About Our Mustard Seed Ministries

Mustard Seed Ministries is a Not-for-Profit Organisation registered in Zimbabwe under the Private Voluntary Act that regulates the operations of all Charitable Organisation, (Private Voluntary Organisation, PVO Number: 31/2010).

The Mustard Seed Project was set up in Zimbabwe in 1996 as a response to the needs of vulnerable children and young people. In 2006, the population of Zimbabwe was approximately 13 million, of which 1.7 million were estimated to be living with HIV (NAC, 2006). This resulted in the increment of orphaned children and child headed family systems. In Chikomba District, the poor area the Mustard Seed operates within, at least 37,289 AIDS orphans were identified (Catholic Relief Services, 2008).

The Mustard Seed offers education from primary to college/university, health, psycho-social support, food, spiritual and moral support, accommodation and general welfare of the children. Its mandate is to care for and provide psychosocial support and other related services for the care of vulnerable children, to sponsor and facilitate the community based residential care of vulnerable children in line with the relevant regulations and to offer skills training and facilitate access to education for the transition into self-reliant adult hood amongst children under the care of the organisation.

History

Providing a pen and exercise book marked the beginning of this organization. Ms Chipo Muteve (The Visionary) was a primary school teacher at Madzivire Primary School in 1996. One day when she was doing her work she noticed that a young girl called Emily was not writing and she asked her why she was not writing and she replied that she did not have a pen. She told her to go and get a pen, and later witnessed Emily and her sister, Imelda hugging and crying over their problem.

She discovered that they were orphans and providing each of them with a pen and an exercise book marked the beginning of the Mustard Seed. She continued to support these girls until they finished and passed their 'O' levels. These two girls are now happily married and have their own children. Emily is now a Prison Officer and Imelda is a wonderful; hairdresser.

As of August 2009, the Mustard Seed Social Worker assessed and found out that 30 of the vulnerable children were living in child headed families. 15 of these had to be urgently removed under Section 15 of the Children (Act 1996) to a 'safe house' leased by the Mustard Seed.( Now the Ministry has its own premises) It is also part of the Ministry's future plan to turn the ministry into a one stop centre where one can access almost all the services that include, counselling, health centre, social work and a chapel.