The spotlight is on the neglect of young children, following a recent incident where two new born babies were supposedly abandoned in Kraaifontein.
READ MORE: Babies found in a drain in Kraaifontein
Founder of Miracle Kidz Safe House, Elsie Du Plessis was deeply hurt by the incident and provided expectant birth givers, who find themselves in challenging situations, with some advice.
“I believe in baby savers – that little box where you put your baby in and you know your baby is safe and will be taken care of. I think we need more baby savers, and the Department of Social Development must approve it.”
Baby Savers South Africa (BSSA) has several boxes across the Western Cape, as well as in other parts of the country. BSSA also works with organisations – like Pregnancy Help Network, The Peace Agency and Choose to Care – which offer help during crises pregnancies.
Du Plessis says help is available and needs to be sought out.
“There’s always somebody that will help… They must just reach out and ask for it. Even to leave your baby in a box on somebody’s stoep or in front of a church – but don’t dump.”
Du Plessis & the Miracle Kidz Safe House
Du Plessis says she was given away as a baby at around four-months-old, and this seems to be where her passion for saving and caring for young children stem from. One of the experiences she had at that young age was moving from one household to the next. This is what Miracle Kidz Safe House endeavors to provide a safe, stable and healthy environment for young babies to grow into early adulthood.
“Some of our kiddies came in as babies and they still here, they’re teenagers now. The reason for that is that I’m fighting the system, because I don’t believe in sending kids from one home to another to another. So, I’d rather keep them here until we can find a permanent solution.”
She says sending children around from home to home, has a significant impact on them in the long run.
“You lose your ability to trust people, you lose your sense of belonging… Then you become a difficult child, and people see it as a lack of discipline.”
