Grace Like Rain
Orphan Ministry
Our Mission
We, at Grace Like Rain, are on a focused mission to expand our reach for neglected, abandoned and abused babies. We take in neglected babies and provide a safe place for them to grow and thrive. We are especially passionate about babies because we know the effects of what happens in the first thousand days of life, positive or negative, can last a lifetime, and so are passionate about preventing lifelong issues that can occur when a baby or toddler is neglected, abused or malnourished. We strive to develop mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy children by providing for the needs of the whole person early in life.
Behind Grace Like Rain
My name is Kjelsi Pretorius and I am the founder of Grace Like Rain baby house. I am American but I’ve lived in South Africa for 14 years after marrying my South African husband, Ulrcih. Soon after we were married, we adopted our oldest son and we have fostered twins for many years. These experiences paved the way for the mission I am on now which is to provide a safe house for the most vulnerable babies and young children in our community. I am very passionate about caring for all children in need, but especially for babies. There is ample research showing that trauma occurring during those crucial first years of life can highly impair brain development.
Did you know?
The importance of the first 1000 days of life
An article found on the UNICEF website states:
‘The first 1000 days of life – the time spanning roughly between conception and one’s second birthday – is a unique period of opportunity when the foundations of optimum health, growth, and neurodevelopment across the lifespan are established.’
Grace like Rain exists to give the rejected a place to belong, the hungry a place to eat and the abused a place of safety. We are passionate about breaking poverty cycles in orphans by empowering them to claim their true, God-given identity.
Our Vision
I am sold out to my vision that the babies and children that come through Grace Like Rain will break these cycles and be the change that the community around us desperately needs. They will learn that circumstance does not define them and they have the power to change the trajectory or their life and story. Although, for the short term, this is a temporary care facility, it is an important step in our long-term vision of having multiple houses for multiple purposes, one of which being long-term foster care. Grace Like Rain is currently functioning as a baby house, which is a temporary place of safety for babies and toddlers while a long- term plan is being established by social workers. Not only do we get to care for those in immediate need, it is giving us an important foundation to build on. We are gaining critical knowledge and experience as we look to the future.
The Bible says in Luke 12:48, ‘…to whom much has been given, much will be required.’
Doing nothing is not an option! I know I have been given much and I know that I can, and therefore I must, give.
Since we opened our doors in 2020, we have had the honor of caring for 25 babies and toddlers (and a few older children). The average length of stay is 6-9 months, but can be up to 2 years. Although these last two years have come with a fair share of difficulties, learning curves and growing pains, it has been a dream come true. I can’t imagine doing anything else and I can’t wait to see how this vision continues to grow and expand.