Help Us Get J Adopted Campaign

M and K brought Baby J home 5,5 years ago when he was just 3 months old. He had been born to a drug-addicted mother living on the streets. Over the years J has grown to be the most amazing little boy, with the biggest smile and brightest sparkling eyes. He is so loved, cherished and doted on, and he will never know the harsh realities of the life he was born into. 

M & K have faced countless obstacles in their efforts to officially adopt J. From lost paperwork to inaccurate information, they have fought tirelessly to navigate the complex and often completely inefficient adoption system. They have spent thousands of Rands and years of their lives trying to finalise the adoption, but the red tape and government inefficiencies have made this process seemingly untenable. 

Last year, they were finally able to obtain a court order to apply for J's birth certificate, a crucial step in the adoption process. However, Home Affairs has been unable to provide the certificate without the original hospital records (despite a court order), which can only be retrieved by a social worker who is charging exorbitant fees for her services, time, flights and car hire. This has left the family in a state of limbo, unable to move forward with the adoption and give J the security and permanence he deserves. 

This process of adopting a child in South Africa has taken over five years with no end in sight, and these parents are emotionally and financially spent. The costs continue to pile up with J also needing specialised optometry lenses and therapies and the hurdles they have to keep jumping over are exhausting.  

This family live every day with the knowledge that their son - because he is THEIR son now, after 5,5 years - is still a ward of the State until they can somehow find the money to make this dream a reality. 

Thank you for your kindness and support. One less child that has to endure a life on the streets. It shouldn't be this hard to give him the forever home he deserves.

If you have any connections or resources that could help this family finalise the adoption, please don't hesitate to reach out. 

(I am a friend of the family trying by any means possible to assist. J is my daughter's best friend - they've been inseparable since the day they met when they were just a year old. We love him and his family. You cannot imagine a kinder, nicer, more genuinely wholesome family.)