From Old Stables To A Safe Home For Babies
Our founder, Claire, and her family have bought a home in Drummond — just a 15-minute drive from the community we serve. On the property stands an old stable building, and it is exactly what we need: a solid, private space we can convert into a safe, warm Baby Home.
Because the family lives on site, the home will have hands-on oversight from day one — and because it sits so close to the young mums and babies who need it, help is never far away. The property is already owned outright, so your support goes into converting and running the home, not into buying land.
The old stable building at Drummond, earmarked for conversion.
infants at steady-state capacity
care model with rotating caregivers
from the Community Centre
compliance, safeguarding & licensing pathway
The Baby Home
A Department of Social Development–compliant Specialised Child & Youth Care Centre and Temporary Safe Care facility, providing safe, nurturing weekday and overnight care for infants whose young mothers have little or no family support — so those mothers can continue their education or training, rather than leaving school for good.
- Weekday and overnight care for up to 8 infants, plus emergency placements referred by SAPS and local authorities
- Staffed by a qualified House Mother and two rotating caregivers, one living on site 24/7
- Referrals through Community Care Givers, clinics, schools and social workers, with regular contact and weekend visits for mothers
- Operates on a smallholding owned outright by our founders, fully insured and built to DSD safety standards
In Year 1: up to 16 infants safely cared for, and up to 8 young mothers supported to continue their education.
"The proposed Opening Doors facility could assist in addressing a significant gap in accessible emergency care services within the outer west region."
Why This Matters
Many young mothers in our community leave school after childbirth simply because there is nowhere safe for their baby to be cared for during the day. Without support, that one gap can shape the rest of a young woman's life.
adolescent mothers nationally leave school after giving birth (SASSA/SABC, 2024)
births to girls aged 10–14 recorded annually in eThekwini
round trip on foot from Esikhelekehleni to the nearest community services
expected direct beneficiaries in Year 1
interconnected programme areas
meals per session at planned scale
planned weekly opening, growing as capacity allows
Opening Doors Community Centre
Just 15 minutes from the Baby Home, this centre brings essential services directly into an underserved community that currently has no local clinic, library or community centre of its own — removing the transport barriers that keep families from accessing support.
Where we are today: Thanks to our Ward Councillor, who helped facilitate it, we have secured the lease on the building. We already use the centre two or three times a month to host meet-ups — giving young mums their monthly essentials, running sporting events and more.
What comes next: The plan is to open three days a week, growing to six. We can't open our doors fully until some essential building work and security are in place — but once we do, every one of our programmes can run from the centre, and we can scale.
Services will span a range of interconnected areas: education and skills (Back to School, digital literacy and skills training), support for young mothers (baby bags, support groups and a community hub), employment help (CVs, applications and interview preparation), access to documentation (grants, IDs and birth certificates), wellbeing (football, youth development and recreation), and broader community support (meals, a food garden and partner service days).
In Year 1: over 1,500 community members reached directly.
The Centre Today: A Lot To Do, And Huge Potential
These photos show parts of the Community Centre and the fence around the site. They show the extent of the work that still needs doing: the toilets need fixing, the fencing needs repairing for security reasons, and window panes need repairing. But they also show a space with huge potential, and if we can use it in its entirety, it could have a huge impact on the community.
Where it all comes together through collaboration
Collaboration is key, and building partnerships will have a greater impact. We are inviting local businesses to host a Partner Day at the Community Centre, once a month or once a quarter, to teach young people a practical skill.
Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, builders, welders, hairdressers and more.
Skills and certificates that stay with a person for life. A local hub that stays in the community, open to young people for years to come. Young people better placed to find work, or to set up their own business.
"Their hands-on approach and established trust make them well-positioned to drive real change."
"Many of our learners come from Ximba, and I can confirm that children walk more than 7 kilometres each way — a journey that often takes more than two hours and poses a serious barrier to consistent school attendance."
How You Can Help
We're seeking financial support to establish and operate the Baby Home as our highest priority, alongside funding, equipment and professional services for both sites. In-kind support is just as valuable — think cots, furniture, computers, kitchen equipment, sports equipment and educational materials.
The Baby Home operates from a building owned outright by our founders, with no bond, and our Community Centre lease is secured with Ward Councillor support — so your contribution goes directly into safe care and services, not overheads. Full costings for both sites are set out in our proposal.
🇿🇦 Every donation qualifies for a Section 18A tax certificate
As a registered Public Benefit Organisation, we can issue you a Section 18A certificate for your donation — meaning you can claim it back against your taxable income with SARS.
One Integrated Pathway
The strength of the model is the connection between the two sites — moving from immediate protection toward education, employability and long-term family resilience.
Identify
CCGs, schools, clinics & local partners
Protect
Safe, nurturing infant care
Enable
Mother continues education / training
Equip
Skills, jobs, parenting & documentation
Strengthen
Family resilience & opportunity
Why The Model Is Built To Last
Low fixed property risk, diversified support and phased implementation reduce delivery risk.
Secure Sites
Baby Home: founder-owned property, no bond, DSD-supported initiative. Community Centre: lease secured with Ward Councillor support.
Diversified Support
Fundraising, founder business support, corporate and individual donations, grants and in-kind contributions.
Governance
Three-member Board, quarterly oversight, Xero financial management and independent accountant support.
Phased Delivery
12-month implementation: prepare → pilot → scale → consolidate, with monitoring and DSD engagement.
Compliance
Safeguarding, property and liability, staffing and financial resilience are explicitly addressed in our business plan.
Financial statements and governance documents are available to prospective partners on request.