The Northern Areas of the Nelson Mandela Metro have one of the highest rates of foetal alcohol syndrome in South Africa.
This was heard on during the opening of the third baby safe in the Metro.
The baby-safe is located at the Missionvale Care Centre and is a collaboration between newly formed NGO, Celebration of Grace Project and the ABC Private Safety Care.
The baby-safe provides an option for mothers who cannot raise their babies to leave them in a safe place as opposed to abandoning them in dangerous environments.
Kim Taljaard, of the Association for Babies in Crisis, said "A mother does not just abandon her baby. She genuinely experiences abandonment either from her partner or her family and sometimes they're scared to go to churches. They do not abandon their babies on the first thought. It is after they have also experienced abandonment."
"Also, one of the highest statistics of neonaticide which is a baby after being birthed and before the age one is killed by the mom is here in Port Elizabeth. So that is a really sad state of affairs," she said.
Taljaard said the organisation would introduce a myriad of interventions which include counselling as well as support groups for pregnant women and new moms.
