In 1999, Pastor Cheryl Allen was told that 50 babies were being abandoned every month in Johannesburg, many of them dying in dirty alleyways or derelict dumpsters. The Berea Baptist mission church cut a hole in the wall and placed a Baby Saver Box in the hole so that, as a last resort and when all other options have been exhausted, mothers can safely relinquish their babies instead of unsafely abandoning them. Since then,, hundreds have been placed in the box, but many others have also arrived, either: direct from the mothers, or from hospitals, or from the police, or from other such avenues.
Sadly, the abandonment of babies continues, and so the work of Door of Hope must also continue.
Hope starts here
Our pathways to family and belonging
Each journey is unique. Here’s how we help every child find their way home.
Re-unification
Social workers will always consider placing children into the care of healthy, biological family first.
Adoption
We do not facilitate adoptions. We are a child and youth care center. To adopt, contact an accredited adoption provider.
Baby Homes
We love our children and consider each residence their home until such time as they are reunited with family, adopted into a family, or join the Children’s Village
family.
Children's Village
Some of our children will be placed with house parents where they can grow up and thrive in a family environment. They will find a loving community of moms and dads, and “extended family” to love and nurture them
Building people of character
We want to intentionally build people of character in five key areas.
1. Character
We must raise our children to be people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
2. Competence
We must develop our children with the necessary skills to not only survive in the world but to thrive in it.
3. Calling
We must equip our children, helping them to discern, and live out, their unique gifting and purpose in the world.
4. Confidence
We must instill in our children a healthy belief in themselves, and ultimately a faith in God and what He can accomplish in and through them.
5. Courage
We must encourage our children to live lives of bravery and valor.
Bridging a better world
If we can raise a generation of world changers, we can make this world a better place. Our world needs
people of character, and with your help, we can nurture graduates from the Children’s Village to live lives of
quality, starting a legacy that will build on itself for generations to come.
