THE close to 200 students at Milk River Primary School in Clarendon who, up to two weeks ago had to use pit latrines, now have flush toilets at their disposal.

The eight units are courtesy of the Petro Caribe Development Fund and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), which handed them over on March 13.

The school was one one of seven primary schools in Middlesex that received improved bathrooms under the Petro Caribe School Sanitation Programme, which was carried out by JSIF at the request of the Ministry of Education with the aim of eliminating pit latrines and improving the sanitation needs of students in rural areas.

The others were Carron Hall, Chester, Clapham and St Faith’s primary as well as John’s Hall and Hartlands All-Age. Each school had its pit latrines replaced with eight modern bathroom facilities, with wheelchair accessible units for the physically challenged.

JSIF, using Petro Caribe funds totalling $51.3 million has upgraded 26 school bathrooms across the island.

At the hand over ceremony Scarlette Gillings managing director of JSIF said the programme would go a far way in reducing the public health cost.

“Communicable diseases are major killers world wide and this programme will go a long way in the lives of these 3,287 students,” Gillings said.

The programme also comes with a social marketing component that teaches children how to properly use the facilities.

Rudyard Williams, the other project manager of the Petro Caribe Schools Sanitation Programme, declared the project a resounding success.

“The 26 schools had the sanitation facilities finished on time and in most cases under budget. In fact, because the programme went under budget, we were able to improve the facilities at two additional schools, carrying the count to 28,” Williams told Environment Watch.

Dr Wesley Hughes, CEO of Petro Caribe Development Fund and former managing director of JSIF, said the fit between the two agencies was

.

“When Petro Caribe was approached by JSIF, we did not hesitate to make the funds available. We knew that it is a efficient agency that is well-managed and would deliver the project in good time,” Dr Hughes said while addressing the gathering of the students of Milk River Primary, principals of the receiving schools and other invited guests.

Dr Hughes went on to say that the funds spent on the schools’ modern bathrooms were just a small part of the direct investment in communities that Petro Caribe has injected into Jamaica.

“Since its formation in 2006, the people of Venezuala, through Petro Caribe, had loaned the people of Jamaica over US$2.4 billion. These funds are a direct investment in communities across the island to promote among other things rural development and entrepreneurship,” he said.

Dr Hughes, before handing over the bathrooms with the assistance of Noel Arscott, minister of local government and community development and the Member of Parliament for South West Clarendon, said the sanitation programme is transforming lives and raising the dignity of the students and their communities.