ONE hundred and eighty students and 13 teachers from Roses Valley Primary recently benefited from approximately US$12,000 worth of supplies including electronic devices to assist with online learning.

This was made possible by Unity Fellowship Jamaica (UFJ) Ministries and organised by reverends Clarence Edwards and Nevin Powell.

Powell, who has ancestral roots in Roses Valley, started an annual mission in 2015 because of the recognised needs in the community, and harsh economic realities.

In recent years the annual event included a health fair, but with the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic the focus was on back-to-school efforts which has remained online.

Among the donated items were 60 tablets, eight keyboards, 150 backpacks, two laptops and a charging station.

Nardia Wright-Campbell, a spokesperson for the donors, told Career & Education that teachers at Roses Valley Primary received school supplies and the auxiliary staff got gifts.

Located in north-eastern St Elizabeth close to the border with southern Trelawny, Roses Valley has benefited over the past six years from Unity Fellowship Jamaica Ministries.

In 2018 the mission hosted a three-day health fair at Roses Valley Primary School where scores of people waited for medical assessments and treatment from health-care volunteers based locally, as well as from California, Boston, New York, Atlanta, Florida and elsewhere in the United States.

– Kasey Williams