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Precious Babies

Who are we?

The Precious Baby Knitters, also known as Precious Babies, is a South African organisation based in Pretoria / Tshwane. The organisation was registered, in 2016, as a Non-profit Organisation (NPO) with the Dept. of Social Development and also as a Public Benefit Organisation (PBO) with The South African Revenue Service. However we have been in this field since June 2012, so we are not the “new kids on the block”. Registration became necessary due to the big growth we’ve been experiencing since we started. We have no staff or premises: they use up a large chunk of donor funding. We are all unpaid volunteers working from the home and garage of one of the volunteers.

This is the first baby we helped.  His name is “Precious” and he was 3 weeks old when the photo was taken.

Background

When a baby is born in a State Hospital or Clinic, and the Mother indicates that she is leaving without the baby, the Social Worker is called in. The Social Worker then establishes why. If it’s because the mother is destitute and has nothing, they counsel and advise her. It’s far better, emotionally, for the baby to be raised by the birth-mother but how do words give the mother hope when she knows that she has nothing for her baby and so can’t care for it. Especially when they leave the hospital. The baby will be wearing a disposable diaper and nothing else unless the ward can find, for example, old damaged sheeting or even newspaper!

No wonder that some mothers feel that abandonment is similar to a mercy killing; death is quicker that way! Now whether we agree, or not, with what mother does, the fact is that baby suffers and probably dies!

Our Intervention

The Social Worker needs to be able to give more than just words to a frightened, despondent and destitute mother. That’s where our intervention is. Precious Babies gives the Social Worker a Baby Gift Pack as a practical tool to show the mother THAT THERE IS HOPE! The pack contains what mother needs for the first 3 months of the baby’s life.

Items ready for packing

Volunteers at work.

Bags ready for delivery.

How does this make a difference?

Feedback is that the Social Worker now has a greatly improved chance to successfully counsel the mother to keep the baby. It is now running at about 75% of mothers who feel that there is new hope to be able to care for the baby, and so ask to be able to keep the baby

We realise that we can’t help all the destitute mothers and babies and this disturbed us greatly in the beginning, but we realised that we are called to help as much as we can. So now we try to make a difference one baby at a time!

More about our pretty and unique bags

When the destitute mom gets gifted with products to keep baby, the products get packed into a cloth bag, made and gifted by volunteers.  Because the fabric used is donated, the bags are quite unique.  Discarded curtains can be used for a complete bag.  Discarded pillowcases are used for part-bags and other cut-offs added to complete the bag.  Much smaller off-cuts often donated by dressmakers are patched onto thin sheets to make a new colourful fabric for a bag.  With a mind-set of don’t waste and recycle the bags are very unique and no two bags are the same.  They  are fun to make and also to receive.

One of our beautiful bags

Inge, a Precious Babies volunteer, with one of the bags she has made.

Our donors

Southdowns College donation

Precious Babies acknowledges Southdowns College and the learners of grade 0 to 12 for their generous donation of baby clothing and toiletries to the value of R45 000.

These items provided social workers with something tangible to offer destitute mothers and their new born babies and thereby brought hope to many.