The origin of the Helderberg Baby Saver came about as a direct result of Baby Amber being found abandoned next to a river on the 15 February in 2014.
Four years later, and her beginning has created a legacy that will help thousands of South Africans.
The story of the Baby Saver stems from when a Somerset West Neighbourhood Watcher was the first responder to the scene when Baby Amber was found, newly born and dumped next to the river in Somerset West in early 2014. She was covered in ants and would have died fairly soon had the dog of some vagrants not sniffed her out, and they immediately raised the alarm.
A week later another abandoned baby was found in Somerset West CBD.
Judith Cross who held her, wiped ants out of her eyes and mouth and moved her umbilical cord away from her neck and Sandy Immelman decided there had to be a safer option for women who were desperate.
They wanted to try and help prevent dumping of babies in the area – and decided to install a Baby Saver.
“Six months later we launched our Baby Saver – and it is Amber that second baby who we can all thank – their rough starts in life meant that others were given a much easier one when they were left safely in our Baby Saver.”
A Baby Saver is a metal box in the perimeter wall of a safe house that has doors on either side of the wall. A person who does not want to – or cannot – keep their baby can come to the outer door of the safe house at any time, open the door to the safe and place their unwanted baby inside
Should someone place a baby in the Baby Saver the pressure mat triggers an alert to three responders who will be on scene within 15 minutes. The Saver door automatically locks on the outside when closed and access is only possible inside the building.
The baby will immediately be taken to the local hospital by ambulance and put into the adoption/foster care system.
The Baby Saver is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year – the Saver sends regular signals that it is working, has a battery back-up plus there are monthly tests and random practice runs to make sure there is zero chance of system failure
The purpose of the Helderberg Baby Saver is simply to provide a safer alternative to dumping a baby in a bin or drain, and to make sure that the infant is taken to the hospital where it can be cared for as quickly as possible.
Sandy Immelman and Judith Cross approached Choices, who deal with crisis pregnancies in the Helderberg area, and got permission to build the Saver in to their building.
There were a number of reasons for choosing the location:
- As Choices deal with crisis pregnancies there is a hope that desperate mothers might approach them prior to giving birth. The sticker on the Saver advises that they can seek help at Choices and gives a 24 hour number for Ruach Counselling.
- The building needs to be accessible to the taxi ranks, Main Road, N2, train station, etc.
- The Saver needs to be accessible and fairly private – but not isolated and thus risk putting the mother in danger.
- The Saver needs to be in a location that the respondents can safely access at all hours.
- The Saver needs to be in a place where it will not be damaged or vandalised.
- A woman walking to Choices with a baby would not stand out – it would look normal in the environment.
There have been many other interventions that have occurred thanks to Baby Amber over the last four years, so the team took to Facebook to thank her for and wish her well.
“We would like to wish her well, wherever she is in the world… she was adopted and went to live with a loving family overseas for her fourth birthday. Happy Birthday Baby Amber.
It seems like only yesterday that I held Amber in my arms for the first time. The memory will stay with me forever but what’s far more important is that the legacy, almost replicating the thriving of a healthy happy child continues to grow stronger with every passing month.
Like Amber I have moved too far away to be hands on anymore but the Helderberg Baby Saver Team are forever in place to support and educate all those that are in need of their help. Thank you ladies & gents for your love, dedication and foresight.”
Raising awareness is critical as the Saver can only be used if the people who need it, know where it is and that they can safely use it. Leaflets and posters in Afrikaans, Xhosa and English are distributed wherever possible, newspaper articles and radio interviews as well as presentations are also ongoing.
You can help share the information by sharing this article. Any questions can be sent to sandyimmelman@gmail.com.
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