A Heart filled with Hope through Nadia

The lineage of the name ‘Nadia’ can be traced back to the Slavic languages and beyond to the ancient Middle East. Among its meanings is “Filled with hope”. Nadia Aboud knows that her name describes her inner self perfectly. Originally hailing from a small Free State town where caring for each other is second nature to the members of the community, she has always had a heart to extend hope to those in need of it. When she moved to Durban in 2016, big city life came as something of a culture shock. She was swept up into the pressured demands of corporate life and, in her own words, “I lost track of myself.” In her search for the Nadia of Koffiefontein of her youth, she met Nicky Walton, a fellow La Lucia resident who introduced her to The Domino Foundation. There Nadia has found ample scope for her innate capacity for hope to overflow to beneficiaries on the foundation’s programmes. Initially, she volunteered during the mammoth relief effort Domino coordinated in the aftermath of the KZN April and May 2022 floods. She was stirred by the effort of so many for the good of those in need and knew she had found her space to inspire hope.

Nadia’s creative and artistic skills are finding expression as she works with the survivors of human-trafficking in the Red Light Programme, teaching them jewellery and seamstressing. As one of the finalists in Mrs SA 2022 in November, fashion and beauty are hallmarks of Nadia’s. She has also stepped forward to volunteer at Domino’s Babies Home and is keen to bring her special brand of hope to the little ones there. “I was thrilled to meet the new baby who has just been welcomed into the ‘family’ there and I am appealling to the community for winter tracksuits and leggings and winter tops for 2 to 4 year-olds, flannel cot sheets and receiving blankets.” Precious Thabethe, House Mother at the home, invited any well-wishers to drop their donations off either at the home or at Domino’s offices (37 Mackeurtan Avenue, Durban North).

Nadia with a precious little baby from Fairhavens Baby Home Nadia Aboud imparting her special brand of hope to a small member of the ‘family’ at The Domino Foundation’s Babies Home.

Dignity, Justice, Hope and Purpose

26 years after the establishment of a democratic South Africa, with its lofty ideals scripted in the constitution and marked as one of the world’s finest, many of the country’s citizens find themselves far from having those ‘theoretical suggestions’ as a stark concrete reality in their lives.

Nonetheless, there is every reason under the sun for us to celebrate National Human Rights Day again on Monday 21 March 2022. The Christian perspective, which undergirds The Domino Foundation and it’s eight programmes, is that each and every South African is made in the image and likeness of God.

Natalie Ogden, the foundation’s Social Justice Co-ordinator, is adamant when she says: “Domino’s mission is to see all people living with dignity, justice, hope and purpose. These convictions align with the constitution’s affirmation of:

equality before the law for all,
that every one has an inherent dignity to be respected and protected, and
that everyone has an inalienable right to life.”

Natalie elaborated that, two of Domino’s Programmes, address the core critical human rights issues:

The Domino Fairhaven’s Babies’ Home, where the youngest and most vulnerable of our fellow citizens (babies and children) are rescued from abandonment, nurtured and loved until they are either reunited with their biological families or are adopted into what are called their new “forever” families;
The Red Light Anti Human Trafficking Programme sees survivors of human-trafficking reached out to, rescued, restored and released into new lives, where the brokenness of their former lives is gone and wholeness opens a wonderful future for them.

She underlined that the basic dignity of every one of Domino’s 13,500 beneficiaries is affirmed in whatever the foundation’s response to their plight may be. The highest form of love is agape love which Paul writes about in 1 Corinthians 13:8: “Love always protects, trusts, hopes and perseveres”.

This Monday, our community as a whole and Domino in particular needs to respond to the call to collective action to see that what our constitution declares does become the reality experienced by all our fellow citizens.

#everyONEaddONE 2022 Campaign

We are so excited to start building on our #everyONEaddONE Campaign

HERE IS THE ASK!

If each one of you reading this blog, can refer ONE friend, family member, colleague, church, business or local/international funder to the Domino Foundation, we could double our impact THIS YEAR!

And here are some helpful suggestions to get you started:

Get them to like and follow us on our socials
Individuals can sign up as monthly direct debit donor
Make a financial gift donation on your birthday or anniversary month
Refer your HR/IR/CSI/Diversity champions to our Donor Relations Team
Churches can you connect us to your Mercy and Justice Ministries
Do you know local or international organisations looking for new partners in Durban, KZN or SA

MAKING IT EASY FOR YOU …

Send an email of introduction to your ONE referral, connecting them to one of our Donor Relations Consultants Tarin Stevenson, Elaine Chetty or Navin Bahadur … and we will do the rest!

Jayda Mun-Gavin’s Story

What a complete privilege and opportunity to have taken a moment to capture this young woman’s story from #CradletoCareer.

