KINGSTON, Jamaica – The HEART Trust/NTA yesterday met with 17-year-old Raheem Powell,  a child without a birth certificate, to conduct several diagnostic tests that will allow him to re-enrol in school and eventually learn a skill.

According to a release, HEART became aware of the plight of the young man after he expressed his desire to return to school in a story published in this newspaper last Wednesday.

 The Jamaica Observer highlighted Powell’s dilemma, which kept him from going back to school after he dropped out at Grade 6. Powell said that he told his mother on numerous occasions of his desire to return to school; however, she admitted in an interview that financial struggles kept her from pursuing the child’s birth certificate.

“We were touched and moved by the story when we heard and instantly I called on my team to get in touch with this young man’s mother as quickly as possible and to mobilise our resources to help him,” said Dr Janet Dyer, Managing Director of HEART Trust/NTA.

“We are taking a multi-agency approach to this matter because his needs are varied and we want to ensure that we are responding correctly,” Dyer added.

Based on the results of the diagnostic test, Powell will be enrolling in HEART’s High School Equivalency Diploma Programme, which was offered at the former Jamaica Foundation for Lifelong Learning (JFLL) now merged with the HEART Trust/NTA.

“This is what we do as the Human Capital Development Agency of Jamaica. As a single merged entity with the JFLL, the National Youth Service and the Apprenticeship Board, we now have a single, more efficient agency to serve the Jamaican people, especially the youth,” said Senior Career Development Officer, HEART Trust/NTA South East Region, Nickell Bailey.

“We believe that no child should be left behind and we are committed to ensuring that all Jamaicans are equipped with the necessary skills, training and certification that they need,” she added.