Lighthouse Basic School brightens with ICWI repairs

Alessandro Boyd, Gleaner Writer

Due to the intervention of the Insurance Company of the West Indies (ICWI), 36 students of Lighthouse Basic School in New Haven, St Andrew, will no longer have to be educated in an environment with poor roofing, gaping holes in walls and exposed electrical wires.

For years, principal Kerry-Ann Ashbourne and concerned school representatives have been trying to get assistance to supplement their efforts at repairing the school which has served the community since 2000.

Their plight was acknowledged by the ICWI Group Foundation which, in keeping true to its commitment to early-childhood education, gave the institution a grand makeover this summer.

"We were looking for an opportunity to assist in the educational field, so we approached the Government through the Early Childhood Association. They pointed us to this school that was going to close down because it was deemed unsafe for the kids to attend," Paul Lalor, president of ICWI, told The Gleaner.

"When we came to the school and looked, it was in such a bad state that, upon consulting the contractor there, he said it was better to just knock it down and start again, so we had it rebuilt."

In addition to the school structure, the school's furniture has also been rebuilt. The foundation also retiled and a built a new sickbay for students.

Chairman of the school, Gifton Wallace, expressed his gratitude for the renovation of the institution.

"ICWI has proven that they are not just about insurance, but also assurance, as that is definitely what they have given. They have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are committed to the development of our nation's children, building lives, facilitating growth and development, and are driven to give back to the community in a positive way," Wallace told The Gleaner.

alessandro.boyd@gleanerjm.com