“We cannot afford to pay the doctors who treat our babies,” Janet says. Janet says most of the items at the home, such as the play equipment, the two incubators in the NICU, the furniture, and the clothes and diapers, are donations from people who have visited the home. New Life also has a medical unit, and pediatricians from nearby hospitals volunteer there. We know that some of these babies never got time to be held by their mothers and some had their mothers take off immediately they were born, so constant assurance that they are loved helps calm them.” “Holding the baby, rocking them, and letting them know it will be OK helps them heal from their traumas. We are committed to loving the babies,” she says. “When they come into the home, it is not just the warm clothes – it is more of love. To help the babies heal and feel loved, moms at the home speak to the babies as they rock them, something Janet says assures them of love and care. However, a few whose abandonment was traumatic, like being strangled, take time to heal. Most of the rescued babies who go through the home don’t remember they were abandoned when they get older. I believe that even in the falseness of man, there is still something that connects mums to the children.” Love at the Heart of Healing
I can imagine the pain and grief they go through wondering where their child is. She continues, “I at times just stop to pray for these mothers. “We never stand as judges because we have not walked in their shoes, and we have no idea what was going on in that mother’s heart.”
“Just like Moses’ mother, there may be mothers out there who did not want to give up their children,” she says. Relating to the story of baby Moses in the Bible, Janet says she never judges the moms no matter the state in which they abandon the babies. This happens when upon birth, the mother immediately notices an extreme case of special needs like albinism, severe deformity, or cerebral palsy.ĭespite the mothers abandoning the babies, Janet says only a small percentage try to harm the babies before abandonment. Sometimes babies with special needs are abandoned. “Some time back we went to rescue a set of twins abandoned by a family, and the mother was not allowed to breastfeed them, yet she genuinely wanted to, but her family was against it,” Janet recalls. Also, in most communities in Kenya, a child conceived out of incest is forbidden, and such babies are abandoned because they are not wanted. In some cases, “taboo babies,” or twins, are abandoned because some communities consider twins as bad luck. Traumatic experiences like rape that lead to pregnancies may also cause a mother to abandon the baby. This happens when the mothers feel like they cannot care for their babies, or they are single parents living in poverty who have little to no income. Poverty Overwhelms Many Mo msĪccording to Janet, poverty plays a part in pushing mothers to abandon their babies. “Sometimes we find babies with strings or ropes on their necks, or babies rescued from dogs in garbage bins, and at times, the babies have either a nose or ear eaten away by the dogs,” she says. Some mothers intend to kill their babies, which saddens her. Sadly, however, Janet says the intention of each mother is different. Some swaddle up the babies in warm clothes before abandoning them, and this shows that the mum intended to keep the baby safe even though they are leaving them behind.” “We have mums who go to deliver babies in hospitals and sneak out,” Janet says. The babies are rescued from a variety of places, including public places, churches, schools, market areas, and hospitals. Most are abandoned by mothers living in poverty. Of the four, one specifically cares for abandoned babies with disabilities. New Life has been working in Kenya for 27 years, with homes in four counties. And when possible, the home reunites the baby with his or her biological family. The home rescues babies, cares for them, and places them in foster care. The Christian nonprofit OneChild helps New Life give these babies a second chance. “The greatest gift you can give a baby is the gift of touch, and as they get older the gift of time,” says Janet Mutinda, a Child Champion and the national director of New Life Home Trust, a rescue center for abandoned babies in Kenya. Janet Mutinda is national director for New Life Home Trust in Kenya.
0 kommentar(er)
