Jessca:
Jessca's story inspired Heather Chimhoga Orphan Care Center
In 2001, Jessca was found in a north Zimbabwe village where all the adults had died of AIDS. She was living under the care of her 12-year-old cousin, Evelyn, who was also trying to care for her own sister and three other cousins. They were scavenging for food, near starvation. Jessca was the youngest of them all and, though unaware, was HIV positive.
Evelyn heard that some white people were distributing blankets in the Murewa District some ten miles away. Desperate, the 12-year-old girl walked those ten miles alone and found missionaries Ralph and Roberta Pippitt.
The missionaries saw that Evelyn could not carry six heavy
blankets by herself for ten miles. So, they loaded her up
with the blankets and drove her home. That's when they met
Jessca and the rest of the little orphan family, and discovered
they had no food. They also noted that Jessca was probably
HIV positive.
Since then, much has happened. The Orphan Care Center has grown to the point where it is now feeding and helping to care for about a thousand children every day. For many of the years in between, however, doctors and medical supplies were very scarce. The hospital in Murewa was able to test Jessca and confirm that she was HIV positive. But they were unable to do much in the way of treating her or helping her. After medicine became available, she would walk to HCOC each day to receive her meds but had strength for little else. School, which was several more miles away, was out of the question.
Every year, when the missionaries returned to Zimbabwe, they found her worse. By their departure in 2008, even though HCOC was finally able to employ a full-time nurse who was caring for her daily, Ralph and Roberta had little hope they would find Jessca alive when they returned.
But God, in His mercy, had other ideas. Upon their return to Zimbabwe in the spring of 2009, Jessca was one of the first to greet them. Under the constant monitoring and care of Nurse Beauty at HCOC, she had grown healthier and heartier. Beauty makes sure Jessca always has the medicine she needs and that she gets to her doctor appointments at the hospital in Murewa much more regularly. The steady diet of healthy foods made possible by the HCOC vegetable garden and the Moringa trees cultivated there have also had a remarkable effect. Now Jessca is attending school again, and it is apparent that she can look forward to a brighter future, as long as she remains on AIDS medication.
Jessca's story inspired Heather Chimhoga Orphan Care Center
In 2001, Jessca was found in a north Zimbabwe village where all the adults had died of AIDS. She was living under the care of her 12-year-old cousin, Evelyn, who was also trying to care for her own sister and three other cousins. They were scavenging for food, near starvation. Jessca was the youngest of them all and, though unaware, was HIV positive.
Evelyn heard that some white people were distributing blankets in the Murewa District some ten miles away. Desperate, the 12-year-old girl walked those ten miles alone and found missionaries Ralph and Roberta Pippitt.
The missionaries saw that Evelyn could not carry six heavy
blankets by herself for ten miles. So, they loaded her up
with the blankets and drove her home. That's when they met
Jessca and the rest of the little orphan family, and discovered
they had no food. They also noted that Jessca was probably
HIV positive. Since then, much has happened. The Orphan Care Center has grown to the point where it is now feeding and helping to care for about a thousand children every day. For many of the years in between, however, doctors and medical supplies were very scarce. The hospital in Murewa was able to test Jessca and confirm that she was HIV positive. But they were unable to do much in the way of treating her or helping her. After medicine became available, she would walk to HCOC each day to receive her meds but had strength for little else. School, which was several more miles away, was out of the question.
Every year, when the missionaries returned to Zimbabwe, they found her worse. By their departure in 2008, even though HCOC was finally able to employ a full-time nurse who was caring for her daily, Ralph and Roberta had little hope they would find Jessca alive when they returned.
But God, in His mercy, had other ideas. Upon their return to Zimbabwe in the spring of 2009, Jessca was one of the first to greet them. Under the constant monitoring and care of Nurse Beauty at HCOC, she had grown healthier and heartier. Beauty makes sure Jessca always has the medicine she needs and that she gets to her doctor appointments at the hospital in Murewa much more regularly. The steady diet of healthy foods made possible by the HCOC vegetable garden and the Moringa trees cultivated there have also had a remarkable effect. Now Jessca is attending school again, and it is apparent that she can look forward to a brighter future, as long as she remains on AIDS medication.
The Masadza Girls:
Five Sisters Find Renewed Hope
The five "Masadza Girls" (Diana, Catherine, Evelyn, Elizabeth and Anjela) were left alone in the world, their parents both having died of AIDS. Their household possessions were taken by extended family members and the five orphaned children were divided among the families.
Diana, the oldest, came to the Orphan Care Center asking for help. She related that some of the girls were being abused and some were not allowed to attend school. Some were not receiving adequate food. She wanted help in getting the girls back together so they could live as a family again in their parent's home.
When the homestead was examined, it was found to be
beyond repair and so help was enlisted from the local
villagers. The villagers and the management at the
Orphan Care Center working together made it possible for
these girls to be reunited as a family. Donations from
people around the world helped the Orphan Care Center
provide necessary funds for building materials and the
villagers provided the labor. The "Masadza Girls" had a
new house to live in together, and household items were
also provided. That was eight years ago.
Diana has now completed her education and is a police officer. Catherine, the next oldest, completed her education, too, and has joined the Sewing Co-op at the Orphan Care Center. She has learned to make school uniforms for the many orphans in the area. The three younger girls are still in school and are being served by the Orphan Care Center.
Five Sisters Find Renewed Hope
The five "Masadza Girls" (Diana, Catherine, Evelyn, Elizabeth and Anjela) were left alone in the world, their parents both having died of AIDS. Their household possessions were taken by extended family members and the five orphaned children were divided among the families.
Diana, the oldest, came to the Orphan Care Center asking for help. She related that some of the girls were being abused and some were not allowed to attend school. Some were not receiving adequate food. She wanted help in getting the girls back together so they could live as a family again in their parent's home.
When the homestead was examined, it was found to be
beyond repair and so help was enlisted from the local
villagers. The villagers and the management at the
Orphan Care Center working together made it possible for
these girls to be reunited as a family. Donations from
people around the world helped the Orphan Care Center
provide necessary funds for building materials and the
villagers provided the labor. The "Masadza Girls" had a
new house to live in together, and household items were
also provided. That was eight years ago.Diana has now completed her education and is a police officer. Catherine, the next oldest, completed her education, too, and has joined the Sewing Co-op at the Orphan Care Center. She has learned to make school uniforms for the many orphans in the area. The three younger girls are still in school and are being served by the Orphan Care Center.
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