Innovative Practice 2015: 141
A business approach to sustainable community living
Jamaica - Digicel Foundation Jamaica
SUMMARY OF PROJECT
Mustard Seed Communities, a project of the Digicel Foundation Jamaica, facilitates the development of
minimum assisted-living communities and provides employment for persons with disabilities by offering
housing solutions and economic viability via skills training and equipment. The skills training provided in
craft and furniture-making increases the employability of people with disabilities, while the provision of
fishery, egg, and chicken materials increases the self-reliance of their assisted living facilities via
enterprise development.
“Our goal is to build an ICT-enabled and sustainable community to support independent living for
persons with special needs.”
—Samantha CHANTRELLE, CEO, Digicel Jamaica
FACTS & FIGURES

Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) is an international organization with 12 residential centres
throughout Jamaica catering to some 400 abandoned children and adults with disabilities.

MSC employs nearly 400 local workers, including many with disabilities.

The Digicel Jamaica Foundation has invested $247,000 in the program to date.
PROBLEMS TARGETED
An estimated 60 percent of Jamaica's population with disabilities are between 18 and 65 years old, and
the majority of these adults are unable to find gainful employment. Furthermore, despite the existence
of a national strategy, the transition from institutional care to services that allow persons with disabilities
to live within his or her own community and/or family environment is still not a reality in Jamaica.
SOLUTION & METHODOLOGY
The project focuses on the development of a minimum assisted-living community for adults with mental
and physical disabilities, the sustainability of which is achieved through the development of social
enterprise initiatives and the construction of a formal skills-training facility. The project is based on two
pillars: housing is constructed for those living with special needs; and the self-sufficiency of these
individuals is ensured through the provision of the necessary infrastructure, equipment, and training.
OUTLOOK & TRANSFERABILITY
Mustard Seed Communities has thirteen properties catering to vulnerable children and adults, some of
which have sufficient land to scale-up the enterprise development via food security initiatives that are
currently underway. Through the MSC Business Unit, increased technical assistance will be provided to
ensure that a business model is created to further reduce monthly operational expenses by growing the
necessary food materials to raise chickens and fish. Linkages are being created between the ICT training
facility and other Special Needs Centres of Excellence in Jamaica, the Caribbean, and other territories.
The strategy has proven successful and can easily be adapted and used in other educational institutions
across the country.
Photo [Layout needs to choose one photo]
(1) The production and sale of unique handicrafts by the residents provides income for both the
community and the individuals involved.
(2) The food security initiative caters to in-house food needs as well as for income generation. The goal is
to become a self-sustainable facility through farming and other agricultural based projects.
Photo copyright: Digicel Foundation Jamaica
CONTACT
Ms. Judine HUNTER
Digicel Foundation Jamaica
14 Ocean Blvd, Kingston, Jamaica
876-619-5500
DigicelFoundation.LinkJamaica@digicelgroup.com
http://digiceljamaicafoundation.org/
Nominated by: Judine HUNTER, Digicel Foundation Jamaica
tags: peer-to-peer support, income generation, economic empowerment, advocacy, capacity-building,
human rights, intellectual impairments