Reggae recording artiste Hezron Clarke recently collaborated with Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains for the Save the Children Campaign: School Tour.

Named after his 2022 single Save The Children, the tour saw the singer and the club visiting various schools to connect with students through music, as well as parent workshops in celebration of Parents’ Week.

“I decided to do the school tour because I believe music is a powerful tool to inspire and uplift the youth. Reggae, especially, carries messages of strength, love, and resilience, and I wanted to bring that energy directly to the children where they are every day — at school,” Hezron said.

President of Rotary Club of Liguanea Plains Dr Carolyn Graham highlighted the significance of this partnership.

“[The collaboration] emerged organically from a conversation Hezron and I were having. We were talking about the song and the work my Rotary Club was doing at the time — Fill-a-Backpack: Make-an-Impact — a back-to-school project. This was during what is called Maternal and Child Health Month in Rotary… He wanted to bring the message of saving the children through the songs to the schools and I wanted to expand the club’s focus… so we both agreed the partnership was a good fit,” Dr Graham said.

Starting at Louise Bennett-Coverley Primary School on November 19, the tour continued at other schools, including New Providence Primary School, and Haile Selassie High.

Describing it as truly uplifting, Hezron is pleased with the response.

“The children were attentive, enthusiastic, and open-hearted on this tour. The vibes were great, the energy was high, and they truly connected with the songs and the stories behind them; you could see it in their faces that the message was landing,” Hezron expressed.

This is just the beginning, as Dr Graham revealed plans for the event to continue annually.

“We would like to make this an annual event and include more schools. This can be considered a pilot project so we get a feel for it and work out the kinks. It is part of a larger programme where we combine anti-bullying through our peace and conflict resolution area of focus and literacy projects at the New Providence Primary. It all ties in for an overall better society,” Dr Graham continued.

— Kediesha Perry