Shepherd's Keep is a home for abandoned babies, HIV positive or not, from birth to six months old.

After opening the new facility, we have been blessed to have baby after baby coming to the safety of Shepherd's Keep, in the dark of the African night and at the crack of dawn—little scraps of humanity, often wrapped in nothing but an old blanket or towel, frightened and hungry, desperately tired and just wanting loving arms and that bottle of warm milk!

The work days are long and the nights even longer, but the staff sing songs of Jesus and their pure sweet voices ring out like angels, bringing healing and deliverance—one baby was at deaths door—the doctors said, "just hold him" and he is thriving and putting on weight—this is only possible with God as man cannot heal him!

SPRINGBOKS VISIT SHEPHERD'S KEEP

Our Springbok Rugby Squad visited Shepherd's Keep on 16th June to mark Youth Day.

It was an honour to meet those gentle giants who brought blankets emblazoned with the Springok emblem and nappies as gifts for our babies. The Springbok coach, Pieter de Villiers, was visibly moved and too emotional to be interviewed by the TV crew and members of the team had to be reminded of their tight training schedule by the team manager, finding it difficult to drag themselves away. They listened in amazed silence to each baby's story, but couldn't stop praising Shepherd's Keep. It was truly a priviledge to have them with us so shortly before they went truimphantly head to head with the Lions.

Most Dynamisante Woman Award 2006

Cheryl Pratley is the winner of the Clarins/Fairlady Most Dynamisante Woman for 2006. Read more here.

AFRIKAANSE REPORT

Om jou lewe, soos ’n Moeder Theresa, aan die koestering en versorging van babas te wy wat deur hul ma’s in die steek gelaat is, sit nie in elke vrou se rok nie. Veral nie as jou eie vier kinders uiteindelik die nes verlaat het en van jou hande af is nie.

Maar vir Cheryl Pratley van Durban was die keuse maklik: toe sy eendag as verpleegster met die ongewenste, sterwende baba van ’n 13-jarige meisie in haar arms staan, het sy eenvoudig geweet sy móés iets doen. Lees meer...

Ruth and Esther arrived on a cold and drizzly evening after being found in a park in Berea, by the man who was mowing the lawn. He thought they were puppies – they were so cold and wet and tiny and had almost ridden over them with the ride-on mower he was using until he saw them move. When they arrived at Shepherd’s Keep, we couldn’t believe how tiny they were – 900 grams and 1kg – so tiny we had to wrap them in blankets and hold the blankets. Cheryl had to feed them with a dropper – they were too tiny to suck a bottle and so weak from lying in the rain all day. We phoned our doctor and asked whether we should take them to the hospital. He said definitely not – they would probably die overnight – we should keep them and do the best we could to keep them alive during the night. We’d never been so afraid – they were almost too tiny to touch – to bath them seemed impossible. They did survive that night and every night after that and were soon strong enough to go onto 2 hourly feeds which Colin and Cheryl had turns doing during the night (no staff as yet).
Ruth and Esther were adopted by Dutch Missionaries who were recalled to Holland by their church and live there. We regularly receive cards and letters updating us on their progress.

"The future of a lot of kids are in the hands of not only the people running the charities, but also in the rest of society, and I am confident after meeting you that SHEPHERD'S KEEP will keep on doing good work. God bless you and Cheryl."

LATEST NEWS

July 2008

Colin and Cheryl had a very successful time in the states, where they visited Jacksonville to visit their children and also to fundraise, and to minister in local churches.

While there we were blessed to meet Calvin Grabau, the president of 88.1 "The Promise" Radio, and he has now come on board with us, as the "Promise House", where we promise to care and have every abandoned baby adopted by the age of 6 months.

More news