Welcome to princess alice adoption home

Princess Alice Adoption Home (PAAH) – a facility of Johannesburg Child Welfare Society – is situated in Westcliff, Johannesburg, and was founded in 1930 by Princess Alice, one of Queen Victoria’s 35 grandchildren. It was initially started to serve the mining community, so that when one of the girls fell pregnant, she would have a place to “hide” away so as not to bring shame upon her family. Her baby would then be made available for adoption. Our services have since evolved, and we were one of the first centres to cater for other racial and ethnic cultures. Today our primary service is to act as a place of safety to now 30 babies as the Home has recently received an upgrade of capacity from 25 babies to 30 during April 2008. The babies admitted to our care, are mostly from the Johannesburg, Gauteng area. Princess Alice Adoption home is a facility of the Johannesburg Child Welfare Society.

Our secondary function is to serve pregnant girls in crisis. The Home becomes their home for anything from a few days to a few months, while they wait out their pregnancy eventually giving the baby up for adoption, or keeping it. Either way, we prepare them for their decision, which is sometimes a very heart rending choice. The mothers admitted to our care are from all over South Africa; approximately 50% are from the Gauteng Province and the balance from the other provinces.