NEW mum Jessica Baguley was pleased to learn that her newborn daughter Poppy’s birth will help save the life of a helpless baby in Uganda. Jessica’s obstetrician Dr Natalie Elphinstone makes a donation to a charity called Baby Watoto for each baby that she delivers, after discovering the plight of orphaned babies and vulnerable mothers in Watoto, Uganda.
Dr Elphinstone gave Jessica a hippopotamus toy, handmade in the Watoto Village, as a keepsake and reminder of this special gift. “I feel so good knowing that my daughter’s birth has helped another pregnant woman and baby who are less fortunate,” said Baguley. “When I saw the stark differences between what it’s like to give birth in Uganda compared to Australia, I felt compelled to help in some way,” said Elphinstone.
“For most parents in Australia, the journey of bringing a baby into the world is filled with the comforts of modern healthcare, support services, and a sense of security. There’s access to advanced pre-natal and post-natal care, state of the art birthing facilities and ongoing support. For mothers in Uganda, it’s a different story.
“Uganda faces significant challenges in maternal and child health. With limited access to medical care, a shortage of trained professionals and underfunded healthcare facilities, many mothers face life-threatening complications during childbirth. And then, because of extreme poverty, mental illness and family dysfunction, it’s not uncommon for babies to be abandoned.”
That’s where Baby Watoto steps in. Founded initially as a response to Uganda’s orphan crisis, Baby Watoto as part of Watoto Childcare Ministries, rescues orphaned and abandoned babies aged between birth and two years old who are sometimes found in pit latrines, left at bus stops, hospitals and churches and even by the side of the road. “We provide the specialised care, nutrition, and the love these little ones need to give them the best possible start in life,” said Sam Di Mauro, country director for Watoto Australia and New Zealand. “When they arrive at Baby Watoto, they are loved and nurtured by a nanny who quickly becomes a mother to them.”
“Since we first began, we have rescued more than 1,600 babies and counting. Today, we have over 117 babies in our care,” said DiMauro. “One of the babies we rescued over the years was Daniel David. Abandoned as an infant and requiring medical attention, Daniel David was rescued by a good samaritan and taken to a local hospital before being placed with us at Baby Watoto, where a dedicated nanny provided the care he so desperately needed.”
“Now, this once vulnerable child stands poised to embark on the journey of a lifetime, as he travels with the Watoto Children’s Choir, currently on tour here in Australia.” Watoto Children’s Choir will be performing songs off their brand-new album, ‘Better Days—There Is Hope’ in Frankston on Saturday, 31 August from 2pm at Peninsula City Church, 252 Frankston-Flinders Road (doors open at 1.30pm). Entry is free to all.
First published in the Mornington News – 27 August 2024
