Silveira House is a Jesuit Catholic Church institution that was founded by F John Dove, SJ in 1964. It sheltered discussion groups of local Zimbabwean political nationalist leaders to reflect on the crisis of that time. Fr Dove intended to use Silveira House for retreats and spiritual nourishment to people in their civic struggles, but found that he had to begin with the burning need for practical
knowledge and training since the nationalists had requested him to assist them in forming trade unions. Civics, Trade Unionism and Youth training were the first courses to be offered at the centre
After independence the government concentrated most of its efforts on social services delivery such as education and health but no one thought through how such services would be sustained. Silveira House shared this concern with society and began educating those who came to it in sustainable development. Courses offered during this period included Leadership training (which is important for any newly independent country in determining whether the fruits of independence are reaching to the people or not) Civics education, Industrial relations and Training for Transformation (a method of combating apathy and creating awareness). A Research Unit was established in 1988 to gather information relevant to Silveira House work. The institution also approached communities with projects relevant to them such as Advocacy to lobby for change and Agriculture and Nutrition. Over the years Silveira House has grown to be a notable training centre through its activities that are implemented by Community Development Programme, Advocacy and Peace Building Programme, Socio-economic Research and Analysis Programme, and the Technical Vocational Skills and Training Programme.
