Ansie Randall has a passion for helping babies

Ansie Randall has always had a soft spot for children, leading her to volunteer at nonprofit organisation Breath of Life, a temporary safe care home for babies, for more than two years. 

Sharing her love and affection, the 58-year-old is known for her big heart and nurturing spirit for children. 

Randall is a housemother at the facility, which operates in Selborne.

It is dedicated to providing care for vulnerable babies who have been abandoned, abused or relinquished.

Her generosity, compassion and tireless efforts have been the driving force behind her nurturing of vulnerable children. 

“First, I love children and it has always been my dream to make a difference in someone else’s life,” she said. 

Randall says now that her own children are grown up, she continues to pour out her love and care to those who need it the most. 

“My four children are all grown. We get children that have been abandoned, abused and malnourished.

“Some of the children come into the facility very sick. The most important thing is to show them that you care for them,” she said. 

She said on a typical weekday she goes into the nursery in the early morning, spends the day caring for the young and leaves in the afternoon.

Children enter the facility from as early as right after birth.

The oldest child there is a 2½-year-old toddler.

The toddler closest  to her heart is a little boy who arrived at the facility at his weakest,  faced with health-related challenges. 

“Consistent care and a nurturing presence guided him from being unable to lift his head, to tummy time, to sitting up with support, then sitting unattended, putting weight on his legs, crawling, standing and finally, to walking,”  Randall said. 

She said the boy was now able to walk and spoke well.

Holding the little boy’s hand gently, she supported him by being present at every physiotherapy session, walking with him, and taking part in daily exercises. 

“I have been there for doctor check-ups and hospital visits, ensuring that he receives the best possible care at every step of his recovery,” she said. 

Randall said the boy beat all the odds and proved doctors wrong when they were told that chances of him walking were quite slim when he first came in.

“One can always make a difference through prayer and all of that. He is a miracle baby and we thank God for that,” Randall said. 

Her sister, Shirley Le Grange, nominated Randall.

“I also go there on my days off. She has been there for a couple of years, she gives them hope and she will not give up on them,” she said. 

Le Grange said Randall kept faith in the boy and did not give up on him despite being faced with so many hurdles. 

“She sat with him every day, he was battling with no muscle movement and he was now at a stage where he would be reunited with his grandmother.

“You cannot even talk to her about it without her breaking into tears as she cannot imagine her life without that little boy,” she said.

DispatchLIVE