In 2006 a new born baby was discarded in a field with no more than a towel wrapped around its naked body for protection. A passer-by in the field found the child and delivered it to the nearest police station who in turn, rushed the baby to a hospital where it was nurtured back to health.
After 12 days the biological mother could not be traced. On the 13th day of this innocent childs’ life a compassionate social worker delivered him into the loving hands of Ubuntu House.
This is just one of many tragic stories in our country but with a happy ending. Today this same childs scars of the heart have been healed & have been replaced with peace & the unconditional love of two adoptive parents.
Ubuntu House, a merciful non-profit organisation in the Western Cape has cared for more than 470 unwanted babies since it was first established in September 2003. These children have all been given up by their mothers, saved from abortions or simply discarded. This remarkable safety / halfway house has ensured that almost 80% of these babies have found permanent parents and that almost 20% of them have been re-united with their biological families before the age of 5 months.
The importance of the relationship between a mother and her new born child can never be overemphasized. It is from this relationship that all human relationships grow. During those first few critical hours a child has the right to medical attention. In fact a mothers touch and warm caress is a childs’ birthright.
Ubuntu is a part of the greater uMephi Project which has 18 such baby halfway houses under its wing. It also has 20 satellite houses, where older children have a home and a loving family to nurture and equip them for life. uMephi also has a number of hospices, where the sick and dying are cared for.
When Lauren Daws, Marketing Director at Angelcare heard of the little babies at Ubuntu house, she sent them an Angelcare Baby Sound & Breathing Monitor. It was our aim, she said, to not only provide them with an Angelcare Baby Sound & Breathing Monitor but to spread the word of such an amazing organisation and appeal to others to reach out and help where they can.
"Ubuntu is the essence of being human. Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can't exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can't be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality you are known for your generosity."
- Desmond Tutu
