The joy of finding a baby in a box
A children's shelter at Swakopmund was overjoyed last week when the alarm on its 'baby box' for surrendered babies went off for the first time.
HENRIETTE LAMPRECHT
WINDHOEK
“I want to dedicate a monument to her; this brave, unselfish mother who loves her baby so much that she would do anything to give him a better life. I salute her.”
These were the words of Ronel Peters, whose Ruach Elohim Foundation for unwanted babies last week found the first baby in its “baby box”.
The box, which is fitted with an alarm that goes off when a baby is placed in it, was installed at the Foundation's headquarters in Swakopmund in October last year.
The Foundation provides temporary shelter to surrendered babies until all legal processes are completed and the babies are adopted or reunited with their families.
Legalities
A mother who surrenders her baby can reclaim it within six weeks of placing it in the box, after which the legal process for foster care or adoption begins.
Peters says it felt “surreal” when she opened the box, “and there was a real, live baby in it.”
“I sat staring at him for about two hours. I am so grateful that he is safe and wasn't harmed or dumped,” she says.
Ruach Elohim -Hebrew for 'Breath of God' – is the only shelter in Namibia that has a baby box where desperate mothers can place their babies without facing prosecution or condemnation.
Humane option
Namibia's Child Care and Protection Act of 2015 was amended to allow women to surrender their babies anonymously without being prosecuted for child abandonment.
This is on the condition that the baby is unharmed and is left in a safe place such as a hospital, police station or a shelter like Ruach Elohim Foundation.
Peters says deseratpe women who cannot care for their babies must know that there is a better solution than dumping or killing them. “There is always hope; there is always help available.”
For more information, contact Peters at 01 242 6396 or visit the Ruach Elohim Foundation's Facebook page.
[email protected]
WINDHOEK
“I want to dedicate a monument to her; this brave, unselfish mother who loves her baby so much that she would do anything to give him a better life. I salute her.”
These were the words of Ronel Peters, whose Ruach Elohim Foundation for unwanted babies last week found the first baby in its “baby box”.
The box, which is fitted with an alarm that goes off when a baby is placed in it, was installed at the Foundation's headquarters in Swakopmund in October last year.
The Foundation provides temporary shelter to surrendered babies until all legal processes are completed and the babies are adopted or reunited with their families.
Legalities
A mother who surrenders her baby can reclaim it within six weeks of placing it in the box, after which the legal process for foster care or adoption begins.
Peters says it felt “surreal” when she opened the box, “and there was a real, live baby in it.”
“I sat staring at him for about two hours. I am so grateful that he is safe and wasn't harmed or dumped,” she says.
Ruach Elohim -Hebrew for 'Breath of God' – is the only shelter in Namibia that has a baby box where desperate mothers can place their babies without facing prosecution or condemnation.
Humane option
Namibia's Child Care and Protection Act of 2015 was amended to allow women to surrender their babies anonymously without being prosecuted for child abandonment.
This is on the condition that the baby is unharmed and is left in a safe place such as a hospital, police station or a shelter like Ruach Elohim Foundation.
Peters says deseratpe women who cannot care for their babies must know that there is a better solution than dumping or killing them. “There is always hope; there is always help available.”
For more information, contact Peters at 01 242 6396 or visit the Ruach Elohim Foundation's Facebook page.
[email protected]
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