PetroCaribe development fund organises outreach at Bethesda Primary School
IN continuation of the PetroCaribe Development Fund’s (PDF) Community Outreach Programme which began in 2012, the staff of the Fund organised a recent community outreach activity at the Bethesda Primary school in Llandewey, St Thomas.
The PDF’s involvement with Bethesda Primary school started at the inception of the programme under the Schools’ Sanitation Project, which was managed by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), the organisers say.
According to the PDF, the main aim of the initiative was the replacement of pit latrines with water closets within select rural schools across Jamaica, of which the Bethesda Primary school was a part.
“With a view to strengthen ties and to make a far greater impact on the functioning of the school, the PDF decided to carry out its bi-annual community project at Bethesda. The outreach project sought to meet some of the school’s current needs through the donation of a multi-media projector and screen, the provision of paint and painting materials for the painting of two classrooms, reading books, note books, pencils and geometry sets for the students,” the PDF said in a statement.
The day’s activities were executed by the members of staff organised in teams and included painting & entertainment, teaching & tokens, and food & hospitality.
The principal of the school also assisted in painting two classrooms under the guidance of a professional painter. The teaching team, which was led by the CEO of the PDF, Dr Wesely Hughes, were assigned to Grades 1- 6, and were tasked with the responsibility of giving support to the teachers by conducting classes.
Blue Mahoe seedlings were also donated to the school, with the promise of a further donation of Lignum Vitae seedlings during 2015.
“This community outreach activity strengthened the Fund’s commitment to the mandate of upgrading the physical and social infrastructure of Jamaica and supporting the development of human resources, in this case through the enhancement of education programmes in schools within underserved communities in Jamaica,” the PDF said in its statement.
