Clarendon school among big beneficiaries as various groups get hands dirty for Labour Day
Published:Wednesday | May 24, 2023 | 1:21 AMAinsworth Morris/Staff Reporter -
Unlike the traditional yearly cleanup activities of repainting, renovating and beautifying areas, Scotiabank, in partnership with Food For The Poor Jamaica, decided to go beyond what the Government encouraged the nation to do in the lead up to Labour Day 2023.
The theme established by the Government for Labour Day was Plant A Tree... For Life, promoting climate change mitigation, food security and road safety. The national project was geared towards planting 10,000 trees along Highway 2000 in the vicinity of the Hartlands entry into Old Harbour Road.
However, for Scotiabank and Food For The Poor Jamaica, they not only donated trees to the public school closest to the exit of the highway in Clarendon — Osborne Store Primary School — but also constructed a greenhouse for the institution.
For this initiative, Scotiabank donated J$1.8 million and the other expenses were covered through donations collected by the charity group.
Danielle Savory, public affairs and communications manager at Scotiabank, told The Gleaner it was a no-brainer when they were approached to pool resources with Jamaica's largest charity group to create a greenhouse.
"We are so happy to have been able to partner with Food For The Poor Jamaica and give support to yet another primary school. Today, we not only funded, but also came out in our numbers as Scotiabankers to begin construction of a greenhouse for Osborne Store Primary and Infant School," Savory said.
She believes this greenhouse project will complement the school’s efforts to support vulnerable students through its independent school feeding programme.
"The partnership seeks to future-proof Osborne Store Primary and Infant School [and] to boost its ability to support its students, who live in predominantly low-income communities, such as Four Paths, Toll Gate, Bucknor, Gravel Hill, and Ebony Park," she said.
Kivette Silvera, executive director, Food For The Poor Jamaica, said Osborne Store Primary and Infant School is an institution the charity has previously assisted with sustainable projects, such as a chicken farm, and one which they believe other primary schools, especially those in rural communities, can model.
"This project is also in keeping with our recently launched Build Back The Love for Jamaica initiative with sustainable income projects being promoted. What we're doing now, is that we're trying to give these people sustainability through building a greenhouse for the school. They already have a slaughterhouse and chicken farm that we donated to them and while building the greenhouse, we were able to buy eggs from because of what we have invested," Silvera said.
"Additionally, our project this year falls in line with the Government's Labour Day theme of Plant A Tree For Life. If we give them a greenhouse, that is life. They will be able to feed themselves and also be able to sell to the community and earn," she said.
Avalyn Henry, principal, Osborne Store Primary and Infant School, was elated for the hands, hearts and donation which gave the blessing of a new greenhouse to the institution she leads.
"We had the plot of land and there were many things that we could do with it, and one of the things we wanted to do is to really help the community in this aspect. Right now, we have different plants. We have pumpkins, corn, potatoes, callaloo, sweet peppers and now that we have the greenhouse, it will help us to plant more. Green is the way to way to go!" Henry said.
"I am so appreciative of all of this and I know that this will boost our school. We are big on agriculture here at school, as we are one of those primary schools that we do agriculture as a subject. Not many primary schools do that, and so we recognise that we want to have another project where our students can benefit from, and we also want them to think of this as a career for the future," she said.
...Other projects in the Corporate Area
There were numerous other projects undertaken in the Corporate Area which other members of both the public and private sectors undertook.
Denham Town Primary School
At the repainting of a crossing line and kerb walls at the Edward Seaga Primary School in west Kingston, Michael Phipps, senior superintendent of police for the Kingston Western Division, who had a paintbrush in hand, told The Gleaner while painting that this was one of three community projects embarked upon by the police from his division on Labour Day. He was happy to be a part of the Labour Day activities across the country.
"We will also be going to St Alban's [Primary School] and do some painting [also], and we'll be renovating a section of the classrooms. Also, we will be doing some painting inside the Denham Town Police Station, both in the reception area and the police lock-ups," he said.
He said his team of police officers were being assisted by The Justice Association from Kingston and St Andrew and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF).
Alpha Infant School
At Alpha Infant School, parents and teacher were trimming old willow trees in the parking area which is overgrown and oftentimes scratches the cars of parents while dropping their children off.
The principal for that institution, Nicholette McDonnough Foster, told The Gleaner that they cut trees in an effort to make parents more comfortable.
"We are making sure that the trees are treated so that they can grow fresh branches and by the time we reopen for September, they would have proper covering. It also prepares us for the hurricane season, to get off the dead limbs; the dry limbs so they don't become a hazard," she said.
Members of the Jamaica National Fund Managers' team were also present at Alpha Infant School and painted the hopscotch playground area.
Proper garbage disposal in Kingston
Charmaine Daniels, councillor for the Allman Town division in the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC), and community members were seen cleaning the pathways and road in the Rum Lane community and separating plastics, especially polyethylene bottles.
Her colleagues also undertook activities at Maverley Park and Duhaney Park communities with the planting of trees in Duhaney Park. The KSAMC also constructed a fence for Maverley Park.