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http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/suffolk/hi/people_and_places/religion_and_ethics/newsid_8410000/8410723.stm Suffolk Christian aims to complete Zimbabwe hostel work

By Jon Wright BBC Suffolk This woman looks after her sister's children, orphaned by HIV/AIDS A Suffolk Christian is hoping to return to Zimbabwe to continue a project helping teenage orphans after flying back early over security fears. Carl Melville was setting up a hostel in Harare for young people who are too old for the local orphanages. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office says the county "remains unpredictable and could deteriorate without warning". "It was mainly being poked and pushed around when going to town," said Carl. "We felt hugely vulnerable." Carl has been to Zimbabwe twice before on shorter trips, but set off in June 2009 for a six month stay to get the Tariro Orphanage started. The project mission statement was "to deliver not only a home but a high level of interaction, teaching, learning and community involvement, teaching a lost generation to rebuild Zimbabwe". The project helped Tatenda which means 'thank you' Making a difference "On a whole it was a brilliant mission," Carl told BBC Suffolk. "I'd realised that teenagers were forgotten about, they became homeless, they dropped out of school and life is hard for them. "It made me feel sad, guilty. I could go on with a whole list of words, but it made me excited that I could actually do something for them." The hostel Carl helped start had room for 10 young people. Local orphanages are only able to provide care for children until they are 14-years-old. "When you think that there's 1.3 million orphans in Zimbabwe, it's sad that half of them will go homeless and be hungry, struggle to find money and clean water and education." Carl and his team tried to live their lives at the same level as local people, which included travelling on buses. "We had to use public transport which is not advised for white people. "Towards the end of the mission we did experience some racist comments: anti-British and anti-white, so I cut the trip short. "The government has done a very good job of making people feel that the British are no good." Support for the president Despite Robert Mugabe's image in Europe, Carl was surprised at the level of support he appeared to have. President Mugabe still appears popular in rural Zimbabwe "In the rural areas you get a huge feeling that Mugabe is still their president, that he's wanted by these people. "There's lots of support for Zanu-PF." Now he's back in the UK Carl says he will continue to raise money for Zimbabwe's poor, but he also wants the international community to take a tougher stance. "I'm surprised we haven't done something already to put pressure on Mugabe. "Lots of people like our team and NGOs and charities are doing as much as they can to help, but there needs to be a stronger more powerful voice in Zimbabwe. "I hope I'll pay many more visits. "I've seen and been on the end of aid and seen how critical our donations from this end of the world are to places like Zimbabwe to the poor and needy there. "Just those 10 people we were able to help all makes a difference."