Thand'usana Babies Safe Home

Who Thand'usana Receives

Thand'usana receives babies from birth to 3 years of age who are: - Abandoned (left without caregiving, found by SAPS or others) - Abused (removed from a dangerous home environment following a Child Protection assessment or Court Order) - Neglected (parental incapacity due to illness, substance abuse, poverty, incarceration, or other circumstances) - HIV-positive infants requiring specialist care in a home environment (rather than a clinical setting)

The home can accommodate a maximum of six babies at a time — a deliberately small capacity that allows for the intensive individual attention every infant needs for healthy neurological and emotional development.

Note on the Baby Safe

Thand'usana previously operated a Baby Safe — a hatch at the gate through which babies could be anonymously surrendered. This facility is no longer available. However, carers are present at the home 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and anyone who needs to surrender a baby or access emergency assistance for an infant should press the buzzer at the gate at 40 3rd Avenue, Newton Park, at any time of day or night. This is a critical detail for survivors who may have given birth following a rape, or who find themselves in crisis with a newborn.

What Babies Receive at Thand'usana

Love, Nurture, and Individual Attention Full-time house mothers care for the babies at all times — providing feeding, comfort, play, stimulation, and the consistent loving presence that is essential for infant brain development and emotional health. Each baby receives individual attention — this is not institutional care but family-model care.

Medical Support Thand'usana ensures that every baby receives the medical attention they need. This includes regular visits from doctors, and the involvement of occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and speech therapists — supporting developmental needs that may arise from prenatal exposure to substances, premature birth, neglect, or other health factors.

HIV-Positive Infant Care Thand'usana explicitly accepts HIV-positive infants — including the management of antiretroviral therapy and the specialist care that HIV-positive infants require.

Food, Formula, Clothing, and Stimulation Every practical need is met: healthy food, formula, juice and milk; age-appropriate toys and stimulation activities; clothing for every child. The home relies on community donations to maintain these supplies.

Family Placement

Thand'usana's goal is always a permanent family. The home works in partnership with social workers and formal evaluation processes to achieve one of four outcomes for each baby: adoption (family or non-family), return to biological family (where safe), foster care, or transfer to a long-term specialist residential facility. The home maintains partnerships with other safe homes to support this process.

Volunteers

Thand'usana welcomes volunteers who complete an affidavit, provide a copy of their ID, and obtain a police clearance before beginning. Volunteer roles involve direct time with the babies — holding, feeding, playing, and providing additional care support. For volunteers, police clearance is non-negotiable — a necessary safeguard in a home for the most vulnerable members of society.

Relevance to GBV Survivors

For GBV survivors in the Nelson Mandela Bay area who have an infant in need of emergency care, Thand'usana is the key specialist resource. Scenarios include: a woman who has given birth following rape and cannot care for the newborn; a survivor in shelter accommodation whose baby requires a placement while she stabilises; a baby removed from a domestic violence situation who needs a temporary warm, safe placement while DSD arranges a longer-term plan. Thand'usana works directly with social workers, SAPS, and Childline (116) to receive and care for these babies.

Thand'usana Babies Safe Home: 40 3rd Avenue, Newton Park, Gqeberha, Eastern Cape. Phone: 079 692 5039 / 061 864 1673. NPO 068/466. Ministry of Newton Park Methodist Church. Carers present 24/7 — press buzzer at gate. Website: thandusana.co.za.