Journey of Hope Baby Home

The basis of our journey is rooted in the child abandonment crisis in South Africa, where over 3500 babies are abandoned annually, and that's just the reported cases. Hospital wards are bursting at the seams with 'safely abandoned' babies, and for every one abandoned baby found alive, 2 are found dead! This is the space in which we work. This is our reality. We are an ordinary middle-class South-African family on a journey to provide hope in the midst of an overwhelming crisis. Dad – Clive, Chief cook and bottle-washer and expert baby windbreaker. Mom – Caileen, Crazy woman with a heart too big for her budget. Big sister, Cheyenne - second Mom and voice of reason. Middle sister, Cassidy - The life of the party and expert baby stylist. Baby brother, Colby - entertainer extraordinaire and expert at making babies giggle. At no point did we plan on having upwards of 6 babies in our home; we planned on 2, and yes, as many people have pointed out, we didn't have to keep saying yes. But once you have seen firsthand the desperate need... rows and rows of cots full of tiny little humans with nowhere to go, literally thrown away, there's just no saying 'No'... well, not for us anyway. Our mission is to make sure that each baby who enters our home, regardless of their birth circumstances, feels the love, safety and security of a family. These little ones live with us as part of our family for as long as they need us. To them, we are Mommy and Daddy, brother and sisters. We strive to provide ordinary day-to-day experiences synonymous with family for these little ones to enjoy. We fill their lives with outings, family togetherness, opportunities to make memories and all the love their little hearts can hold. We ensure that they are not merely kept , that they thrive instead of just survive. Our core belief stems from the deep conviction that institutionalised care sets children up for failure. A truly loving and supportive family has the power to create generational wealth. Not necessarily financial stability, but emotionally rich and available adults, which is far more valuable than any monetary reward. We have truly found our calling, but the reality of our situation is scary. I work full-time running a small playschool from home, and Clive receives a pension from the SANDF, which only covers our bond and electricity. WE NEED YOUR HELP! At this point, we receive absolutely no funding from the government. We fund our NPO on our own with the income generated from my playschool and a handful of incredibly loyal supporters. This is, however, unsustainable. I am at a point in my life where I know that my heart lies with the baby home, and  I want to be able to dedicate 100% of my time and attention to running the home. I simply cannot do this without secure, monthly funding.