Youandi / About | Openarmssa.org

I am Youandi (32) but most people call me Jo. I am born in the Netherlands.
I haven't had a easy live but it made me who I am today. I have been abused (emotional, physical and sexual) the child welfare in the Netherlands failed, the police failed and my school failed.If I only had a person like myself that time, it would have been so much easier.

South Africa is my home now since 2010. I work and life with abused, abandoned and HIV infected babies and children in Durban. Beside it can be very hectic at times I love my live, waking up every morning to see those wonderful faces smiling at me, is the most beautiful gift I can get.

But beside the children I also worry and care a lot about the mother behind the abandoned baby/child.

The numbers of abandoned babies/children in South Africa don't lie, they very high. And for outsiders very easy to judge the mother and say that the, horrible,evil, unhuman etc.

YOu must be very desperate to be able to do that. I think the feeling must be similar to committing suicide.

Instead of judging the mother I rather be the person that they contact when the need help/advice.

So Open Arms was born...

Youandi (32) is the starter of Open Arms. Born in the Netherlands she gave up her Western live for a live in South Africa.
Since 2010 she lives and works with abused, abandoned and HIV infected babies and children.
Open arms is a project of the crisis home Isiaiah 54 Children's Sanctuary.
Her heart for the less fortunate is big and she would do whatever she can to help.

Born on the 25th of December 1982 in Amsterdam the Netherlands.
Her mother is white and her father black, growing up in the so called "ghetto" of the Netherlands, Bijlmermeer.
Growing up without a father wasn't a easy thing as a child, and she would often look for a father figure, but paid that bill with abuses.
Youandi is from a young age been abused (emotionally, physically and sexually) by different men in her life, but it made her who she is today.
The child welfare in the Netherlands had failed to assist her, the police failed and her schools she attended that time, she says " if I only had someone like Open Arms it would have been much easier for me".

She never sits still and is always on the go, ready to help, ready to love a child that never felt love, ready to listen to does who need to talk.
Youandi is a certified child counselor, and with lots of life experience she is able to assist the mother.

The feeling of being alone, not understood can make you feel empty and depressed. A horrible feeling and it is so important to know that there are people out there that you can trust and that will listen to you and even will advise you if they can.
Knowing that that person is there for you, makes a huge difference in someone's life.

Open Arms arms started as Youandi calls it as a "brain fart". That one night on the end of December feeding one of the abandoned babies at home was the night Open Arms was born. " I always wanted to do something for these mothers but somehow the time was never ready until that night. As I was feeding my little boy I was thinking about his mom. He is perfect, 10 little fingers and 10 little toes, and his eyes are like stars on a clear sky. At the same time I felt very sad and emotional when I thought about his mother. Why did she do this, were is she, is she ok, does she have someone that is there for her or is she abandoned by her surrounding as well? Lots of questions popped up, but the main was, what can I do for those mother's. My next thought was how I would reach those mother's. That same night I read article about Facebook and Africa. It said that South Africa was one of the African countries that is online due to lots of people have a smartphone even the people in rural areas, which gave me an idea to start a page on facebook.
I launched the page the 1st of January 2015 and today we have 4000 likes and over 200 girls/women that have reached out to open arms. I am so proud of all of them that they found the strength to open up and ask for help."

She never expected that grow like it did, it was more like " let's see what will happen". So she had to step back and see what she wanted for Open Arms. All she knows is that she will carry on with Open Arms and that is will grow day by day. Everything in its own time.

Soon Open Arms will have their own Baby Safe, but more about that later :)

If you have any questions for Youandi feel free to ask.