Adoption Is Not a Plan B – or a Christmas Wish By Jo Teunissen – Director of the Durban North Baby Home At The Baby Home, we receive calls and messages every week from people curious about adoption. We love the fact that people want to open their hearts and homes to a child, but some questions leave us utterly speechless. Sometimes we even laugh because the ignorance andentitlement are so spectacular,

Chaos, Curiosity, and a Lesson from the Ball Pit By Jo Teunissen – Director of the Durban North Baby Home A few days ago, we took the boys to Bounce. You know the scene, balls flying everywhere, kids bouncing off walls, shrieks of laughter echoing across the trampoline park. The boys were living their best lives, diving headfirst into the ball pit, climbing, running, and basically testing the laws of gravity. Meanwhile,

Kids Don’t Belong In Courtrooms By Jo Teunissen – Director of the Durban North Baby Home The other day, we spent four hours at court. Four long hours in a place that simply isn’t meant for children. Courtrooms are designed for procedures, paperwork, and legal arguments. They are formal, sterile spaces built around adult systems and adult language. They are not designed for small bodies, curious minds, or fragile hearts. Yet, every

The World Does Change. By Jo Teunissen – Director of the Durban North Baby Home At The Durban North Baby Home, we are incredibly blessed to have Professor Thuli Madonsela as our patron. For those who’ve met her, you’ll know she carries a rare presence. She is gentle, grounding, calming and wise. I recently described her to my daughter as a human weighted blanket. Much like one, she brings warmth and calm

Life Lessons From Toddlers By Jo Teunissen – Director of the Durban North Baby Home Life is full. Full of good things, hard things, in-between things, but full and always busy. And if you’re anything like me, it can sometimes feel like it’s all moving a little too fast. One minute you’re getting your day started in relative calm, the next you’re knee-deep in laundry, juggling WhatsApp groups, sick children, school lifts,

Stepping Into The Awkward Spaces By Jo Teunissen – Director of the Durban North Baby Home I recently stumbled across an old interview with Margaret Thatcher where she referenced a poem by Charles Mackay: You have no enemies, you say? Alas, my friend, the boast is poor; He who has mingled in the fray Of duty that the brave endure Must have made foes! If you have none, Small is the work