Take a listen to Jayda’s story from abandonment, to being the 4th child placed at the Domino Fairhaven’s Babies Home, then adopted by Richard and Jaci Mun-Gavin to matriculating in 2020!

Hear her story here recorded with her bestie Grace Shepard, and take a listen to what they have to say to the youth …

Found an abandoned baby?

How to respond if you find an abandoned baby …

Call the South African Police Services promptly and make yourself available to provide an affidavit on your observations.

Remain with the baby until the police come in order to ensure that the baby is safe and protected from the elements.

If necessary, the Emergency Rescue Services could be called to attend to the child’s health needs.

Take note of the following information:-

Time of finding the baby
Place where baby was found
Child’s appearance and condition e.g. health, cleanliness, emotional state of being
Child’s clothing – What was child wearing? Was the child wrapped up?
Was there a bag or any possessions left with the baby e.g. clothing, nappies, baby formula, water or baby food
Any identifying details e.g. the Child’s Road to Health Booklet, any letters, documents or information regarding the mother or family and their addresses or contact details?

It is important to note that your own observations surrounding the abandonment is critical in assisting in the investigation into the child’s circumstances and may be helpful in the process of identifying and/or locating the mother or other family members.

“Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future.” – Nelson Mandela

Information supplied from Child Welfare Durban and District (Nonprofit Organisation (002-259 NPO), PBO Ref. No. 18/11/13/1145 A Community Chest Member) www.cwdd.org.za

Tel: (031) 312 9313 Fax: (Admin): (031) 312 3147

Address: 20 Clarence Road, Durban 4001, P O Box 47569 Greyville 4023

Board Members – R. Pillay – President; D. Msomi – Vice President, M Naidu – Hon. Treasurer. Members: P Ram, J Murray, S Naidoo, D Shukla, H Grobbelaar.

What to do with an abandoned baby – CWDD

Thriving babies …

Life in lockdown in the homes has been busy with the Fairhaven’s Baby Home family with five small babies and two energetic little boys keeping the team on their toes. Thank goodness for a big garden, sunshine and our ECD ‘classroom’ Crisis Housemother Precious Thabete said proudly “I am so grateful to work with such loving and dedicated women who put the health and wellbeing of our babies and children first. Also thanks to Zanele and the ECD team, we have a fun plan in place for teaching our little boys, it helps keep them busy whilst having fun learning!”

Sadly as we read the rising stats and horrific stories of Gender Based Violence, so came the equally devastating increase in abused and abandoned children. Again, we count it an honour and blessing, to have been able to take in one extra little vulnerable baby as a Crisis Home and place of safety and temporary safe care.

At this time in our city, province and country – we also continue to pray and petition heaven for unity, wisdom and enlarged capacity for all the Child Welfare Departments, SAPS and Family Law Courts. We ask God for His sovereign hand to carry this burden and to make a way for these children and their parents/caregivers where there seems like no other way.

In closing a big thank you all those who made Mandela Day donations of nappies, wetwipes, Vaseline and food items to the homes and especially to the rugby legend Odwa Ndungane and Danville Girls High School learners

Would you like to invest in forever families?

If your heart yearns to make a difference in the life of an orphan/abandoned child please partner with us by committing to donate R250 per month via direct debit – it is a legacy gift beyond measure

Then Send the form to Colleen Turner so she can set this up for you! #givingmadeeasy

This is Precious Thabete – our Crisis Mom

Learn more about the homes

Home news in the local press

https://www.dominofoundation.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/DOMINO-Debit-Order-Form-2019-Interactive.pdf

Mandela Day – Power Hour Options

We know some people like heavy lifting and to feel physically connected to the project! So in line with all COVID-19 Public Health & Hygiene Regulations (we know them very well after packing 20,048 Hampers over the past 3 months ) added to Domino’s signature agility, we have various #MandelaDay2020 options to suit your needs and budgets:

