Caring for Orphaned and Abandoned Infants with Palliative Needs
Butterfly Palliative Home is the first and only registered children's hospice in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, where we provide end-of-life care to young children with severe disabilities and life-limiting conditions.
WELCOME
Hands-On, Full-Time Care
We offer hands-on, full-time care to children from all over South Africa, also providing medical care without the need for a hospital placement. Our heart is to love these little ones as our own, help them heal emotionally and physically, and learn to trust again as they enjoy their last months or years on earth. With the needed love and care some of our babies start to thrive and will survive longer than initially thought and can even be adopted into nurturing families.
About Us
Christoff and Tarryn Bell founded Butterfly Palliative Home in 2018. After having loved and lost a baby girl with Down Syndrome, who was living at a nearby children's home, they felt called to provide a safe haven for babies with palliative needs.
Our Team
Our multi-disciplinary team includes volunteers, medical doctors, various therapists, social workers, pastors and educational and developmental specialists. We also have wonderful group of caregivers, who are mostly widows from the local community.
Our Babies
Our very special babies come from all over South Africa and our team personally travels to fetch each child and learn about their routine and care requirements before bringing them back to Ingwavuma. Meet some of our little butterflies and read their stories.
On top of a mountain...
in the beautiful Zululand is where you'll find our Butterfly Palliative Home. We are part of the rural community of Ingwavuma. The area is in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, but directly borders Swaziland and is also close to the Mozambique border.
9
babies in our home
We have recently completed our new building and have capacity for 12 babies!
17
number of carers
These warm-hearted ladies take very good care of our babies and make sure they receive tons of attention and love.
R2000
to sponsor a child
This is all it takes to cover the expenses for one child per month. If you'd like to get involved please contact us.
An Immense Need for Infant Palliative Care
Young children and infants with end-of-life or palliative needs are one of the most vulnerable groups within child protection as they need special medical support.
Parents, especially young single moms, often feel overwhelmed when they give birth to a baby who has a life-limiting condition or severe disability such as infants with congenital heart defects (often the case with Down Syndrome babies), Trisomy 18 and 13 as well as children with end-stage HIV complications. Without proper counselling and family support many of these special needs babies end up abandoned or left to die.
Due to their specialised medical, nutritional and therapy needs they are mostly not suitable for conventional adoption, foster care or children's homes, which means they often end up in government hospitals for months or years. This reality only makes the need for places like Butterfly Palliative Home all the greater.
PRECIOUS TIMES
Lots of love & laughter
Butterfly Palliative Home was created in 2018 to provide full-time care to these little ones within a warm, homely environment until they eventually pass on. Butterfly Home is a special place. There is lots of love, laughter and loss all wrapped up into one beautiful little home.
YOU CAN HELP
Get Involved!
We fully rely on the generosity of people who care and offer their time, resources and prayers to support us. There are many ways in which you can help, from sending supplies to volunteering.
a word from the founders
Our purpose is to be the hands and feet of Jesus to babies and young children, regardless of their medical challenges, as we believe that every child deserves love and a stable family life. We dream of a South Africa where babies are not simply discarded because of a palliative diagnosis, but are welcomed by loving families who will tenderly care and provide for them until the end.
Tarryn & Christoff Bell
Founders