\u201cWhat about all the other abandoned babies in South Africa?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have to do something about them.\u201d<\/p>
These are the words of Bertha Spies, founder of the El-Shammah Home for Abandoned Babies.<\/p>\n
Bertha, with the support of her husband Pastor Frikkie Spies, founded the home after she counselled a young man who felt he couldn\u2019t cope with life.<\/p>
\u201cHe told me that he was the son of a prostitute,” she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis mother had abandoned him in the streets of Johannesburg when he was just two weeks old.\u201d<\/p>\n
The home was officially opened on May 13, 2009.<\/p>\n
The facility is not an orphanage, but rather a place of safety, where abandoned babies can stay and be cared for and loved until the Children\u2019s Court decides what their future holds.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur main objective and vision is to care for abandoned\/unwanted babies from newborn until approximately 12 months,” Bertha explained.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe strive to provide a safe and neat home environment, where babies can find a place of love, care and protection and where they can experience true motherly nourishment, physically, spiritually and emotionally.\u201d<\/p>\n
This is offered by full time, qualified and trained caregivers who are on hand 24-hours a day, seven days a week.<\/p>\n
The El-Shammah Home for Abandoned Babies also has a \u201chole in the wall\u201d, where mothers can leave their unwanted babies.<\/p>\n
This offers a safe, dry and warm place for the baby.<\/p>\n
Caregivers check the \u201chole in the wall\u201d on a regular basis.<\/p>\n
For more information on the home, or to make a donation, visit www.el-shammah.com.<\/p>\n
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