After their adoption journey, José and Wayne created a foundation helping birth mothers rebuild their lives with dignity and support.
South Africa (01 April 2026) – When José Olcina and Wayne Banks embarked on a journey to grow their family through adoption, they didn’t realise at the time that it would also grow their hearts, planting the seed for something bigger than they could have imagined.
During the whirlwind process of adoption, where intentions, home, finances, and soul were all scrutinised, José and Wayne came face-to-face with a truth few speak about: adoption doesn’t just begin a new chapter for a child; it also closes one for a biological mother, often left to navigate grief, stigma, and isolation alone.
They couldn’t turn away from this. Instead, they founded The Empathologist Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to supporting biological mothers in South Africa who have placed their children for adoption, and mothers facing the aftermath of parenthood in crisis.
José and Wayne are celebrating two years of the NPC, highlighting how their life-changing moment caused a ripple effect that has seen them touch countless lives, like Ms P, Ms K and Ms M.N, to name but a few.
“What started as one of the most meaningful moments of our lives, Oliver´s adoption, also brought with it a quiet, uncomfortable question: Who is caring for the biological mothers behind these stories?
That question became responsibility. And that responsibility became The Empathologist Foundation. Today, we look back with pride and forward with renewed energy.”
The initiatives they have launched have helped birth mothers get back on their feet, find stability and renew their hope.
With the launch of Thift & Thive, the foundation’s charity shop, they have been able to restore dignity and provide retail work experience for women enrolled in their programmes. Powered by the foundation and Khethani Women’s Wellness, the goal is simply to uplift women who have faced too much hardship in their lives.
Not only are women given a chance to empower themselves, but in terms of retail therapy, they can shop for clothing for themselves or their children through the voucher system, too. This is just another way of helping women get back on their feet.
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Another win for the team is being featured on HelderbergFM (93.6 FM) with Marilize du Plessis, who has a space to highlight the work of NGOs across the Helderberg region. Alongside radio highlights, the story has travelled to Josè’s home country of Spain, where the organisation was featured in Olé! Magazine, the official newsletter of the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Republic of South Africa.
Being from both Spain and South Africa has had a great impact on the funding abilities of the foundation. A major donation from Cada Día es Navidad in Spain has seen two children fully educated for a whole year.
“While education is incredibly important for their future, today is also about something else: creating space for their mother. With the children now at school, she has the time and opportunity to focus on a three-month skills development course that we are supporting, helping her begin a career as an elderly carer and build stability for her family.”
These moments are a mere tip of the iceberg for the foundation as they continue to advocate for change in this space.
“South Africa’s realities, inequality, unemployment, gender-based violence, and economic fragility, shape the lives of the women we work with. Behind every statistic is a woman trying to rebuild her life.
Over the past two years, we have walked alongside women who have placed children for adoption, those considering it, and those fighting to keep them.”
You can follow The Empathologist Foundation, and the work they are doing to empower birth mothers, via Facebook, Instagram and the website linked above.
“We are not rescuers. The women we support are not passive recipients, they are the architects of their own resilience. Our role is simply to stand beside them long enough for stability to take root.”
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