Who are Mustard Seed Communities?

MSC is a charity dedicated to caring for the most vulnerable members of society, especially handicapped and abandoned children in Jamaica, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, and Zimbabwe. In these countries children with disabilities are routinely abandoned. The aim of Mustard Seed Communities is to provide these children with a safe and healthy place to live where they can have care and therapy, and strive to ensure that no individual is abandoned twice.

Founded over 30 years ago, Mustard Seed Communities now cares for over 600 children and strives to meet the growing needs of the most vulnerable by improving the economic, social and spiritual conditions of the communities they serve. Their aim is to make a difference in the lives of children who were abandoned, children that have disabilities, children that suffer from HIV/AIDS, teens that are pregnant and alone, and others. The majority of its programmes are dedicated to the care of children with serious physical and mental disabilities such as Down syndrome, hydrocephalus, cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy.

Their ‘Dare to Care’ program emphasizes the provision of education, educating the younger children and helping older children attend school in their local communities. In countries where governments do not subsidize anti-retroviral drugs (HIV/AIDS medication), Dare to Care bears the full cost of these prohibitively expensive drugs. The work of the charity has been wonderfully supported in Ireland for many years and it is hoped the formal incorporation and formal launch of the charity will solidify that support base and lead to an enhanced involvement of Irish people and volunteers with the charity for many years to come