MANCHESTER, Jamaica — Students of Albion Primary, located a few kilometres south of Mandeville in Manchester, on Friday marched for peace through the community surrounding the school where there were scenes of bloodshed in recent weeks.

“We want peace and love,” the children chanted as they walked from the primary school through several districts in Albion including Bottom Albion, Hillside, Gibson Shop and Kasha Town.

Albion Primary School students taking part in peace march on Friday. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

Grade five students Azir Hines and Ordean Brooks, who both reside in Albion, said they are fearful to even go to the shops in their community following a spate of murders in August and September.

“We are here to promote peace. There was a shooting the other day, so the effect it has on me, I am afraid to come out and it is hard for me to sleep. I am trying to say give peace a chance,” said Hines.

“We are on a march to promote peace and the way how it affects me is when I am in my house and my parents send me to go to the shop or anything. I am afraid… that anyone can just come up to me and shoot me, stab me or anything else, but I am praying that we can show peace to everyone around us,” added Brooks.

Both boys are peace ambassadors at their school.

Albion Primary School students taking part in peace march on Friday. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

School principal Paulette Cheddar said this is the second peace march staged by the school in recent years.

“There has been a surge in murders in the community and it has been affecting our children, our families, so as a school we see it fit to take a stand against the violence in the community and to help the children recognise that they can make a change when their voices are heard,” she said.

“In the community there are key spots where people congregate, usually the bars and the shops, so we have chosen four such stops as points to raise our voices and let the message be heard,” Cheddar explained.

The school is celebrating its 130th anniversary this year.

Albion Primary School students taking part in peace march on Friday. (Photo: Kasey Williams)

“In 2019 we had an upsurge in violence in the community, it was our 125th anniversary then. It is now our 130th anniversary and again we have to make a difference by coming up against the violence that is in the community,” she continued.

“It is not always like this, but we need to send a message to the community that together we can make a change. There is hope,” she added.

Councillor Karl Smith (Knockpatrick division, People’s National Party) endorsed the peace march.

“We have had a spate of murders in the Knockpatrick division. One of the schools in the area the principal felt it fit to have a peace march and my understanding is that they stopped at each place where a murder took place, it is a good initiative. We need a change. We cannot continue like this,” he said.

Mayor of Mandeville Donovan Mitchell, who also participated in the peace march, called on residents to restore peace in the area.

“For those of us that have houses or properties in the area, every time there is a murder and people start moving out, your land/property value goes down and people don’t want to come into the area. All we are saying to people is give peace a chance,” he said.

“When you want to play your dominoes and you want to sit or stand at a shop, but we can’t do that again, because we don’t know who is coming for anybody who is nearby us,” added Mitchell.