Safe housing
Permanent, family-style living where every child has a bed they can call theirs.
Mutende Children's Home · Zambia
Building a future. Together.
Mutende means peace. A safe, loving home and a working farm — growing food, dignity, and possibility for vulnerable children.
Our mission
A home that grows its own future.
Mutende — meaning peace — is a home and a farm being built together in Zambia. For the children who will live here, peace is not abstract. It is a bed that is theirs every night. A meal that comes on time. A teacher who remembers their name. The quiet certainty that tomorrow will look like today.
Our vision is for the home to become 60–80% self-sustaining within the next decade — so the care never stops, no matter the season. Peace, once planted, tends to grow.
Read our full storyThe vision
Five pillars holding up one promise of peace.
Each piece of Mutende is designed to reinforce the others — care that compounds over time.
Education
Schooling, tutoring, and mentorship so the next chapter is theirs to write.
Farming & sustainability
A working farm that feeds the home and funds its operation.
Food security
Three balanced meals a day, grown a few steps from where they're eaten.
Community support
Local partnerships, jobs, and trust built with the people of Zambia.
Founder story
Friendship, shared purpose, and a promise that every child deserves a home.
Mutende Children's Home was built through friendship, shared purpose, and a deep belief that every child deserves a safe and loving place to call home.
A connection across continents.
Ilyssa met Jonathan in Zambia while building a school through her foundation, Growing Hearts of Africa. Their shared values and deep commitment to children sparked an immediate bond — and the dream of Mutende was born.
A friendship built to last.
Ilyssa and Molly met on their first day of college and have been friends ever since. When Ilyssa invited Molly to help build Mutende, she joined without hesitation — bringing her heart for impact to the mission.
Why sustainability
Long-term independence, not short-term relief.
Aid that ends with a single check ends, full stop. A farm that feeds and funds the home keeps the lights on — through good years, hard years, and every year in between.
60–80%
Of operating costs covered by the farm
365
Days a year of food security
10+
Local jobs created by the farm
∞
Years this model can keep going
Youth initiative
Kids Helping Kids
We believe young people have the power to change the world. Through school groups, clubs, and student-led initiatives, we invite kids and teens to join our mission and help support children in Zambia.
Whether through fundraising events, awareness campaigns, or community drives, students can play a direct role in building safe homes, education, and opportunity for children who need it most.
This is more than fundraising — it is leadership, compassion, and global impact in action.
School Fundraisers
Organize bake sales, walkathons, or talent shows to raise funds directly for Mutende.
Awareness Campaigns
Spread the word through assemblies, social media takeovers, and classroom presentations.
Community Drives
Collect supplies, write letters, or host events that connect your community to ours.
1
Home rising in Zambia
60–80%
Goal for self-sufficiency
100%
Of gifts go to the children
Make a gift
Every gift becomes a meal, a lesson, a roof.
Your support funds the home, the farm, and the future. 100% of donations go directly to the children and the land that sustains them. Mutende means peace — and peace is built one gift at a time.
Give securely through PayPal. Choose any amount that feels right — every gift goes directly to the children and the farm.
Donate NowPrefer another way? Email Mutendechildrenshome@gmail.com.
Latest updates
Stories from the ground.
Milestone · May 2026
Breaking ground: the first foundation is poured
After two years of planning, we watched the first concrete settle into Zambian soil.
Farm · April 2026
Our first harvest, and what it taught us
A small plot of vegetables turned into a much bigger lesson about patience and pacing.
Community · February 2026
Meet the children who will call this home
Names, ages, and the small, ordinary things that make each of them themselves.
Follow our journey
Live from the home, one quiet moment at a time.
The latest photos from the farm, milestones from the home, and the occasional letter from Ilyssa or Molly — pulled directly from Instagram, refreshed as it happens.
- Morning light at the home
- First greens from the garden
Hands in the soil- A quiet hour of reading
Neighbours, partners, friends- The land we are building on
Stay close to the story.
Follow @mutende.childrens.home for daily glimpses, or join the newsletter for a quiet monthly note from the farm and the home.