An alarmingly high number of abused, abandoned, destitute and orphaned children in Phoenix has to led to the Phoenix Child Welfare (PCW) opening up yet another children’s home in the area which will incorporate the north Durban township’s first ever ‘Baby Safe’ at the heart of Triplen Circle in Northcroft.
The R1.2million double storey home that can accommodate up to 24 children was officially opened on Sunday, 21 May, with many prominent members of society including well known businessman and leading philanthropist Vivian Reddy witnessing the milestone event. According to statistics from Phoenix Child Welfare, 117 babies were reported to have been abandoned between the period of 2020 and 2021, and only 66 of those babies were found alive.
The opening of the Phoenix Children’s Home and Phoenix Child Welfare’s ‘Baby Safe’ is meant to address the scourge of babies being abandoned in bins, refuse dumps or drains as a preventative measure. Social economic issues such as poverty, teenage pregnancy, drug addiction and violence have been linked to child abandonment.
In many cases, the babies are exposed to harsh conditions and many of them are found dead, some with their umbilical cord still attached. Senior social worker at Phoenix Child Welfare, Leenie Gounder said: “To address this growing problem in our community, the Phoenix Child Welfare has installed a baby safe on the boundary wall at our children’s home complex, to assist mothers that feel that they are not in a position to take care of their babies. They can anonymously leave their babies in the safe, in a safe and secure environment as an alternative to leaving them in harsh conditions where their chances of survival are reduced.
She said: “Once the baby is placed in the baby safe, an alarm or message will be sent out to four different people including our house mother. The baby will be immediately removed from the baby safe and moved to a fully equipped baby nursery to undergo a full medical check-up and other necessary legal procedures. The baby safe will not only give children an opportunity and a chance to survive, but to thrive in a safe and loving environment.”
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid, the director of Phoenix Child Welfare, Aroona Chetty said the Society is involved and works with the communities of Phoenix, Mount Moriah and Mount Royal with their core function being child protection. She said: “Daily, we get lots of allegations of child abuse where our social workers have to go out and investigate these cases and many times we have to remove the children from their homes. When we look for placement for these children, it becomes very difficult because the homes don’t have place so this is why we decided to build a bigger home to accommodate for these children. In 2019, we had bought two houses – one being a nursery and the other a children’s cluster foster care and we couldn’t be more happier to have built this bigger structure to accommodate more children.”
She said: “The Phoenix Children’s Home aims to ensure that it meets the needs of children who cannot live with their own families for various reasons – by minimising the trauma and damaging effects associated with the removal and placement of the children in alternate care. In addition to providing food, shelter, space for play and leisure in a caring environment, it also acts as a place where children can grow and develop.”
The president of PCW, Sharm Maharaj said the Society has had to remove more than 200 children that have been abused, abandoned and have experienced various of other social problems. “These children are located at various families outside of Phoenix, while the Society could only accommodate eight due space. We had appealed for funding to build a home that would accommodate for more children in need of a safe and loving home, and received R1.2million from Sibaya Community Trust, to build this much needed resource in the community of Phoenix,” said Maharaj.
Sponsor of the Phoenix Children’s Home, Vivian Reddy said: “The Phoenix Child Welfare has done some amazing work in the community over the years and I will continue to support them. It really warms my heart that we were able to lend our support so that this dream of the Phoenix Child Welfare could become a reality. We are hoping that other organisations in various communities can emulate the Phoenix Child Welfare because it is people like this that make South Africa a better place for all of us.”
Reddy called for more businesses to go out there and support organisations that selflessly serve the community. “Even if you don’t have a business or money, use your time to serve your communities so that you can say you made a big difference in life. The only thing we can leave behind when it’s time for use to leave this earth, is our conscience so let’s all leave behind a good conscience,” he said.
The Phoenix Children’s Home, was launched ahead of Child Protection Week which is observed annually between the end of May and the beginning of June. Child Protection Week is commemorated to raise awareness of the rights of children as enshrined in the Constitution of South Africa. The campaign is led by the key government departments and civil society organisations rendering child protection services. Government calls on all South Africans to support Child Protection Week by ensuring that children, who are the most vulnerable in society, do not suffer abuse and the cycle of neglect, violence and child exploitation is stopped.
