The Baby House

Please welcome this gorgeous 4 week old girl, she is the first of many babies to seek refuge at The Baby House, who officially opened their doors last night upon her arrival.

Another fantastic project, opening this week in Lonehill, just outside Johannesburg. The Baby House will provide interim care for children under the age of 4 who have been abused and/or abandoned.

Still waiting for final certificates then they can take up to 6 children, with longer term plans for expansion, including a foster unit, as children stay in care here in South Africa until they are 21.

You can follow them on face book http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/The-Baby-house/145724245476524 or twitter @thebabyhouse and I shall be updating this blog with information, progress and pictures.

They really need pyjamas, underwear and summer clothing for 2-4 year olds boys and girls, can you help?

my Groove is coming along nicely

Recovering my groove
I’m going out tonight and tomorrow and Friday. Wow you may say, but since relocating to South Africa in January I’ve not had a job or even friends...how sad is that?
There’s no hanging round the school gates, waiting for my kids any more, none of the automatic socialising that comes from having small children. No job to go to (on a 2 year visitor visa) so now general chit chat and invites out to the pub...so how do you make friends?
Oh it is sooooo hard and takes so long...if you’ve been reading my blog www.chickenruby.com you’ll see I’ve made more than an effort, I’ve taken people up on their suggestions, I’ve gone along as billy no mates to social events at the club house on the estate.
I made my hubby introduce me to one of his colleagues at work and we’re getting on fine, the trouble is her being a single, full time working mum, I have to wait for her to be available and she also travel with her work an awful lot. She has invited me for breakfast with some of her colleagues and I really enjoyed their company, then meeting up with one of the women for lunch last week.
I made hubby accept work invites even though it’s not his thing and that is where we are going on Friday night, a leaving do.
Tonight and via Twitter I found the @santashoebox and have volunteered with the collection of some 52,701 shoe box pledges for African Children for Christmas. The training session is tonight and the drop off next week at Crawford College in Pretoria.
Tomorrow night is Internations night, a once a month expat meeting in Brooklyn, Pretoria. I met some lovely people last month and although no further contacts were made, the message board is busy with people confirming their attendance.
What with getting out more and finally securing a voluntary role with @thebabyhouse, my groove is coming along nicely.

The Baby House

I’ve got myself a voluntary job, 2 mornings a week with The Baby House, a new venture for children and babies under 4 who have been abandoned and/or abused.
My work in the UK was in child protection and teaching and although this is going to be very different from anything I’ve done before, I know I have a lot of knowledge and experience to give and it is going to be hard, emotional and challenging.
The statistics of abandoned and abused children in South Africa is unbelievable. I was informed that every child that is placed in interim care is more than likely to have HIV/AIDS and these children will probably be disfigured from the abuse and trauma they have suffered.
The Baby House’s aim is to provide a safe environment for the child to live where they are loved, cared for and educated. My role will be to work alongside the care workers and to use my experience to nurture their relationships with the children through play and social activities, guiding with activities and support for discipline and managing behaviour.
The Baby House relies on full time funding which the partners are working on full time and any donations of equipment and money will always be greatly received.

www.thebabyhouse.org

Twitter @thebabyhouse

Face book http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Baby-house/145724245476524

Go ahead unfollow if you want

So many more people are more open these days and with the advances in technology and social networking you are never more than a few tweets/status up dates/google searches away from the answer.

But please be careful..there is too much information out there and before you know it you've convinced yourself you've got cancer/your child is autistic/you're allergic to the 21st Century.

My reasons for writing this post are to ask some of you...and please don't ask if I mean you?...to STOP treating your children as mini adults, to STOP labelling them as talented/special needs/allergic/angels etc etc......let them be kids, let them grow up without Kumon lessons and ballet classes, let them be them and not little versions of what you wanted to be....give up the labels...they are self imposed, STOP comparing and competing...even if you don't think you are some of you really don't know how much upset you cause others with your comments....

You're children are beautiful, they are precious, of course you would die to protect them...just remember not everyone else will see them that way...and that is life

Geninue allergies (life threatening) and Special needs with Statements are excluded from all above comments.