THE cash-strapped Schools Environment Programme (SEP) is to get some needed funds today when a number of private sector companies, led by Sandals and Beaches Resorts, launch a sponsorship initiative dubbed ‘champions for the environment’.

The launch, to be held at Beaches Negril Resort, is expected to have the participation of World 100m champion Asafa Powell, who is lending his image to the effort to help attract support for the programme, which is run

by the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET).

Bruce James, president of the MVP Track Club, of which Powell is a member, said:

“He (Powell) wants Jamaica and the world to know that he cares about Jamaica and Jamaican schools, and hopefully by expressing that care, others will come in and support it.”

It was not immediately clear how much money the sponsors – among them Bashco, National Commercial Bank (NCB), FirstCaribbean International Bank, Sesame Street Workshop, and Wata – would be donating to the programme.

However, JET’s programme co-ordinator Claudette Falloon was not concerned about the precise sum. It is enough, she said, to be getting some money. “We are delighted that these corporate companies have come through for us to keep the programme going. They are joining people like Jamaica Energy Partners, Nestlé, the Jamaica Producers Group and some others,” Falloon told the Observer.

“With this new pot of money, the programme will be able to keep going until August 2007. We are hoping that they will stay onboard with us and continue to be supportive of the project over the long term,” added Falloon.

Implemented in more than 300 schools annually over the last 10 years, the SEP has seen the involvement of well over 200,000 students and teachers.

Under the programme, participating schools carry out a range of activities in four categories, among them managing garbage, greening the school environment, the operation of an environment club and the conduct of environmental research.

The SEP also makes allowances for several categories of schools – affiliated, enrolled and advanced schools – which are involved at different levels in the programme. Affiliated schools neither implement the entire programme nor do they form part of the competition.

Enrolled schools participate in all activities, while advanced schools are selected on the basis of having been in the programme for at least two years and demonstrated hard work.

Last year, the programme – estimated to cost $12 million annually to operate – had to be scaled down. Since last October, when the Sunday Observer broke the news of the hole in the programme’s budget, it has, however, managed to make some inroads as funds have trickled in, including an allocation from the Ministry of Education.

Falloon said the SEP has been able to maintain a comprehensive programme in 170 schools with the funding received last year. The hope, she said, is that they will be able to increase that number after today, with the input from the new sponsors.

The Sandals and Beaches resorts, for their part, said there was no question of the programme’s value and, on that basis, had not hesitated to become involved.