Mustard Seed Project offers free community training

A Johannesburg Christian training centre is promoting moral transformation by offering free basic community training to anybody who will carry the training to their communities or beyond.

The training, offered through the Mustard Seed Project of the Peniel Training Centre (PTC) in Florida Park, Roodepoort, includes growing a vegetable garden to feed your family and/or earn income, exploding the myths of HIV/AIDS (such as ‘raping a baby will cure you’), basic medical care using everyday household materials, overcoming sexual addiction, healing for the sexually abused and more, says Rev Harry Heydon, the team leader and twice Nedbank Local Hero for job creation.

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The ISOM curriculum course is spread over three mornings or evenings of approximately two and a half hours per day. Training is facilitated by volunteers and subjects are taught by qualified doctors, horticulturists etc., says Heydon in a media release. The Sexual Wholeness segment is taught by Dr Doug Weiss who is head of the American Association of Sex Therapists and who has been a special guest on shows such as Dr. Phil, Good Morning America and Oprah.

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With spiralling rape, the AIDS pandemic, and the lack of food and basic income facing many in South Africa, there is a need for an effective, no-cost, community education intervention. The Mustard Seed Project has the capability to begin the type of positive change in individuals and in the nation that the late President Nelson Mandela believed could be pursued through education, says Heydon.

Churches, missions, outreach ministers, social workers, NGOs that work in the field, individuals who want to make a difference, political and trade union community workers etc. who want to bring change before it is too late are welcome to attend this free world class training, which has the goal of reaching a million people in South Africa and other nations, he says. PTC also offers people the facility to initiate their own training center.

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For aspiring small business owners, the centre provides a subsidised Business Training curriculum. Students attend for two hours a week over 20 weeks This ISOM certificated course is also suitable for existing business owners as well as those who operate an NGO or want to form an NGO.

PTC and the Mustard Seed Project aim to provide 4 000 aspiring business people with this training on a bursary according to the students’ financial means. The curriculum has the unique feature of a ‘ready to go’ mini business incorporated, thus students can graduate with an income in place. Bursaries for this R18 000 course range from a 70% to 94% subsidy for qualifying applicants. A compulsory pre enrolment test costing R100 is administered in order to determine the applicant’s aptitude for business.

The Mustard Seed Project training courses are available to all South African residents irrespective of educational standard, age, race, religion or gender. People from other countries may also apply. More information can be obtained from Rev Heydon at harry@oet.co.za or at 082 882 6679. PTC is located in Church of the Nazarene Africa Headquarters at the corner of Botes and Ontdekkers Roads in Florida Park.