Thandi House Baby Home

29/05/2026

Looking at what your donations support
More about the work we do with teenage mothers

Our first encounter with teenage mothers came many years ago, when a 12-year-old and her newborn baby were about to be separated. The baby was to be placed with us, and the young mother into another children's home. We said no, and we took them both in. For years after that, we supported teen mothers just like her.

Due to financial constraints, we can no longer offer residential support. But we continue to provide therapeutic and social support to teen mothers through our social worker, including individual and family counselling, life skills, attachment-based parenting guidance, and practical assistance such as clothing and baby items.

Teen mothers are among the most underserved populations in our social system, falling through the gap where they are too old for child services and too young for adult support.

Supporting a teen mother is never just one intervention. It is two lives redirected simultaneously. A mother who is held emotionally and practically can hold her baby. And a baby who is securely held grows into a child who trusts the world. That is how cycles of trauma are broken.

14/05/2026

We wish M a happy heavenly birthday today. April was 5 years since she passed.

M came to us as a teen mom. She faced more than anyone her age should ever have to face and she did it with a courage that left a mark on all of us. Cancer took her far too soon, but it could not take the love she poured into all our lives.

Her son remains part of our Thandi House family. In two days, it will be his birthday, so this time of year carries so much for us all. His mommy's birthday, then his own. A celebration shadowed by missing her.

We remember you today, M. Happy Heavenly Birthday. Your boy is loved, he is safe, and he is not alone. His family is here tight looking after him.

13/05/2026

CHILD PROTECTION MONTH - MAY 2026

The Pretoria High Court has heard a landmark case that goes to the very heart of what it means to protect children in South Africa. The Department of Social Development has argued that baby saver boxes (anonymous drop-off points where a desperate mother can safely surrender a newborn) are illegal under the Children's Act.

Baby Savers South Africa and Door of Hope Children's Mission have pushed back, arguing that these boxes save lives, and that placing a baby safely in a box is something fundamentally different from abandoning a child in a field. One judge stated that even if one life is saved through these boxes, we should say thank you.

We can say it works. In 2009, Thandi House installed a baby box (which is currently down). Those babies were received, cared for, and loved. They are alive today, growing, thriving, living human beings because a desperate mother had somewhere safe to turn rather than unsafe abandonment. We do not sit in judgement of the desperation that brings a mother to that moment. We understand it. And we believe the law should too. This case also highlights what we, as a society, can offer a mother who has nothing left and whether our laws protect the most vulnerable or punish them.

Judgment has been reserved. We are watching this case closely.

This Child Protection Month, we are reminded that protecting children requires more than good intentions. It requires laws that recognise human reality, systems that respond with compassion, and communities that refuse to look away.

Read more here:

The three-day hearing examined whether baby saver boxes protect children or violate the Children’s Act.

12/05/2026

Dear friends of Thandi House.

Many of you may know of Thandi House and the work we do. Our charity is under threat and we have never been more scared. We are currently in arrears with our rent, water and electricity. We need your help to overcome this and ask that you read this to the end and share it with anyone who can help us keep Thandi House open.

We started Thandi House in our early twenties, giving up our lives for children in need. At the time there was an increase in abandoned babies, sadly many found too late, left in gutters and bins. A local newspaper published a picture of a dead newborn baby on their front page, which changed the course of our lives. It broke our hearts, and so we installed a babysafe box in the middle of town. At the same time we registered an NGO and Thandi House was born, and little lives started arriving.

For nearly 17 years we have helped, counselled and cared for over 600 orphaned and abandoned babies and children in need, pregnant teenagers and their babies, and supported victims of GBV and their children. We have done various community and outreach projects throughout the years. The permanent children in our care, including children with severe disabilities, have mostly been with us since birth and we are the only mother and father they have ever known.

What makes Thandi House unique is that we are not a facility or an institution, we are family based care. Our care is rooted in attachment, because we know that what a child who has been abused, orphaned or abandoned needs more than anything is not a programme but a person who shows up every single day. Every child in our care is seen, known, and loved as an individual.

