The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council for the Northeast U.S. and the Jamaica Ex-Servicemen and Women Foundation have all teamed up to raise funds to assist some schools and community organizations in Jamaica.
Organizational leaders aim to secure these well-needed funds to help motivate students and provide the schools with essential supplies, including computers, school uniforms, and footwear.
Stanford Grant, head of the Jamaica-Ex-Service Men and Women Foundation, said, “An estimated 3,000 students and staff will benefit from this global initiative.”
He further noted that the goal of the Jamaica Ex-Servicemen and Women is to secure over JA$9 million and assist the schools located in the parishes of St. Catherine, Kingston, St. Andrew, and Westmoreland.
Grant said that the Jamaica Ex-Servicemen and Women Foundation will make a specific contribution to the Port Henderson Primary School in St. Catherine, Operation Friendship, and the Scout Association of Jamaica’s headquarters in Kingston. The foundation is also working to establish a learning center in August Town, St. Andrew, for this, “We intend to use this facility to teach students coding skills -the foundation of software and digital systems that enable computers to perform specific tasks,” Grant
explained.
The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council representative for the Northeast U.S., Mitchelle Tulloch-Niel, stated that the beneficiary schools ranged from basic education to primary or middle to high schools.
When she spoke with us last Sunday, Tulloch-Neil told the Caribbean Life Newspaper that some 18 of these schools had already received their donations. She also informed Caribbean Life that several laptops had already been donated.
Tulloch-Niel also explained that some students facing financial hardship and some high achievers needing further support will receive individual grants of US$300 each. “Due to financial constraints, this amount has been reduced from the usual US$500,” she added.
The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council reported that beyond education, other groups headed by church leaders such as Elder Benjamin Powell of the North Bronx Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York shared that he and his church are partnering with the Good Samaritan Inn in Down Kingston to help provide medical assistance to communities in the corporate area.
He reported that a team of 20 to 30 volunteers, including doctors and nurses, will travel to Jamaica from July 14 through 16, 2025, to provide medical care. The team will also bring non-perishable food, medical supplies, and clothing.
The Jamaica Medical Mission, co-founded by Dr. Robert Clarke and Dr. Rudolph Willis, is also expanding its annual healthcare outreach by providing healthcare and screening for diabetes, high blood pressure, and other medical conditions.
In addition to this supportive work for Jamaican students and the country’s Jamaican community, the New York Police Department’s Jamaica-American Law Enforcement Organization recently raised $1.2 million to support 60 Grade 12 students at Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St. Ann, ensuring they have the financial resources to complete their education.
