Young Adults with Disabilities
Due to the level of poverty in Jamaica, children with disabilities are routinely abandoned, as parents are unable to cope or afford their care. Mustard Seed Communities has focused on abandoned disabled children for several reasons, the most obvious being that these children are the most defenseless in any community. MSC’s purpose is to advance the moral, mental and physical well being of children with disabilities.
In Jamaica, there are no facilities - governmental or otherwise - available to take care of individuals with mental and physical disabilities after the age of 18. The vision for Jacob’s Ladder is to fill this void by providing 500 young adults with mental and physical disabilities with a home where they can live out their lives in a safe and nurturing environment.
This vision will be achieved through the construction of 100 cottages to house the residents and staff and by establishing an agricultural system (vegetables, tree crops, animal husbandry, and fish ponds) for in-house food needs and for income generation through sale of the produce in the domestic market. The goal is to achieve a self-sustainable facility through farming and other economic projects.
At present, there are nearly 40 cottages completed and just under 50 residents living at Jacob’s Ladder. There are several greenhouses on the premises and both farming and animal husbandry are currently underway. Work continues on future cottages and residents are continually arriving to this growing community.
