Baby Suzi
“Last November, Baby Suzi joined the ranks of the 300 children per month in South Africa who are abandoned. Past studies have shown that about 65% of abandoned babies are newborn, like her, and 90% are under the age of 1. Fortunately, she was found and could be named and accounted for. Sadly, no such record is made of the two out of three babies who are unsafely abandoned and do not survive: neither the police nor the mortuaries keep separate data for children no one knows… Suzi beat the odds. She was abandoned outside a local store, 25 minutes’ walk too far from the Helderberg BabySaver. The Saver is a crib in the wall in Somerset West where babies can be anonymously placed. The editor of the local newspaper takes up Suzi’s story: “And so it was that when Cedric heard what he thought was a Cell phone ringing in the bin, he stopped. Uncertain at first, and then he looked inside the small circular opening, and saw only a plastic bag. And then it moved…”.
Little Unathi
At the exact time Baby Suzi entered our lives, our Team was enjoying a visit from 4-year-old little Unathi and her family. Unathi had been abandoned in a hospital when she was approximately 5 days old. No one saw her mother leaving but fortuitously someone found her. Years later, Unathi’s adoptive parents and both set of grandparents brought her back to South Africa so that they could all learn more about her country of origin and reconnect with the friends they had made. It is hard to describe the privilege of seeing all three generations together, arm in arm, joined in their love for each other. When Unathi’s family learned about the new baby who had been abandoned, they celebrated with us that a precious little person with similar beginnings to their daughter had been found and was safe.
Little Unathi
At the exact time Baby Suzi entered our lives, our Team was enjoying a visit from 4-year-old little Unathi and her family. Unathi had been abandoned in a hospital when she was approximately 5 days old. No one saw her mother leaving but fortuitously someone found her. Years later, Unathi’s adoptive parents and both set of grandparents brought her back to South Africa so that they could all learn more about her country of origin and reconnect with the friends they had made. It is hard to describe the privilege of seeing all three generations together, arm in arm, joined in their love for each other. When Unathi’s family learned about the new baby who had been abandoned, they celebrated with us that a precious little person with similar beginnings to their daughter had been found and was safe.
