Ambulance driver sets goal of building 35 homes for underprivilaged

Mangaluru: Anil Ruben Mendonsa, an ambulance driver and social activist from Moodbidri, has set an ambitious goal of building 35 houses for the underprivileged. Having already constructed three homes, Mendonsa is working on the fourth and fifth houses for a financially struggling family. He built a house and daivasthana for a needy family in Karinje village earlier this year and has received requests from 35 more families in need of shelter.
Mendonsa, who owns an ambulance, dedicates a major portion of his time, money and energy to charity.He not only takes the lead in building houses for the poor but also volunteers by working with labourers during all phases of construction. Mendonsa told TOI that he donated Anugraha, a daivasthana and house for a family in Karinje village near Moodbidri, Aashirvad, a house for a family in Alangar in Moodbidri, Aasare, a house in Nethodi near Moodbidri and the work on the fourth house Nemmadi is under construction in Bailadka near Shirlalu village of Belthangady taluk.
"Now I am on a mission to construct a house for the family of a 105-year-old woman, whose son is suffering from a spinal cord injury, in Bailadka. I came to know after watching a video on social media that the family is in dire straits. Hence, I travelled from Moodbidri to Belthangady in my ambulance and promised them help. I have already started the work of constructing a house for the family. Meanwhile, I have joined hands with a youth organisation called Trishul Friends to build a house for a poor family at Mudumarnadu in Mangaluru taluk too," he said.
Mendonsa said he spent all his earnings from a private company job in Dubai on charity. After noticing his charity work, a few donors also started supporting Mendonsa for the cause through the Care Charitable Trust, which he founded three months ago. "Every day, I receive calls from poor families from various parts of the coastal region and now I have a list of 35 poor families who need a house. I hope that I will be able to complete the target at the earliest. It may require at least Rs 5-10 lakh to build a small house," he added.