Giving Abandoned Babies a Safe and Loving Start
Over 3,500 babies are abandoned each year in South Africa. At Journey of Hope Baby Home, we offer crisis care, unconditional love, and family until each little one finds their forever home.
Our Story
This is where our journey began. This is the space we work in, and this is the reality we face every day.
We are an ordinary middle-class South African family answering an extraordinary calling—to bring hope to the most vulnerable victims of our country’s child abandonment crisis.
When we started this journey, we planned on fostering two babies—something we believed we could manage both financially and logistically. But life had other plans. Today, six little ones fill our home, and our hearts.
People often ask, “Why didn’t you say no?”
The truth is—once you’ve walked the hospital wards, once you’ve cradled a tiny baby who was discarded and left with nothing, saying “no” just isn’t an option. Not for us.
In November 2023, Journey of Hope Baby Home became an officially registered NPO. But in truth, our mission began long before the paperwork—when we chose to open our hearts and home to babies in need of love, family, and a safe place to grow.
What We Do
At Journey of Hope Baby Home, our role is to step in and hold space for babies caught in South Africa’s devastating child abandonment crisis. We provide a safe, secure, and loving family environment for vulnerable and abandoned babies—until they find their happily ever after.
We do not facilitate permanent placements ourselves. Each baby is assigned a dedicated social worker who oversees all decisions about their future. Our job is simple, but deeply meaningful: we become their mom, dad, siblings, and home—for as long as they need us.
While they’re with us, we fulfil every role a parent would. From love and nurturing to medical care, early learning, and emotional support, we’re committed to raising resilient little people who are not just surviving, but thriving.
Frightening statistics in South Africa
3500 babies are abandoned annually in South Africa (only the reported cases)
For every 1 baby found alive, 2 are found dead
There are over 2.9million abandoned or orphaned children in South Africa
Abandoned babies remain in hospital until they can be placed into crisis care
There is little to no financial support or backing from government
Crisis care homes are all full. DSD regulates intake and, in KwaZulu Natal, each home may legally, only care for 6 babies at a time
State hospitals deal with upwards of 100 ‘safely’ abandoned babies each year
Social workers and hospital staff are over-worked and overwhelmed.
Abandoned babies are now simply a statistic. They have been reduced to case numbers on files which need to be moved.
Since July 2023 we have had the privilege of parenting 13 beautiful little angels. We have witnessed 7 successful adoptions and 1 very special family reunification.
Help Us Change Their Story
Every baby deserves love, safety, and a family. Your donation helps us provide abandoned babies with everything from nappies and formula to full-time care and a warm, nurturing home. With your support, we can give these little ones the future they deserve.
