TEN Westinghouse 4,000-watt generators and five standard Starlink units have been donated to schools in western Jamaica by CCL Business Technology Limited, in collaboration with Kyocera Document Solutions America.

The donations, valued at more than $2 million, were formally presented to the National Education Trust (NET) during a ceremony at Caenwood Centre in Kingston on Tuesday.

Warsop Primary School in Trelawny; Frome Technical High School, Llandilo Special Education School, and Cokes View Primary School in Westmoreland, along with Slipe Leased Primary School in St Elizabeth, will each receive a generator and a Starlink unit.

Additional schools receiving a generator are Spot Valley High School in St James; Lacovia Primary and Elderslie Primary and Junior High in St Elizabeth; Rusea’s High School in Hanover; and Friendship Primary in Westmoreland.

CCL Business Technology made the decision to cancel its customer appreciation event and redirect resources to support customers and schools impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

Chief Executive Officer Wayne Brown noted that the hurricane, which made landfall on October 28, impacted every corner of western Jamaica, posing threats to learning, safety and hope.

“In the face of hardship, we choose not to wait for perfect conditions but to act with urgency and compassion. These items embody more than just technology and equipment. They are symbols of our belief in every child’s right to learn, to stay connected and to dream without interruption,” said Brown.

In her remarks, NET Executive Director Latoya Harris-Ghartey described the donation as a powerful demonstration of partnership, purpose and shared national responsibility.

Noting that 710 schools sustained varying degrees of damage during the Category 5 hurricane, Harris-Ghartey emphasised that the situation presents an opportunity to rebuild stronger and better.

She expressed gratitude to the donors on behalf of the 10 schools identified as priority on NET’s needs list.

“Connectivity is important for all learning. Light represents more to these 10 schools now. It is access. It is communication. It is being able to print a page to send home for a student to revise,” she stated.

Harris-Ghartey said the equipment will help restore a measure of stability to school operations until electricity and Internet services are fully reinstated.

Participants extend their hands towards the generators and Starlink units donated to schools in western Jamaica as pastor in the United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands, Rev Paul DaCosta Pinto (centre, standing) leads a dedication prayer during Tuesday’s handover ceremony at Caenwood Centre in Kingston.