PWC Jamaica partners and staff jointly contributed $800,000 towards the revitalisation of Holy Family Primary’s music club and renovation of eight windows along the grades one and three block at the institution located in downtown Kingston.

According to Dwayne Pryce, music teacher, the music club struggled with low membership prior to the pandemic due to a lack of resources. And as fate would have it, during the COVID-19 pandemic and at the resumption of face-to-face classes the music room was repurposed as a sick bay, delivering the final blow to the music club.

“We have lots of children who are eager to learn music and have the talent for music, but we’ve had to turn them away due to a lack of instruments, which has been a sore point for us for many years,” stated Pryce.

“There is so much that music can do for a child’s development whether academically, creatively, or socially; it’s tried and proven. Music is a major part of Jamaican culture and history and with this donation from PwC our students can look forward to the sound of music at our institution. We are very grateful to have the opportunity to expand the knowledge and experience of our students.”

Similarly, Gail Moore, partner and environment lead at PwC Jamaica, expressed that the benefits far outweighed the costs when deciding to invest in music education at Holy Family.

“We recognise that the children in our community are often navigating difficult, if not challenging, experiences daily. PwC is very focused on building healthy and safe social environments or experiences for them in addition to helping to close any learning gaps. We understand the importance of creative outlets for the development of children, and we know this donation will allow them to learn and express themselves in a positive manner. Furthermore, the music club will help to foster team building and help students to build stronger social skills. When you consider all that’s possible through bolstering this music club, we were motivated to make this a reality and do more. We look forward to the positive changes in the students because of this initiative,” stated Moore.

PwC contributed 57 instruments to the music club which consisted of 49 new instruments and the repair of eight hand drums. The new instruments included melodicas, soprano recorders, triangles, tambourines, wood blocks, local calabash maracas, glockenspiels, a five-piece drum set, and a 61-key portable keyboard.

During the hand over ceremony at the institution on April 19, the music club members performed a well-received rendition of Bethel Music’s Goodness of God, and now boasts a membership of 50 students.

Also, the school is to undergo a much-needed upgrade as eight outdated double French windows will be replaced with double sliding windows to prevent injury to students. The structural upgrade will not only enhance the modern aesthetics of the institution, but also prevent potential injuries.

“At Holy Family safety comes first as a school that is safe and secure creates a conducive environment for teaching and learning. And as we assess and make plans to develop our school to better serve the students and community, the windows were at the top of the list of matters to address as we not only saw, but unfortunately also experienced some of the potential risks,” stated Acting Principal Phillipa Williams McGregor.

“The truth is we are at a disadvantage to more traditional institutions with more resources and more robust alumni and so we do rely on our corporate partners and stewards such as PwC to help us effect sustainable change. So we are delighted that they have returned to collaborate with us on these two amazing projects and we look forward to more opportunities like this.”

PwC has been working closely with Holy Family since 2020 to assist with the development of the school. Previous projects include tablet donations, a Christmas treat for staff and students and renovations to student restrooms.

In March 2022, PwC made a proactive move in addressing a decade-old infrastructure problem by donating $604,000 to Holy Family through contributions from partners and staff. The funds were used to cover the cost of construction materials to retrofit two buildings — the grade five block and Sister Mary Benedict Chung building — with stairwells. Since then, PwC has generously closed the costing gap for the project to bring it to its completion bringing the total donation to $954,000. The staircases were completed in June 2022.