Jamaica’s leading charity organisation, Food for the Poor (FFP), yesterday donated ten 40-foot containers of text books and other educational material, valued over $l billion, to the Ministry of Education.
“We must start them right to make them bright,” notes Minister of Education, the Honourable Maxine Henry-Wilson, as she accepted the over $1 billion worth of book donation, on behalf of the Early Childhood Development Centre, at the Ministry’s Caenwood Centre facilities. FFP’s Education & Social Outreach Manager, Mrs. Pearl Barrett, made the presentation.
In expressing gratitude to Food for the Poor for playing an important role in the development of Early Childhood Education in Jamaica, Mrs. Henry-Wilson said that, in spite of the detractors, “we are certainly on the cutting edge with Early Childhood enterprise in Jamaica. And when we have support as this (the donation of educational material), we at the Ministry have no choice to go the extra mile.”
Members of the Dudley Grant Memorial Trust were also present to witness the handing over of the educational material. As a pioneer in Early Childhood Education, the Trust, through its Administrative Manager, Mrs. Mazie Wint, used the occasion to underscore her organisation’s commitment in continuing to be advocates for Early Childhood Education in Jamaica.
“The Trust will be utilizing each resource centre around the island, because we see it as being important when it comes to helping children not only to read and look through the books, but will one day be writing their own books,” said Mrs. Wint.
The educational material, which includes reading books, story books, charts, puppets, art and craft items, among other things, will be distributed to schools from the 16 Early Childhood Development Centres across the island.
FFP’s Warehouse Manager, Mrs. Faith Jumpp, in explaining the organisation’s involvement and interest in the education of Jamaica’s children said: “These are good resource materials for children up to the primary level. The books are quite useful and the teachers can’t seem to get enough based on the number of requests we have received. In fact, students from tertiary institutions such as the Shortwood Teachers College have found some books for their studies that were not available in the public libraries.”
For further information, contact:
Delroy A. Whyte-Hall
Public Relations Manager
Office: 984-5005 Ext. 265
Mobile: 382-7135
E-mail: delroyh@foodforthepoor.com
