Overseas students help Marigold

For the past three weeks, every morning, Vanderbilt University interns Tara Mullally and Elin Bunch arrive at Marigold Children's Home just before eight o'clock. The children are usually finishing their breakfast; the babies in the nursery are being fed and bathed; clothes are being put on the line and lunch is being prepared in the kitchen.

The interns' day with the children includes making craft items in school, organising space inside, creating works of art to hang in the building or simply spending time with the children. Throughout the day, the two summer interns spend time at Marigold speaking with the home's director and other staff members about plans for the summer.

Together, they have organised a birthday party for all of the children to take place today; a field trip to the beach, and a fund-raiser to help purchase diapers for the children.

Ingram Scholars Programme

Tara and Elin's trip to Jamaica was made possible through the Ingram Scholars Programme at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America, where they are enrolled. The programme allows each of the 48 scholars to design their own summer project that focuses on any topic of interest, such as HIV/AIDS, water purification, or microeconomics, and takes place where they feel their work would be most effective.

Tara was born in Jamaica and grew up in St Andrew, spending her time around St Patrick's Foundation and the Rotary Club of Kingston, and thus became very aware of the goodness of the people and the need for education in her homeland. Elin has visited Kingston a number of times through an annual trip with her high school, Baylor School of Tennessee. Those trips introduced her to Marigold, where she fell in love with the children.

The two young women combined their passion for education and love of Kingston and its children to create their project for Marigold. They continue to plan more events and projects to improve the facilities of Marigold, as well as enrich the lives of the 37 children now residing there.

They are also fund-raising to purchase diapers, playground equipment and a refrigerator for the orphanage. They have been met with incredible hospitality and friendship from the workers of Marigold and the children, and they are looking forward to everything the rest of the summer holds there.

For more information or to support efforts to raise funds or to donate your time, talent, or funds to the children of Marigold, contact supportmarigold@gmail.com.