Source - Bizzcommunity.com
South Africa is facing an unprecedented crisis - that of abandoned children and babies. In 2008 social workers believe the number of abandoned children rose by a third, with welfare agencies in Johannesburg dealing with at least seven abandoned children a day - most of them babies. This increase in abandonment may be attributed to the harsher social/economic climate being faced by South Africans with rising costs of fuel and food, and fewer available jobs.
The Tshwane Place of Safety Association (TPoSA) is a Pretoria based non-profit organisation that addresses the growing need for the dedicated care of babies and toddlers in distress.
TPoSA was started six years ago in order to deal with the increasing need for support and placement of babies and toddlers in crisis. In recent months, the financial condition of local communities has deteriorated, and as such the demand for programs such as the TPoSA has increased. Currently the TPoSA has 230 children placed in specially selected individual families known as Place of Safety Parents, who offer safety, housing, food, love and warmth for these abandoned children. Currently there are 110 approved and registered Place of Safety families in the TPoSA network. These Place of Safety families take abandoned children into their own homes and care for them either until they get adopted or placed back with the biological families (only if and when the families are rehabilitated). In the six years since inception TPoSA has taken in more than 650 children, and is currently placed with an average of nine abandoned babies and children per month, of which three on average are formally adopted each month, two go back to biological families and one into long term foster care.
The TPoSA's core belief is that crisis children stand a better chance of adapting and flourishing in their circumstances if they are cared for in a family environment during the initial crisis hours, days and sometimes months when they are first removed from or abandoned by their biological family.
Visit TPoSA to find out more at the Pretoria SABC Education Baba Indaba taking place at the Pretoria Showgrounds from 5-7 June 2009. Doors open from 09h30 - 17h00 each day and the show is full of inspirational ideas, fun for the family, information from expert exhibitors and great bargains. Entry is R45.00 at the door for adults and R20 for pensioners. Grandparents will be admitted free on Friday and kids under the age of 12 also get in for free on all show days. Purchase your tickets online at www.babaindaba.co.za for R40.00 and save R5.00.