THE National Leadership Prayer Breakfast (NLPB) Committee in association with the Victoria Mutual Building Society (VMBS) presented just over $400,000 to the Theodora Foundation on Thursday.

The funds were raised from the 35th staging of the annual prayer breakfast at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in New Kingston in January.

The Theodora Project is located in Negril, Westmoreland. It is a non-profit, educational facility that caters to youth from 17-25 years who are at risk of human trafficking and other forms of exploitation due to a lack of educational and employment opportunities. It has a safe house for the protection of the more vulnerable and at-risk students, as well as the school which offers skills training and HEART certification.

Jamaica is listed as a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of sexual exploitation and forced labour.

Human trafficking is estimated by the United Nations to be a US$32-billion per year global trade.

Founder of the Theodora Foundation Reverend Dr Margaret Fowler told the Jamaica Observer that the money will be used to refurbish infrastructure at the institution.

“(This opens up) the possibility of extending our building so that we could provide a proper lunch facility and breakfast programme for some of our students. Some of our students come to school with nothing at all, so that is one thing. The other area we really want to look at is to expand our computer lab. Our computer lab has not been upgraded for some time, in fact for eight years, and you know technology is changing so that is one that we need to do because you know young people need to know how to operate computers.

“They need to have a facility where they can do their résumés, can do their home work etc,” Fowler said.

President and CEO of Victoria Mutual, Richard Powell, said that the project came at the right time.

“Based on our theme of the 2015 Prayer Breakfast, ‘Return…Reconnect…Rebuild With God’, I believe that it is timely that the NLPB has selected the Theodora Project in Negril… This project provides an avenue for some of these youth to return to society, in some cases reconnect with family and their loved ones, and is a safe haven for them to start rebuilding their lives. Theodora is providing them with a second chance through remedial education, skills training and empowerment,” he said.

He added that he was proud to be associated with the NLPB committee to support a project that will assist at-risk youth, and implored other organisations to work together to make a difference in the lives of youth.

– Racquel Porter