A baby girl has been given a second chance, thanks to a new baby hatch placed in Lavender Hill.
Lavender Hill, South Africa – This comes at a time when our newsfeeds are filled with babies being dumped – in bins, near rivers and even in the sea.
Lucinda Evans, the founder member of Philisa Abafazi Bethu (Heal our Women in Xhosa) is the incredible woman behind the new baby hatch in Lavender Hill.
While the community is called Lavender Hill, fields of blossoming flowers are far from view in this struggling community. Lavender Hill was formed as a result of the Group Areas Act of 1950 during the times of apartheid. It has a population of 100,000 people including five informal settlements that contain high levels of drug abuse, violence, gangs, and crime. There is currently a 60% unemployment rate in Lavender Hill primarily due to the oppression of past apartheid laws and Lavender Hill continues to struggle to keep its head above water in post-apartheid South Africa.
Philisa Abafazi was founded in October 2008 after Lucinda became tired of seeing her community being abused. Lucinda has a lot of experience working in this community and she became sick of seeing organizations just sitting by and letting the abuse continue. Lucinda decided that the biggest need was for the women and children, so she took her life savings and started a safe space for them.
And then, late in 2017, Lucinda found a little newborn baby girl left in a shopping bag on her doorstep… she immediately started researching baby hatches.
“A baby hatch or baby box is a place where people (typically mothers) can bring babies, usually newborn, and abandon them anonymously in a safe place to be found and cared for. This kind of arrangement was common in the Middle Ages and in the 18th and 19th centuries when the device was known as a foundling wheel. Foundling wheels were taken out of use in the late 19th century but a modern form, the baby hatch, began to be introduced again from 1952 and since 2000 has come into use in many countries, notably in Germany, where there are around 100 hatches and in Pakistan where there are more than 300 as of 2006.”
It took almost a full year before Evans had her baby hatch installed, but as of October 2018, Lavender Hills had their first safe space to surrender a baby, by a mother who could not take of them for whatever reason.
And on Saturday the 30th of March 2019 Lucinda was awoken by an alarm that had been triggered at her baby hatch. There was a delivery that had been made.
Lucinda rushed to the home and found a newborn with a letter:
It’s not my intention to abandon my baby girl, but I have nowhere else to go, and I cannot afford to look after my child. I just want to give her the best life.
The little newborn was medically screened while the social workers were called and Lucinda’s incredible team of volunteers rallied together to care for the little one. In less than a day, a newborn baby had been saved and placed with a foster family thanks to the Philisa Abafazi Bethu baby hatch.
“We are emotional and grateful that the mom knew she would find help and support with us. We are committed to Saving Women and Saving Children, one Child and one Woman at a time.
We are grateful that this baby is healthy and that she didn’t end up in a bin or drain.
When mom contacts us, we will support her. We don’t judge as we understand where a woman in distress might find herself. Where do women go with a newborn and no support? it is time that we advocate for the Protection for Both Women and Children.”
Child abandonment continues to be a major challenge in South Africa. Every year it is estimated that 3,500 children are abandoned and this figure refers only to the children who survive. Of these survivors, 90% are under the age of one. They are left alone and defenceless.
Lucinda will continue to advocate for the protection and rights of women, children and babies in her area and South Africa as a whole. The incredible South African aims to be the person that others can rely on for protection and reassurance.
As of now, however, Lucinda is attempting this task alone. The money that she pours into her organisation all comes from her own pocket.
To get involved or for more information about Philisa Abafazi Bethu, click here.
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