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After experiencing first-hand the adoption process of a close friend, Kris Freudenthal, the director of Abba’s House in Loerie, saw the deep need for a baby home in the area that she just could not ignore and there she began the long work of figuring out how to care for children in the foster care system as a foreigner in this country.
Now Abba’s House is a temporary place of safety, as described by the South African Child Act. They house up to six children (per home) at a time, with ages ranging from 0-three years old, and typically have them in their care for up to six months, longer if needed.
Staff manager, Tarren Salter, helps facilitate the day-to-day activities, as well as managing the staff’s needs.
The children that are placed with them are either abandoned, abused, or in the process of adoption. They stay with them while the courts evaluate their individual situations, and make arrangements for them to find a more permanent home.
While they are in the care of Kris and the team, they receive more than just the basic care. They focus their services on a whole-child training model, where they aim at helping each child grow and develop mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
They have recently taken over the farmhouse next door to Abba’s House, where the goal is to open a second baby home by the end of this month, called Grace House. This will allow them to care for up to 12 babies at a time.
The homes are located on a beautiful farm in Loerie where the farm manager, Tyrone Porter, is working to grow vegetables and fruit to sell to help raise the funds needed to keep the children cared for at the highest level possible.
Kris and the team are also working towards opening a “padstal” on the weekends that will hopefully generate some income for the farm and baby homes. They hope, one day, to be self-sufficient enough that they can provide for more children in other homes around the Kouga area, while these two homes are providing for themselves.
“We are proud to be the first ‘baby haven’ in Kouga Municipality and have been blessed to have our local government help us to open and continue running. But we’d love to see more of our communities getting involved in our children’s lives. We believe that these are not our children. They are South Africa’s children. And the more South Africans get involved in helping, the better the outcome will be for all involved,” says Freudenthal.
If anyone would like to volunteer, donate or would like more information, they can contact Kris at 071 561 5956. Currently, their biggest needs are nappies, wipes, and formula. These things can be donated to one of their Jeffreys Bay drop-off locations.
You can follow them on Instagram and Facebook at: @AbbasHouseSA or you can sign up for their e-newsletter at www.AbbasHouseSA.com
