House parents of Ubuntu House, Oom Naas and Tannie Miems Vermaak, are retiring after 19 years of being in charge.
Ubuntu House is a place of safety for abandoned and adoption babies.
Oom Naas and Tannie Miems were the first house parents when the house opened in September 2003 and now they’re saying goodbye after caring for 692 babies, including the 12 (from six weeks to one year old) babies the house currently has.
These babies have all been given up by their mothers, saved from abortions or are sometimes simply discarded after birth.
The babies are placed at Ubuntu House if there is still space available, and this full process is in the hands of the social workers. Ubuntu House works with adoption agencies like ProCare, Abba and Badisa.
“Whilst the babies are in our care, we also ensure that they get all their immunisations on time, sometimes take them to the hospital if needed and then, on the guidelines of the social worker we will be taking the babies for blood tests and to see a paediatrician and occupational therapist give them the ‘all clear’ to be placed/matched with the adoptive parents,” Johanna Demper, volunteer at Ubuntu House, said.
“We are registered to take care of 12 babies at a time,” Demper said.
Since the opening of the house in September 2003, this house has cared for 692 babies.
There are eight shift workers in total – two per shift of 12 hours – from 06:30 to 18:30 and two from 18:30 to 06:30.
Tannie Miems is the centre manager and house mother at Ubuntu House and in her own words: “My passion is to embrace, love and care for every baby in our home providing safety and security.”
Demper said Oom Naas is the project manager, the fundraiser, the stock controller, the treasurer etc. “If you’re looking for him and the Ubuntu car is in the driveway, you will find him behind his desk typing away or makings calls to try and find donations.
“If the car is not in the driveway, he’s probably out there picking up some donations or distributing the excess donations to one of the two other baby homes (House of Thembiso or Rock a Bye Baby House) or the two old age homes (in Sarepta and Touws River). He may also be delivering food to one of the foster care homes (in Belhar or Eerste River), but if the car is not in the driveway, and both he and Tannie Miems are nowhere to be found, you can look at Peacocks in N1 City.”
Demper stated the farewell was the fun part together with the workers and two of the longer-coming volunteers. This was also the first time in the 19 years that all eight shift workers could celebrate at the same time with the house parents – normally Oom Naas and Tannie Miems had the terrible job to have two year-end-functions with the different shifts, four workers at a time.
“We all brought some food to share and also shared a lot of stories and laughs, all of us as well as the babies enjoyed it.”
Demper furthermore said Oom Naas will still be doing fundraising and even on a bigger level because he will be doing it for the greater AFM platform.
They will however be close to Oom Naas’s daughter who also lives in Mossel Bay, who according to Demper had to fight long and hard to convince them that it is time for them to live a more relaxed life and enjoy their following years together.
The House is not sure yet as to who the new house parents will be.
The applications closed on 27 June, so from Thursday 30 June Demper will be the stand-in until the new house parents are appointed.
