History of the Mission

HISTORY

It started with Mrs. Diamela Pascasio, a nurse and mother of two who cared for children of the streets. When her husband died she said, “The kids began turning my sorrows into happiness.” She began helping single mothers by caring for their children in her home, so that the mothers could work at legitimate jobs.

Soon the project grew, helpers and teachers joined the staff and a school was added. The Genesis Project received generous donations, and a building and supplies were purchased. Today the two schools serve 350 students on average.

Diamela Pascasio is the Genesis School director, and her daughter Ellen is the principal at that location. The Concordia Lutherana School in Palmar Arriba is now owned by LCMS and functions independently. Mrs. Kissayris Gebhard is the principal of that school and a member of the Lutheran church. We are exploring expansion of the program at the high school level, as well as instituting a vocational training program for high school students and adults.