Eight-month old Grace* was found abandoned in downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, badly injured from multiple rapes after she was sold by her mother to men who believed the popular Third World myth that having sex with a virgin will cure HIV and AIDS.

Grace is just one of thousands of abandoned babies who have been discovered in Johannesburg. Infants are thrown into the street, the garbage, the river and sewers or toilets, the last of which they can only survive if they land on their backs.

Poverty, rape, forced prostitution and a lack of education regarding birth control are the primary factors causing young mothers to abandon their babies. The mothers are often poverty-stricken, under-age or unwilling to keep a baby that is the result of rape and prostitution.

“There’s a huge problem with poverty here in Johannesburg, and I believe a lot of babies come to us because families can’t provide for them,” says Nicole Gillette, a volunteer at Door of Hope, a children’s mission that takes in and cares for abandoned babies until they are adopted.

“Every family is different. Every story is different,” says Gillette. “We really pray for wisdom when a mother comes to us as to how to counsel her the best and how to love her the best.”

In 1999, approximately 50 babies were abandoned in Johannesburg each month. In light of this tragedy, one of God’s daughters felt the Spirit leading her to do something.

Cheryl Allen was serving at Berea Baptist Mission Church in downtown Johannesburg when she observed that many women would prefer to give up unwanted or unplanned children rather than abandon them to die if they could do so anonymously. To answer this need, members from Allen’s church cut a hole in their facility’s security wall and installed a “baby bin,” wiring it with sensors and an alarm to alert caregivers when something or someone was deposited.

“We’re offering an alternative to abortion, abandonment and abuse and for any orphans,” says Allen.

As soon as a mother opens the Door of Hope and places her baby in the bin, an alarm sounds inside a house on the church property, and the baby is immediately rescued and cared for in a Door of Hope home until he or she can be put up for adoption. Because of the Door of Hope, Grace was able to be adopted when she was 3 years old.

Struggling to hold back her tears, Allen shares: “When (Grace) went up for adoption, she came to my church before she left…and she sang ‘Here I am to worship. Here I am to praise the Lord.'”

Babies come to Door of Hope in all conditions. Newborn twins have been deposited in a laundry basket, covered in clothing, their cords still uncut. Another baby came in with a misshapen skull; fears of brain damage proved unfounded, and she was taken into a family in Norway. Babies are often rescued from plastic bags or rubbish bins. Many infants come to Door of Hope malnourished, premature, neglected, sick or abused.

“We’re really grateful to the moms who give us their babies,” says Gillette, “because they gave their children hope. They gave their children a chance at life, and we’re never going to…condemn them for that choice.”

Upon receiving a baby, Door of Hope staff and volunteers immediately perform a medical evaluation to determine if hospitalization is necessary. Once medically stable, the babies are taken to one of three temporary homes, where they are cared for 24/7 by staff and volunteers. Particularly frail infants are kangarooed—kept in physical contact with a caretaker at all times until they are stronger. During the day, the staff and volunteers try to keep their charges on a schedule of sleeping, feeding and interaction; spending time face to face greatly helps the infants’ development.

“We’ve had remarkable miracles in that (special needs babies) have recovered and that some of them who initially weren’t able to go up for adoption have gone up for adoption,” says Allen.

Door of Hope, through an adoption agency, works to place the children in loving—preferably Christian—homes. Babies are held for three months before they can be declared abandoned in case a relative wishes to claim them. After this period, the babies are adoptable nationally. If they are not adopted after a period of time, the process is opened to other countries.

As is the commitment to needy babies, Allen’s organization also has held fast to its Christian roots. Every baby Door of Hope takes in is dedicated at Berea Baptist Mission Church and his or her salvation prayed for by the congregation.

“We pray for each child who comes in, that God will remove the bad memories…and heal his or her psyche, mind and emotions so (past trauma) won’t affect them in their future,” says Allen. “We’re not just doing this to save babies. We’re doing this as a ministry to Jesus so we can share the gospel. The love of God motivates us, and that’s what keeps us going.”

Although the Door of Hope has saved more than 1,000 babies since its creation, there are still more than 200 babies abandoned each month between Johannesburg and Soweto (South Africa’s largest township). At most, 60 of those 200 babies are found alive. In addition, in Soweto it is common knowledge that an additional unknown number of unwanted babies are thrown into the river. In order to help save more children, Allen hopes to install a bin soon in Soweto with the help of the One Life: One Baby Project. OneLifeMatters.org/projects/72038629033

The Door of Hope accepts volunteers and donations from all over the world. For more information on ways to get involved, visit OneLifeMatters.org or DoorOfHope.co.za for more information.

When asked whether being a decidedly Christian organization makes a difference in children so young, New Zealand volunteer Philippa Williamson is emphatic. “We sing ‘Jesus Loves You’ and other Christian songs until they recognize them…” she says. “We tell them Jesus loves them every day.”

Allen agrees: “We pray that as God saved them once in giving them life and as God saved them twice in bringing them to us, instead of landing wherever they were thrown, that God would do the final save and save their souls.”

For more information about how you can help, visit OneLifeMatters.org.

* Name changed.