Abbreviation MOPC | Affiliations Catholic | |
 | ||
Established 1994; 23 years ago (1994) Type Rural home for AIDS orphans Location Outside Mutoko, Zimbabwe Successive
directors Nurse: "Mama" Jean Cornneck
Nurse: "Sister" Stella Cornneck | ||
Mother of Peace Community (MOPC) is a home for AIDS orphans, situated in the Zimbabwe eastern highlands. It was founded around 1994 by a group of Catholics, and depends on donations for its maintenance.
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Background
Catholic laypeople who conceived of the venture received approval of the Bishop and assistance from the government in acquiring land, a large spread adjacent to a river. MOPC has from its early years depended on two Zimbabwean sisters, "Mama Jean" and "Sister Stella" (Cornneck) who studied as nurses in London and after retirement agreed to run MOPC.
Today
MOPC houses orphans in 10 family homes that can hold up to 16 children each, living together as family with rotating house mothers from the local villages. There are also homes for infants, and a large home, Mother Teresa House, to accommodate many of the toddlers. Some toddlers are housed in the homes with older children.
MOPC reached a peak population of about 160 children around 2005, but has since stepped up efforts to have relatives take in the children. However, many come through police channels, abandoned on the streets or in hospitals by their destitute, AIDS-ridden parents, without trace.
While the Zimbabwean government supplies teachers and nurses, MOPC depends on donations for most of its operation. In 2004 Mother of Peace Community registered as a charity within the UK. Foreign embassies have assisted in funding, along with lay Catholics who have visited as volunteers from abroad and then interested their parishes back home to adopt this charity.
Other facilities include a chapel, a school, a 16-bed clinic open to the surrounding area, a bakery, a lake formed by damming the river, a farming operation, and some cattle.