Our Children's Stories

OUR CHILDREN’S STORIES

Lerato

Lerato was found in plastic bag on the side of the road. Propped up against the frame of an outhouse, passersby noticed the sounds and movements of a newborn baby. Looking inside the dirty bag, they found a perfectly precious little girl. Still wet from her delivery and with her umbilical cord still attached, Lerato was handed to a policeman who knew of a place that cared for children just like her.

By age five, Lerato was very social and outgoing. She wore nothing but pink and had a self-confidence that would put most grown women to shame.

Though her beginnings may have been broken, her future has been redeemed. Because of a few people who chose to do more than just watch and pass by, her life will be a testimony to the power of a single act of compassion.

In January of 2011, Lerato was adopted by a new mommy who loves her deeply.

Nkosi

Suffering from AIDS and too ill to care for her baby boy, Nkosi’s mother left him at a place of safety when he was two years old. She visited Nkosi regularly until her passing from a virus that she shared with her son.

Nkosi was eventually moved from the place of safety and placed with a foster family with loving parents and a sister his age. He stayed with this family until his foster parents decided to separate. Not wanting to subject this little four year old to further rejection, the social worker requested that he be placed with Oasis Haven.

Before his arrival, Oasis Haven took great care to prepare the other children in the Family Home for the new arrival. Holding a “family meeting”, the houseparents and children talked about what a family is, what it looks like, and how it feels to belong to a family. They talked about the fact that there are many children who don’t have families and imagined what it might feel like to be all alone.

The children were then told about a little boy named Nkosi who didn’t have a family. Their response: “Please let him come and live with us!!!” And the conversation continued as follows: “But what if Nkosi doesn’t have any toys?” – “He can use any of mine!”
“But where will Nkosi sleep?” – ”Please let him sleep in my room!”
“But what if Nkosi feels scared or sad?” – “We’ll hug him and tell him that we love him!”
The children then decided that they wanted to make “Welcome Home” cards for their new little brother. The cards were full of such love, warmth, and pure excitement for the arrival of this precious little boy. Today, Nkosi is a warm, caring and happy child. He enjoys his brothers and sisters immensely and has also had the opportunity to welcome new children into the family.

Khanya

At seven years old, Khanya had called Oasis Haven home for five years. Upon her arrival at two years of age, she was unable to walk or talk due to severe neglect by her biological mother. Her significant developmental delays often caused her great frustration and made her difficult to control at times, especially when she acted out in hopes of receiving attention.

With the love and care found in our Family Homes, Khanya rose above the expectations of most. Yet her developmental delays continued to keep her from reaching her full potential. It became apparent that Khanya desperately needed the love and security that only a true family can offer.

Khanya was referred to several local and international adoption agencies. Largely due to her developmental delays and her age, all of these organisations came back to us unable to find a family for her. Of all the thousands of families waiting for children, not one match could be found. But a better plan was at play…

Just as we began to lose hope that a family would ever be found for Khanya, a local couple came forward and shared with us that they knew Khanya was their daughter and wanted to adopt her. Despite all the odds, they knew that Khanya deserves a loving mother and father, and they wanted her more than any child in the world.

Khanya was adopted by her new family in December of 2011.