Want to do a workout on site? We would love you and your team (strictly 5 peeps at time for an hour max) to help us pack and stack more Hope Hampers. It’s a R3,500 donation from your CSI/SED budget, and we will set up the packing grid here at Domino in Durban North on Friday 17 July 2020 only. Please email Lisa Doyle on admin@domino.org.za to book your time slot and send her your company details for invoicing. Watch our COVID-19 Workout video for inspiration of what you can expect and please don’t be a “Lazy Llama”!
Prefer to workout off site? Ok perfect, you can come and collect a stack of 10 x COVID-19 Branded Buckets from us at the Domino Offices in Durban North and make a donation of R500. Then you and your team need to fill them at your offices/homes/churches with the 10 x Standarised Items (to the value of approx R300 each) Post a little video and tag us with you hard at work having fun packing. Please return the filled buckets all sanitised and sealed to our offices by Friday 31 July 2020. Email Lisa Doyle on admin@domino.org.za and she will send you all the details of how to fill your buckets
Make-up Dignity Bags for girls? Gather your friends and make up pretty and practical Toiletry Bags (Uzwelo do some beautiful recycled options) for teenage girls who on our Literacy and Life School Programmes. Fill them with the following seven basic Toiletry Items, add a handwritten card of encouragement and then drop them at the Domino Offices by Friday 31 July 2020. Please email Lisa Doyle on admin@domino.org.za if you would like to bring joy & dignity to these girls.
We need nappies for Africa – We care for 6 orphaned and vulnerable babies in our Babies Home and are always in need of nappies – Huggies/Pampers in sizes 2, 3 and 4 please. We can also use nappies to support little children in our partnering Early Childhood Development Centres. So, please pop a bundle of nappies, sensitive wet wipes and Vaseline (not perfumed) into your shopping trolley and drive by and drop off at Domino Offices in Durban North by Friday 31 July 2020. Please email Lisa Doyle on admin@domino.org.za to let her know you would like to do that!
Did their school & sports shoes shrink in lockdown? If that happened to your kids, and you now have pairs of pre-loved school and sports shoes in great condition to give to community friends in need, please ask and encourage your classmates to bring them to school and drop at Domino Offices in Durban North on Friday 17 July 2020, or we can send our drivers to come and collect them all together. Please email Lisa Doyle on admin@domino.org.za with your school details and shoe collection contact person

Thank you so much #MandelaDay2020 #EachOneReachOne

Mandela Day – Online Activations

“It always seems impossible until it’s done” Nelson Mandela

We realise and respect that many of you might want to do something for Mandela Day this year but would prefer to do it from the comfort of your own offices or homes. So herewith some simple and super fun options:

Could you zap a R67 gift to us? Thank you Zap away and please challenge 6 – 7 friends to do the same! Can we make it easier? WhatsApp us on 083 777 5633 and we will send you the mobile Zapper link to forward on …
Are you an avid Zwift racing cyclist? Yay then please cycle in the Virtual Aquelle Tour Durban on 25 and 26 July 2020. It is R50 per entry and you can seriously chase that leader board!!
Or are you more of a #WeekendWarrior type cyclist, where it’s about the coffee and the connecting and the great open road? Great, then please get your cycling crew and sign up to participate in the Virtual Aquelle Tour Durban on 25 and 26 July 2020 It is also R50 per entry and you can race your mates along the beach, bush or berg …
Are you artistic and wildly creative? Could you draw a picture, do a painting, create a doodle or take a series of photographs? Anything to do with hope. Then you can auction it off to your friends and family online, tag us in your “online exhibition”, share your story and donate the proceeds to us!
Do you act, create drama, write poetry or sing? Could you add your voice to a video about the importance of education, justice and nutrition? You could share it on your social media channels and tag The Domino Foundation to create greater awareness of the importance of the #DominoEffect – #fromcradletocareer giving #dignity #hope and #justice
How about challenging your friends overseas to any of the above options? We have PayPal especially for those that love Africa, her sunshine, Shwe Shwe, the big 5 and our beloved Madiba!
Could you continue to raise awareness and support of our Hope Vouchers please? R410 is just a click away and brings freedom of choice and dignified relief aid

THANK YOU AND GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The BIG picture

We thought it would be super helpful to put all our programmes into a one page “big picture format” for you, to make it easy to identify with our common values and purpose and how each programme interconnects with the other.

The aim is to reduce vulnerability step by step in a beneficiary’s life creating a positive #DominoEffect from Cradle to Career, an beyond!

There are three additional safety net interventions for added support of Human Rights, Disaster Management and protecting the Environment.

We hope this inspires you, as your impact plays it part in this story!

The interconnected #DominoEffect reducing vulnerability from Cradle to Career with additional Safety Net interventions in support!

It’s a full baby home

Precious Thabete our Crisis Parent shared these insights and updates on what has been taking place in the transition home over the first few months of 2020.

“We are so happy to share the news that there were two separate adoptions in December 2019, which made way for us to take in two more special little people who both came to the baby home on the same day Monday 23 December 2019 and we really thank God for adding them to our Domino family”

Our home is alive with the sound of children healing and being cared for in a safe and loving environment. Precious, her team of caregivers, volunteers and community service learners (Pre COVID-19 lockdown!) continue to love these gorgeous kiddies who have been abandoned, given up for adoption or removed from their families for their own safety.

It has also been amazing to have the Domino Early Childhood Development Team come and empower the caregivers on how to run their mini morning teaching sessions for the two older boys so that active learning can take place!

“And whilst there have been no other adoptions this year, we were so excited to have a family from London pop in and visit us in February with their little girl and she seems to be so happy and doing so well!”

We continue to pray for our partners at Durban Child Welfare and Department of Social Development who assist us to place and care for vulnerable children in distress.

Domino Babies Home