During and after Covid, things became very hard financially, and so one of us took up part-time employment to help maintain and keep Thandi House open. Today, one of us works seven days a week just to keep Thandi House open and still it is not enough. This has resulted in a crisis where we can no longer carry parts of the charity, mainly rent, electricity, and water. This is the only home our children have ever known and we are facing the very real threat of eviction and a court battle. These children have no place to go. This is their home. They are not a caseload or a statistic, they are our children. And we are asking you today to help us protect them from losing their home and family.

The immediate crisis we need to overcome is the outstanding rent, electricity and water accounts to keep Thandi House open. However, we are praying for support not only to remain open today but for another 17 years and more. We would be honoured to welcome you to Thandi House in person so you can see for yourself what your support would be protecting.

We have chosen the children and greater work at Thandi House every single day for the past 17 years and from the depths of our hearts we are pleading with you to choose Thandi House too. This will allow our work to continue and allow the children to remain in their home, safe and cared for. Donations are tax-deductible under Section 18A. Please visit thandihouse.com/support/donate for verified banking details or request the bill to donate directly into the rent account.

If you would like to be part of the longer-term stability of Thandi House, we invite you to join our ROOTED community. ROOTED supporters give monthly, and it is their consistent, faithful giving that allows us to plan, to grow, and to never face a crisis like this again. Visit thandihouse.com/support/rooted to find out more.

With gratitude,

Mark and Rene Morcom (A.K.A - Dad and Mom)

10/04/2026

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31/03/2026

The Wykeham Collegiate is hosting a 5-hour Swimathon on 24 April 2026 from 15:30 to 20:30 at the TWC swimming pool. This will be in benefit of Thandi House. If you would like to do a "Pledge Per Length" or a Once-off Pledge, head over to their campaign page.

TWC’s 5-hour Swimathon for Thandi House

05/02/2026

We are appealing for urgent assistance to pay our 3 paid staff members this month's salary. They have helped us love and care for the children at Thandi House for 16 years. Sixteen years! And are in desperate need right now.

The past few months they have not got their full salary. They don't complain, they don't do their jobs any less, they arrive every day with love and love and love despite their financial challenges directly caused by our lack of funding.

We have tried to keep them afloat as best we can but we need to appeal to our community out there to help look after the most precious 3 ladies who give so much essence to this family. They are the only paid staff members here, everyone else (mom and dad) does this work fully voluntary (unpaid). Their worth is more than gold. They don't only love the kids, but are such a support structure to us as parents.

16 years they have given every day of their hearts to helping us love and care for the children under our wing. 16 years of absolute devotion. They show up, they care, they hold our children when they cry and they celebrate every small victory.

And we cannot pay them what they deserve. We are trying so hard but we are falling short and these incredible women just keep giving anyway.

Please if anyone can help make donations towards this months salary (end Jan), we would be so very grateful. They have families to feed and grandchildren to put through school. We need to care for the carers. They have carried us and our children for so long... now we need to carry them.

Any help, no matter how small, means everything to us and to them.

Thank You

* https://www.thandihouse.com/support/donate

19/01/2026

From all of us at Thandi House, thank you for your generous support of our Christmas and New Year events. Because of your kindness, our children enjoyed an unforgettable holiday filled with joy and new experiences.

They were treated to a game drive where they saw many wild animals, a special day out at Midmar, and were blessed with thoughtful gifts and delicious meals. Thank you to every person who contributed to making these experiences possible.

We are deeply grateful for your support and for the meaningful difference you have made in the lives of our children.

THANK YOU!

25/12/2025

20/12/2025

Donating to Thandi House has never been easier.
We now use Paystack, a safe, reliable, and user friendly online payment platform that makes supporting our work quick and secure.
Paystack allows you to donate effortlessly using trusted payment methods, giving you peace of mind that your contribution reaches us safely.
✨ Making a difference is just a few clicks away.
👉 https://www.thandihouse.com/support/donate