
Anne had always been a volunteer in baby homes, which led her to open Angels Baby Sanctuary.
“After working in Dubai I came back home and launched the sanctuary. This was purely out of love for children. We bought a small semi-detached two-roomed house in Rosettenville in 2014 and we were allowed to have up to six babies at a time.
“Just over a year ago we launched the ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign aiming to raise money to buy a bigger home for our babies and more importantly to take care of more babies. We are excited to announce that in June we purchased our new home.
“We wish to thank all our supporters who have helped us from the beginning of our journey in 2014 and to achieve this momentous goal. Without your assistance the sanctuary would not exist,” said Anne.
She works with Impilo Child Protection and Adoption Services in Edenvale who handle all the adoption processes.
“Our current location can accommodate up to 24 babies but we are waiting for the Department of Social Development to approve us as child and youth care centre.”
Their operations
Angels Baby Sanctuary take cares of babies by feeding, clothing, loving and medically attending to them as they grow. They stay with them until they get adopted or reunited with their families.
Challenges
One of the main challenges is to be approved as a child and youth care centre, however, the process is going well.
Going to hospital and spending the whole day when the baby needs medical attention is still cumbersome.
A cash injection is also needed.
“People are willing to donate cots, toys and other necessities, however, with few corporates and fund-raising events, we also struggle to pay for electricity, rent, water and salaries,” she said.
Most satisfying event
“We are grateful to work with babies, they don’t ask much other than love. Although it is sad for us when they leave to start a new life with adopted families, we are happy for them because of the magical moment to be part of a loving family,” explained Anne.
How can you assist?
• They need volunteers to help at their premises.
• They also have ways to raise funds like ‘Adopt a cot’, which costs about R3 000 a month to take care of a baby. So people can help by donating monthly towards these costs. They then put your name on a baby’s cot and this picture goes with the baby when they leave them to their forever homes.
• They are the beneficiary of the MySchool/Woolies card and choosing them as your beneficiary will help them receive a monthly amount.
• You can also bring all your unwanted goods; they have a monthly jumble sale at the baby’s home.
• You can also choose to do a fund-raiser for them. Recently, a seven-year-old from Singapore did it by selling cakes and she raised R1 000.
For more information, you can visit them at 273 Johannesburg Road. Contact them on 011 045 6401 or 081 049 6228, alternatively, visit www.angelsbaby.org
