Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Charlotte Nambadja
Published on 2024-03-11 15:00:00
Ronel Peters, a former pharmaceutical medical representative and the founder of Ruach Elohim Foundation, has once again shown her dedication to saving abandoned babies by taking in six more last Tuesday. The 51-year-old Peters was moved to action after reading about abandoned babies being accommodated at Windhoek’s Katutura Intermediate Hospital.
With the assistance of their private social worker, Catrien du Toit, the foundation worked to remove the babies from the hospital and place them in safe homes. Peters confirmed that five of the babies are now under their care, while the sixth has been taken to another place of safety. The Ruach Elohim Foundation, established in Swakopmund in 2018, provides an alternative to baby dumping through its ‘baby-saver box’ built into the shelter’s boundary wall.
Peters and her husband, Dick Peters, have opened their home to babies whose mothers are unable to care for them. They also offer counseling to mothers in need. The Ruach Elohim Foundation, which means ‘breath of God’ in Hebrew, is registered with the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication, and Child Welfare as a place of safety for unwanted, neglected, vulnerable, and abandoned babies.
While the foundation cannot disclose the exact number of babies they are accommodating for safety reasons, Peters emphasizes the importance of finding forever homes for these children. She acknowledges the financial challenges faced by the foundation, including day-to-day costs, medical expenses, caretakers’ salaries, and the need to raise awareness to prevent baby dumping.
Babies are left anonymously in the foundation’s baby-saver box, with thorough investigations conducted by social workers before any baby is returned to their mother. Social workers place babies and toddlers aged 0 to 18 months in the foundation’s care through court orders.
Despite their efforts, Peters notes that babies are still being dumped in unsafe places due to desperate mothers being unaware of safe options. She urges mothers in need to contact social workers, hospitals, police stations, or the foundation directly. The Peters couple collaborates with law enforcement, social workers, and counselors nationwide and have received numerous responses from pregnant women in need across the country.
Having three adult children of their own, the Peters family has always welcomed babies into their home, treating them as part of their family. Peters has conducted awareness campaigns on baby dumping in various towns in Namibia and plans to continue raising awareness nationwide.
The Peters couple calls on Namibians to support their cause and donate to the foundation to ensure they can fulfill their mission of saving abandoned babies. Peters encourages the public to get involved in raising awareness to help save more babies and make a positive impact on their lives.
Read the original article on The Namibian
