| Caring, Sharing, Training, and Uplifting - The Mustard Seed Communities
The Mustard Seed Communities is a faith based
non-profit organization based in Kingston, Jamaica, which thrives
on the healing and caring ministry of Jesus Christ of Nazareth
as a core requisite to their functions. Founded under the principle
of caring in 1978, the organization has remained committed to
it's mission.
They have moved to care, share and train up
the most vulnerable in the society, offering hope and healing
to the handicapped, abandoned children and marginalized communities
of the urban inner cities.
Their mission is to deliver the message of the
gospel of Christ, foster the value of love and service within
any community, by educating volunteers, professionals and benefactors
on the need for a direct alternative from secular humanism to
faith based Christian living.
The Mustard Seed family is a multi-denominational
one, tolerant of all denominations, race or creed. The ministry
involves the training of those who are dependent on handouts,
helping them to break the vicious cycle of frustration associated
with joblessness and stagnation in the economy. It’s a family
that teaches the poor to help the poor, psychologically, spiritually,
physically, with dignity.
To best achieve this, Mustard Seed assists the
oppressed by teaching them coping, life, parenting, family life,
social and career skills. They also review institutional structures,
whether national or local from the view of the marginalized, with
the hope of being able to initiate practical ways of lifting the
people from the traumatic experiences of poverty.
Mustard Seed Communities adopted a philosophy
of caring for disabled and abandoned children. During recent years
this program received international assistance from The UNDP (United
Nations Human Development Program). The UNDP concluded that this
way of caring was essential to any strategy for poverty alleviation.
Roman Catholic Priest Gregory Ramkissoon is
the Executive Director of the Mustard Seed Communities. He believes
caring influences body language, choice of speech, thought process
and can help resolves disputes.
The Mustard Seed family considers the care that
they offer the 250 disabled children in three different countries
as their greatest source of inspiration. It’s a given privilege
within and outside the community at large to be able to assist
and offer value, empowering the young children.
The Community offers a variety of vocations
to participants and volunteers. While the Mustard Seed Community
is lead by Roman Catholic officials, no one is excluded or alienated
as a result of religious beliefs. In fact all their religious
functions have embraced a wider ecumenical spirit of community.
The Community member is expected to serve with
a generous spirit and a strong commitment to the mission and purpose
of Mustard Seed. He must be mature and able to act independantly
and be self-motivated. The organization demands that all committed
members must be capable of balancing their apostolic, academic,
social and physical development.
The Mustard Seed Communities will accept candidates
from practically anywhere in the world. You may volunteer regardless
of whether it is short or long-term service that has been your
calling. For all team players give nourishment and show by example
a life of fulfillment inherent in the teachings of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ.
The Mustard Seed Communities, operate an Internet
Centre for inner city youths called Zinc Link. This is expected
to grow in different phases being situated on Mustard Seed properties.
Zinc Link 1 was launched on March 7, 2002 as a computer training
centre and Internet Café.
School children make up the majority of visitors
and pay $1US per hour for the service.
Of note, Mustard Seed Communities have homes
in Haiti, Dominican Republic and Nicaragua. An Aids Orphanage
is also being constructed in Zimbabwe.
In an attempt to make Mustard Seed economically
self-sufficient, a fish farm has been built and is successfully
operational. Also up and running is a vegetable garden that is
cultivated by two young souljah’s called Patrick and Benjie. Calaloo,
okra, pumpkin, tomato, corn, cucumber and other nutritious plant
foods are grown in aid of helping the needy. There is also an
egg farm, and a card & ceramic production project.
Roots 96.1 FM, the voice of the inner city is
a part of the Mustard Seed Communities wide-ranging effort to
uplift the inner city areas of Kingston, St. Andrew and St Catherine,
alleviating poverty and growing the human capital is this medium’s
objective.
The residents of the broken communities are
asked to adopt the station as their own, to make it help in their
growth and development and let them assume ownership of the entity,
being instrumental in the many goals.
Roots FM is seen as a media house that is made
by the young FOR the young. Its’ General Manager Tony Young, has
pioneered an alternative mix of entertainment, information and
debates. Roots is seen as a day to day survival tool in the inner
city. The station gives people from Rema, Hannah Town, Maxfield
Avenue and Allman Town, troubled spots in the Corporate area,
a chance to become presenters, reading news and hosting music
shows, and staff members are paid a stipend.
For more information please visit the Mustard
Seed Website or email them at:mustardseed@vision.com
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