MANDEVILLE, Manchester — Ministry of Education director in Region 5 Dr Nadine Leachman has lauded the non-governmental organisation Projects Abroad Jamaica for what she described as”volunteerism at its highest level”.

Through the efforts of overseas volunteers wide-ranging community projects are done in Manchester, St Elizabeth and Montego Bay.

Leachman, who was speaking at an awards ceremony organised by Projects Abroad to present scholarships, bursaries and school supplies from its two-year-old Scholarship and Education Fund said that educational institutions are finding it easier because of the assistance.

“You are fulfilling our dream — the dream of the Ministry of Education, the dream of our schools (and) the dream of our students. When you do what you do, you make it so much easier for the rest of us,” she said.

To start the school term Kadisha Powell who was successful in her Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT) at Villa Road Primary and Junior High and is now attending the Hampton School and Tajay Smith from McIntosh Memorial Primary attending Knox College were recipients of scholarships valued at $30,000 each.

Junior Lorraine and Sherika Foster of May Day High and Mile Gully High respectively received bursaries of $7,500 each while Evol Carty of May Day High, Lexine Smith of McIntosh Memorial Primary now at Knox College, Shanoy Sharrier of Villa Road Primary& Junior High now at deCarteret College and Tah-J Hepburn of McIntosh Memorial Primary now at deCarteret College were recipients of school supplies valued at rougly $60,000.

Bridgette Barrett, Projects Abroad country director told the Jamaica Observer Central that the organisation is currently working to complete refurbished bathroom facilities at Richmond Primary School in Central Manchester and start work in doing the same for Old England Primary.

Over time, she said, improvement work will be done on bathrooms in other primary schools particularly to assist with the process of getting rid of pit latrines.

McIntosh Memorial Primary has been benefitting from Projects Abroad Jamaica in various ways since its 2008 inception in Jamaica .

“The volunteers that you have provided to us have helped us to address the needs of our students and the improvement of their learning outcomes especially in the areas of literacy, numeracy, music and physical education. Our international volunteers have motivated our school communities to learn foreign languages,” said principal Sheron Anderson.

Barrett told the awards ceremony that the mission at Projects Abroad Jamaica is to make a “meaningful” contribution to national development.

Other major projects this year include a monthly medical and care outreach programme assisting groups such as the homeless, children and the elderly and a collaboration with the Manchester and St Elizabeth parish councils to help vulnerable communities prepare for hurricanes.