3 Cape Town Women Generously Help New Moms by Donating Baby Care Bags to Ladies in Need

• Three caring women in Cape Town have taken it upon themselves to assist new mothers
• The ladies started an NGO and distribute care packs filled with essentials for new moms in need
• Briefly News caught up with Jacqui Barhouch, one of the founders of the organisation, who explained what the inspiration behind the initiative was

Three ladies in Cape Town have been giving new mothers a helping hand since 2015 with their NGO.

‘Hatch’ is an organisation founded in 2015 by Christy Smith and Jacqui Barhouch, with Carri Hanekom joining the NGO in 2022. Hatch was officially registered as an NGO in 2023.

Briefly News caught up with Jacqui, who shared more about the organisation’s purpose and why the three ladies are so passionate about assisting new mothers.

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The Cape Town NGO wanted to assist new moms

Jacqui notes that the ladies were inspired to help moms in need after perusing an international article about a similar programme:

“We came across a BBC article about the baby boxes that are given to all new mothers in Finland and thought that something like that is so needed here in South Africa.

“The new moms in the areas we serve are faced with so many challenges, and we wanted to help. The first 1000 days of a child's life are so important, and by helping moms care for and provide for their newborns, we can help set up a child for life.”

The 44-year-old explains that the organisation not only focuses on providing basic needs for babies but mothers too:

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“Besides the newborn necessities, such as baby clothes, a blanket, nappies, and toiletries, our Hatch bags also include a tactile toy and a baby book with local South African characters and languages from BookDash. We also include maternity pads for mom!

“Most of our bags are delivered to the Gugulethu Midwife Obstetrics Unit, and in the past, we've also delivered to Groote Schuur and Mowbray Maternity Hospital. Last year, we formed a partnership with someone who leads antenatal classes in the Cape Flats communities, which has helped us reach even more moms.”

NGO that helps mothers faces many challenges

Jacqui explains that while funding for the NGO is often an issue, they remain focused on assisting as many women as possible to ensure all children have the start in life they deserve:

“We'd like to grow our reach. There are so many babies born every day, we've hardly scratched the surface.

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“We'd like to grow our distribution network to help get Hatch bags into the community, and we love it when they're part of an antenatal class, as it means moms are learning all about caring for their babies.”

South African-Malawian gender activist and award-winning author aims to break negative menstruation stigmas

In a related story by Briefly News, an award-winning author, South African-Malawian gender activist, and PhD candidate aims to dismantle negative stereotypes that exist around menstruation.

The 27-year-old founded a non-profit organisation that provides menstrual empowerment workshops to educate people about the monthly cycle

Source: Briefly News