It began with a mother and father reading to their newborn son. Two years on, Archie’s Archives is delivering pre-packed story bundles to parents in 19 Netcare hospitals, turning anxious hours into moments of connection.
South Africa (22 September 2025) – Sometimes love finds the simplest way to speak. A soft voice at a bedside. A story whispered through the hum of monitors. A parent reading the same page again, and again, because the rhythm steadies tiny breaths.
That’s the heart of Archie’s Archives, a small idea that has grown into something beautifully big, bringing comfort, connection and proven developmental benefits to vulnerable newborns and their families across South Africa.
What began as one family’s healing journey is now reaching more parents than ever. Launched just under two years ago, Archie’s Archives has already supported thousands of families through seven of Netcare’s neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Now, a further 12 Netcare hospitals are receiving Archie’s Archive units, extending the initiative to 19 facilities nationwide.
And quietly changing long, anxious days into moments of purpose and presence.
Netcare embraced the project from the start. Verena Bolton, neonatal nurse and national coordinator of Netcare Ncelisa human milk banks, calls the concept “beautifully simple and profoundly impactful”. Pre-packed, sealed bundles of books, handpicked and donated by volunteers, are placed in special Archie’s Archive shelves in the NICUs. Each pack is gifted to parents with babies admitted for an extended period. These aren’t shared books; they’re for each family to read aloud at the bedside and then take home, carefully aligning with strict hygiene standards. It’s practical, thoughtful, and deeply human.
But Archie’s Archives carries a very personal story. Tiffini and Richard Hein created the initiative in honour of their son, Archie, who was diagnosed with neonatal Marfan syndrome shortly after his birth in August 2022. He lived just three months. Three months filled with love and story time.
“Reading to Archie in the NICU and then at home became a treasured ritual, offering comfort and bonding during our most difficult days. We decided to honour his memory by creating Archie’s Archives, passing the baton of comfort to other families navigating NICU life,” says Tiffini.
There’s powerful science behind this tenderness. Bolton explains that reading in the NICU gives parents a purposeful role when they may feel helpless.
“This reinforces Netcare’s value of family-centred care while offering proven cognitive and physiological benefits for the child. Reading empowers parents to nurture and bond with their baby even when the infant cannot be physically held for medical reasons,” she says. “The sound of a mother or father’s voice provides emotional security and contributes to long-term relational and developmental benefits. The science behind this is striking. Research into language nutrition, the concept of how rich language exposure feeds a baby’s developing brain, highlights its powerful role in infant development, especially for premature babies in neonatal care.”
She adds, “International research has shown that parental language exposure at this critical stage can significantly influence brain development, and is linked to better physical growth, stronger neural connections, improved feeding, and more stable heart and breathing rates.”
The numbers tell their own story of momentum: over 6,700 books have already been distributed through Archie’s Archives, each one a quiet promise tucked into a parent’s hands at just the right moment. While the Hein family have carried much of the cost, individuals and companies have stepped in to help grow the vision.
“We are so thrilled to be rolling out the next 12 units, all of which have been fully sponsored by Bioderma, who have put enormous energy into this next chapter for Archie’s Archives,” says Tiffini.
And there is an actual next chapter. A literal one. A special new addition is being introduced to the project: a book authored by Tiffini Hein titled Penny’s Peculiar Pelt.
“The story, about a little penguin who is a burns survivor, is based on the real life experience of a little girl we welcomed into our family when she was very small and medically compromised, and who we are proud to parent. Once again, Bioderma got behind us and has made it possible to publish this book, 500 copies of which will be included in Archie’s Archives,” she says.
Behind the shelves and story packs is a network of care: volunteers who curate and donate books, Netcare unit managers who champion the day-to-day rollout, sponsors who keep the shelves full, and parents who turn a NICU cot into a tiny library. The impact reaches far beyond discharge day.
“We are so thankful for the incredible support we have received along the way, and for the ongoing efforts of the unit managers in the Netcare NICUs, who have really championed our cause. I love hearing the words ‘Hello Archie’s Mom!’ whenever I pop into one of the hospitals. It is a balm to my soul that our boy hasn’t been forgotten. The halls of Netcare are a place where I get to be Archie’s mum before anything else.”
Perhaps the most moving proof that this matters is how the stories keep travelling home.
“I have met countless people who, when I mention the project, are so excited to tell me that their child has one of Archie’s stamped books on their nightstand. Our hope is that no parent ever feels alone, and this shared experience continues. Every book is a quiet companion and a reminder that love endures, even in the smallest voices,” Tiffini concludes.
This is the kind of good news that lingers. A family’s love, multiplied. A hospital corridor softened by a parent reading aloud. A premature heartbeat settling to the cadence of a familiar voice. And now, with 19 Netcare hospitals on board, thousands more tiny listeners will have a story to hold onto. And parents will have something powerful to do in the hardest hours.
If you’d like to help turn more NICU rooms into little circles of comfort, you can contribute books or support the programme. For more information about how to contribute to Archie’s Archives, please contact Tiffini Hein at tiffini@archiesarchive.co.za.
Small pages. Soft voices. Big hope.
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