PETALING JAYA, June 18 — OrphanCARE, a non-profit organisation that helps get unplanned, newborn babies adopted, continued its work during the Covid-19 movement control order (MCO) period.
They helped in ensuring the 11 babies born during MCO were either adopted or taken back by their birth mothers.
OrphanCARE also supports expectant mothers who want to give away their babies through proper counselling sessions by offering practical advice and also helping birth mothers identify suitable parents for their child if they choose the adoption plan.
From the 11 babies, four were reclaimed by their birth mothers who went through OrphanCARE’s shelter programme after changing their minds in wanting to keep their own babies.
Out of the other seven babies, one baby was left at OrphanCARE’s baby hatch centre in Johor while the rest were given away by birth mothers who were under the shelter programme and decided to not keep the newborns.
“It was possible during the early phase of the MCO as movements were still allowed, so that was why one of the women was able to come to our baby hatch centres to place her baby there,” said OrphanCARE’s chief operating officer Yuzila Yusof.
She added that out of the seven babies, five babies have been adopted while two more babies would have their adoptive parents soon as there was still paperwork for the adoption was completed.
All the babies were placed at OrphanCARE’S centre during the MCO period which was from March 18 till June 10.
“For the women who have been cared for under shelter home, most of them have already decided to give away their babies,” she said.
“On the other hand, adoptive parents — such as a couple who have already taken one of the 11 MCO babies were very happy to have an adoptive child as they have been longing for a baby for the past 10 years.”
Among the criteria for couples wanting to adopt are that they must be married for at least five years without having a child and do not have criminal records.
In the case of women who wished to keep their babies after changing their minds, she said they had troubled backgrounds.
She cited one case where the birth mother decided to take her child back after a week after getting family support.
“She was going to get married soon at that point in time and she didn’t want her parents to know about her secret pregnancy which was why she initially wanted to get rid of the baby.
“Also, she was afraid of being judged by her community and the people around her, which is why the community plays an important role in supporting people like the pregnant girls who are fraught with their own problems.
“But after coming to us and telling us that she really wanted the baby after getting her community support, we let her have the baby back provided there would be continuous community support in helping her raise her child well.
“Luckily at that time, we also did not make plans to contact eligible adoptive parents or adoptive parents on the waiting list so that her baby could be with another family.”
Yuliza said that it was important for women and girls who with unwanted pregnancies to get proper family support so that they were taken care of and subsequently they would be able to look after their child.
She also said that OrphanCARE did not discriminate against women for their race, nationality nor their background.
“There was some time back when a foreign student came to OrphanCARE to be under the shelter programme but because her student card had already expired, we couldn’t take her in as we had to follow strict protocols.”
The organisation’s hatch centres were open 24 hours during the MCO and its staff worked on a rotational basis so it was still possible for underage girls and women to leave their babies.
“Once the babies are left in the baby hatch, an alarm would ring indicating that a baby is present in the baby hatch.
“Lights will also be switched on and a camera placed in the baby hatch would also focus on the baby to alert the caregivers that a baby has been left at the baby hatch.
“The caregiver is on standby for 24 hours and would attend to the baby immediately.”
The camera in the baby hatch does not identify the identity of the mother.
“Once the mother leaves the child in the baby hatch, the door to the hatch centre will be locked automatically so that the baby would be saved from any potential harm.”
Yuliza also said that the babies left in the hatch do not have any documentation on them.
“This is when OrphanCARE does its part in helping these newborn babies get proper birth certificates so that they would not remain stateless.”
