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Help us raise funds for Summerfield Basic School in Jamaica
Having received our primary and secondary education in Jamaica, and having migrated to the United States at various times and under various circumstances, our group of friends came together and decided to reach back to our home country and seek out a small under-served community where we could make an impact. Recognizing that it was our education that opened the doors to our opportunities, we sought out and found a small rural school that could turn a little outside help into a solid foundation for a local child.
The Summerfield Basic School in Clarendon, Jamaica, has been operating in the same location for the past 40 years, and the Headmistress, Mrs. Myers, has been there for the past 23 years.
The 2009 enrollment is 50, with 28 boys and 22 girls, ages 3-1/2 to 6 years. The children are at school from 8am to 1:30pm every weekday, September to July, with breaks for Christmas and Easter holidays.
There are two teachers (Headmistress plus one), and two classes in the small room, with a chalkboard separating them. There is no electricity in the building, and the windows cannot be opened, as they are partly made of building blocks for security reasons. This means that when it rains, the children have to move away from the windows or get wet.
The school needs to be upgraded in order to meet the requirements for registration with the Ministry of Education. We would also like to provide breakfast and lunch for the students. It costs only US$150 to do this for all 50 children for one week.
We are partnering with Food for the Poor on the rehabilitation project so that, in addition to tapping into their vast experience and expertise in Jamaica, donations through them will be tax deductible for our donors.
We hosted a backyard barbeque on Sunday, June 14th , 2009 in Bethesda, Maryland to raise funds for this cause. It was attended by approximately 120 friends. With generous help from the Negril Restaurant, we were able to provide food and drink at no cost to our guests. We were fortunate to have His Excellency, Anthony Johnson, Jamaica's Ambassador to the United States, join us and share descriptions of the small farming community in Clarendon where the school is located. Our guests purchased baked goods, used books, and made generous donations ranging from 5 dollars to 500 dollars to support the children at Summerfield. We also collected 300 gently used children’s books which will be sent to several schools in Jamaica. At the end of the event, we raised enough money to cover the breakfast and lunch costs for all 50 children for the 2009-2010 school year!
Our first building project will be to improve the kitchen, where the roof is caving in and there is inadequate food storage and preparation space. Then we will work on turning the 20’ x 20’ dirt patch beside a barbed wire fence where the children currently play into a real playground.
We welcome continued support as we hope to raise enough funds to also install windows before the children return to school in September.
Thank you!
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