Why do we care for vulnerable children?

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” – James 1:27

The Challenge

In South Africa, 14% of children are orphans* and over 10,000 babies are abandoned each year.**

There is a pressing need for civil society to work with government to ensure places of safety and family-restoration processes are available and effective.

* (Ref.: “Orphaning”, Katharine Hall, September 2022, UCT)
** (Ref.: Baby Savers South Africa, 08 November 2022).

Our Solution >>

The Domino Babies’ Home is a transition home providing a safe environment for new-borns to 3 year olds, each child having been placed there by local Child Welfare Organisations.

The babies and children receive 24-hour care of their physical, emotional, social, cognitive and spiritual needs from staff who are skilled and gifted to care for them.

Opportunities for Involvement

The Domino Foundation Babies Home is dependent on local, national and international individuals/families, schools, churches, corporate businesses, trust and foundation donors (financial) and volunteers (time and services) who can support and sustain the home in the following ways:

TIME

Do you have a few spare hours in the day/week/month to help care for the babies, cook healthy balance meals, engage in active learning lessons or games, clean toys, do gardening or help with general DIY jobs needed doing in and around the home?

TALENT

Are you a Physio or OT with skills to help the any physical and cognitive development needs? A Social Media Whizz to help raise awareness of our work? Or keen to do a ‘Needs List Collection Drive’ at your school/sports club or office?

TREASURE

Are you in a position to partner financially? Could you sign up for as little as a R250 p/m direct debit donor? Give a once off gift via EFT/Credit Card/PayPal? Or choose the Babies Home as your CSI partner or Art Auction Beneficiary?

Items need in our Babies Home

BABY ITEMS

  • Nido 3+
  • Baby clothes (age 1 yr—4yrs)
  • Wet wipes
  • Vaseline Blue Seal


CLEANING MATERIALS

  • Domestos
  • Handy Andy
  • Black bags
  • Blue bags
  • Toilet rolls
  • Dish-washing liquid

GROCERIES

  • Chicken
  • Mince
  • Canned tomatoes
  • Potatoes
  • Fresh Fruit & Veg
  • Yoghurts
  • Mayonnaise
  • Peanut Butter
  • Macaroni
  • Spaghetti
  • Eggs
  • Rice

Compassion

Children are placed in our home, where we ensure that they have 24 hour care in an holistically secure and loving environment, which caters to their physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual needs. Our desire is to provide a safe space for these traumatised little people, so that their transition back into their biological, extended or adoptive families is as seamless as possible.

Connection

We remain engaged with the respective Child Welfare Departments as a Transition Home/Crisis Care Facility for abandoned and vulnerable children and work closely to to place the baby/child back into a permanent #foreverfamily by facilitating reunification between the child and their biological/existing or extended family; culture or potential adoptive parents.

Standing for justice

Domino supports the National Adoption Coalition as members, to challenge legislation, advocate policies and improve processes to safeguard justice for vulnerable children.  In addition, the Babies Home provides a community platform for Volunteers and Donors to invest their time/talent or treasures to see abandoned children placed into permanent families.

At the heart of child abandonment is most often a young, vulnerable woman who is left destitute, abused, in shame or fear of the situation she finds herself in and so leaving their child bundled in a public place like a toilet or market place, absconding from hospital or at worst in a plastic bag in a dustbin, seems like their only form of hope and possibility for a life they can not afford them!

Advocacy

CASE NUMBER D4680/2018 IN THE MATTER OF NATIONAL ADOPTION COALITION OF SOUTH AFRICA vs KZN DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (DSD)

On 1 November 2019 the National Adoption Coalition of SA assisted by the Centre for Child Law at the University of Pretoria challenged the delays experienced by adoptable children in KZN in the Durban High Court. Advocate Deborah Ainslie of Artium Advocate Chambers have been instructed in this matter by the Centre for Child Law. In summary the case related to serious delays experienced in the issuance of Section 239 letters by the KZN Department of Social Development (DSD).These delays in many instances prevented adoptions from proceeding by the Department’s failure to make a decision and preventing the Children’s Court from considering the adoptions.

Networking & Partnerships

Domino continues to develop relationships with the local Durban North SA Police Services (SAPS) under the leadership of Sergent Shozi and their Social Workers. As detailed above we are members of the National Adoption Coalition, love to partner with other Babies Homes in the community and city, and are always eager to share what we have in our storehouse to see others thrive as they care for the orphans in distress.

We continue to count it the greatest privilege to care for these vulnerable little lives and thank God and every family, friend, donor, volunteer and partner that invests into placing them into their forever families.

Articles from our Blog

Contact Details

Precious Thabethe
Crisis Mother
Email: fairhavens@domino.org.za
Phone: +27 (0) 31 563 9605
Fax: +27 (0) 31 563 1001

Natalie Ogden
Social Justice Co-Ordinator
Email: justice@domino.org.za
Phone: +27 (0) 31 563 9605
Fax: +27 (0) 31 563 1001

  • Babies Home Crisis Parents