Nevisian Pastor set to establish a sustainable children’s Home in Zimbabwe

Pastor Allinson DaCosta

RAMSBURY, Nevis, April 18, 2011 – When Pastor Allinson Da Costa made his maiden visit in Zimbabwe in 1998, one of the things that made an indelible impression upon him was the large number of orphans in that country.

“My heart is really burdened over their condition,” Da Costa who is the Pastor of Nevis based Calvary Baptist Church said in an interview. It is estimated that there are 1.6 million orphans in Zimbabwe and one million of them are orphaned due to HIV/AIDS according to a UNICEF report. The risks for these children are very real particularly for young girls, who are three times likely to become infected with HIV and are more susceptible to abuse and forced marriages than those whose parents are alive.

In June 2011, Pastor Da Costa will travel for the seventh time to Zimbabwe but this time round he will stay for four months and work closely with a local board to establish “House of Hope.” A local board has identified a property that is adequate. The establishment of the children’s Home is estimated to cost US$200,000.00. He has already registered a charity locally, House of Hope Foundation through which donations can be channeled through.

Aware that this amount may not be raised immediately, well wishers have donated some money that will enable him to rent a building and purchase a passenger mini-bus that will be used to fund raise for the Home. He also plans to establish a garden where the employees at the Home can grow food. He says this way, the project will be sustainable.

Every month, it will cost him US$4,000 to sustain the Home that will open with 14 orphans.

UNICEF estimated that US$108,700,000 was needed to fund its humanitarian work in Zimbabwe according to the mid-2010 revised request. As of October 2010, a total of US$19,819,156 had been received or 18 per cent of the 2010 request.

Pastor Da Costa who has made six mission trips to Zimbabwe says life is becoming extremely difficult for the orphans and their grandmothers. In certain cases, the orphans are left to fend for themselves. “Most of these grandparents live below the poverty line and are unable to provide the children with food, school uniforms and school fees. The orphans do not enjoy the luxury of free education like the children here in Nevis.”

The visionary Pastor has a dream to establish a sustainable orphan Home through House of Hope Foundation, a charity registered on the island of Nevis.

Pastor Allison DaCosta can be contacted at cell phone number -1 869- 7657755 or landline1 869 – 4695680. House of Hope Foundation Account Number is at RBBT#2604000000003318 or Email: dacosta_allinson@hotmail.com.

*Article Courtesy, House of Hope Foundation