Hello, my name is Davona Church, and I would like to share a bit of my history with you, to let you know the experiences that I've had, and the reason for my passion to create the Cradle of Love Baby Home.
1985: Cared for two Haitian babies in my home in Port au Prince, Haiti. It was then that I realized my desire to take care of sick and needy babies.
1986-1989: Became licensed by the State of Florida to be foster parents for newborns awaiting adoption. During these three years I cared for 23 babies.
1992-1998: Our family moved to Blantyre, Malawi, where I found there was a great need for a place to care for orphaned and abandoned newborn babies. I first began by taking them into my own home, and then opened a Home for them in 1995. Most of these babies were HIV positive, and many babies died in my arms. It was here that I became experienced in caring for sick babies. Open Arms Infants Home is still nurturing needy babies in Malawi.
2000-2002: We moved to Maryland, in the United States, and I became licensed for foster care here as well. Living between two large cities, Washington D.C. and Baltimore, there were many babies being placed for adoption. In two years our family had cared for 43 newborns, usually two or three at a time.
2002-2004: We moved back to Africa, this time to Burundi. There I was blessed to care for six infants. One was only with us for a short time, while her mother recovered in the hospital, but the other five were orphaned or abandoned babies that needed a home. Then we moved to Tanzania, which is located in East Africa. My husband, and our daughters that were still living with us at the time, were very supportive my idea to create a new baby home in Tanzania. We all enjoyed having some of our early infants stay with us while the Home was constructed.
2005-Current: We were able to move in to our newly constructed Baby Home on December 8, 2005. Along with the help of local nannies we are able to give love and attention to over 30 children, and provide medical care when needed. I have come to Tanzania to serve, and for me that is through caring for young infants. I feel blessed to use the talents that God has given me to help those who have no one to provide the love they so desperately need.