Bob Marley’s sons donate tablets to Trench Town students

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Rohan and Julian Marley with students at the Cornerstone Learning Center, Jamaica.
Eva Silverstein

Ghetto Youths Foundation, the charitable organization founded and directed by Stephen, Damian and Julian Marley, sons of the legendary Jamaican reggae super star Bob Marley, has donated 80 remote learning tablets for Trench Town students enrolled in their new academic facility, the Cornerstone Learning Center.

“During these challenging times, when 92 percent of Jamaican students are learning from home and more than 68 percent of students do not have access to learning tablets, this donation fills a critical void that will ensure these students can remain academically engaged,” said the foundation in a statement.

“The tablet donation underlines Ghetto Youths Foundation’s commitment to provide sustainable and transformative academic support to the young people of Trench Town,” it added.

On Feb. 5, 2020 — on the eve of what would have been their father’s 75th birthday, the Ghetto Youths Foundation directors officially opened the Cornerstone Learning Center “after a two-year process to plan, build and fund the project.”

Located in Rema, Trench Town, just a few blocks from where Bob Marley grew up, in Kingston, the Jamaican capital, the foundation said “the center came about through a direct request from the community — a need for academic support and resources for the youths from Trench Town.

“Ghetto Youths Foundation came onboard to fill this void by creating an actual building — a fully-equipped community center where Trench Town youth, ages eight to 18, are welcome for complimentary tutoring in all subjects, mentoring, and even computer programming,” it said. “The community center represents more than just access to academic support. Cornerstone Learning Center promises to be a change-maker in the community by providing long-term educational and personal development opportunities.”

The foundation said the center takes its name from the famous Bob Marley lyric: “The stone that the builder refuse, will always be the head cornerstone.”

“As the global pandemic has prevented in-person learning over these last several months, the tablet donation represents GYF’s (Ghetto Youths Foundation) firm and lasting commitment to continue to support and nurture the children from this community,” the statement said.

“Education is the pathway to freedom, and every child deserves the opportunity to walk down that path,” Stephen Marley said.

To learn more, and to support Ghetto Youths Foundation’s work in Trench Town and beyond, visit: www.ghettoyouthsfoundation.org.