WHAT WE DO
Princess Alice Adoption Home (PAAH) is a temporary place of safety which provides 24 hour residential care to babies who have been consented for adoption, abandoned or occasionally removed from family care.
We care for 30 babies and toddlers (aged newborn to two years old) in a healthy and loving nursery environment.
The home is also a safe haven for up to four pregnant girls who are destitute or in crisis. While at the home, the birth moms are counselled and helped to decide whether to keep their baby or consent for adoption. We ensure that they receive antenatal care and are supported throughout the birth experience.
GOVERNANCE
PAAH is a facility of Jo’burg Child Welfare and is a registered Non-Profit Organisation (000-566 NPO) and Public Benefits Organisation with Section 18A tax exemption (PBO No. 18/11/13/1110). The financial accounts are audited annually by KPMG. The home is BEE compliant and supports at least 75% black and previously disadvantaged communities as per the BEE codes.
HISTORY
PAAH was established in 1930 as a facility of Jo’burg Child Welfare and is located in Johannesburg’s leafy suburb of Westcliff. The home was opened by HRH Princess Alice, the Countess of Athlone and a grandchild of Queen Victoria. Princess Alice was President of the Children’s Aid Society (now Jo’burg Child Welfare) from 1924-1931. She was married to Lord Athlone who was a Governor-General of South Africa. They returned to England in 1931.
Initial funds for the building of the house were donated by the executors of the late Dr Kerr Muir’s estate. The house is named Kerr Muir House and a plaque in our reception area acknowledges the donation. The land is leased by Jo’burg Child Welfare from the Trust of the Hope Convalescent Home for Children.
PAAH was initially opened to serve the surrounding mining community, but our services have evolved into the current form as the community and society at large has changed. Part of our proud history is that PAAH was one of the first homes to serve children of all racial and cultural backgrounds.
