1 in 3 Abandoned Babies are Found in Time.
Since 1998, we have been nurturing vulnerable children and the need continues with 3 to 5 million children currently orphaned in South Africa. Each year 3,500 babies are found abandoned and statistics say that for every three babies abandoned, only one will be found in time. This creates a continued sense of urgency as we work to offer the highest level of care for every child welcomed to Acres of Love.
Over the last few years adoptions have decreased by over 50% due to changes in local laws, a lack of documentation available to abandoned children, and cultural stigmas surrounding the process. The most vulnerable children in South Africa are those orphaned with special needs. Over 40% of the children in our care have moderate to severe medical needs including HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, cerebral palsy, cancer, down syndrome, paralysis, autism, hearing impairment, CHARGE syndrome, spina bifida, Prader-Willi syndrome, Hemophilia, Ehler-Danlos syndrome, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and severe malnutrition.
Currently, Cape Town leads the world in babies born with FASD. While the worldwide average shows less than 1% of babies born with FASD, parts of the Cape Region see 29% of babies born with FASD. This is an incredible issue as it can cause birth defects, poor growth, cognitive delays, neurological problems, and delayed development. Our children living with FASD require extra scaffolding and support to thrive in family and school environments.
These children deserve love, dignity, and the very best family care.
We exist to rescue children and create families. Each child that enters our care has experienced profound loss, trauma, and/or abandonment. Many of our most vulnerable children have been abandoned specifically due to stigmas surrounding their extra medical needs.
Regardless of how our children arrive to our care, they each have a deep hunger to hear that they are loved, that they belong, and that they are worth fighting for. As we offer the very best medical, educational, emotional and nutritional care for children in our Family Homes, our team works to help our children understand the truth: They are fearfully and wonderfully made and they are loved.
This work is a long-term undertaking and at each stage of development, our children yearn to hear and believe this truth.
