MONTEGO BAY, St James — About 8,000 pieces of school furniture are expected to arrive in Jamaica this December through a major donation being coordinated by the Cornwall College Old Boys Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter, with about 15 schools already identified to benefit.

The chapter’s special projects coordinator, Neville Bell, made the announcement last Wednesday at Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay during the unloading of another shipment. That one contained supplies for 17 schools, including desks and chairs for Cornwall College and Culloden Primary School in Westmoreland.

Bell said the December shipment is expected to be the largest yet.

“That one is going to be big. That’s coming out of Florida and it’s about 8,000 pieces of school furniture, and currently we’ve identified about 15 schools that will most likely benefit from it. Even with having identified those 15 there’s still a lot more of the furniture that would not have yet been allocated to any of those schools,” he said.

Bell underscored that although the furniture is second-hand, only items in good condition are accepted.

“Not every offer we get, we accept. We actually will go in and inspect and we’ll simply say, ‘Yes, thank you but, unfortunately, it doesn’t match.’ We would say no to a lot of these things,” he said.

He added that he and Logistics Coordinator Trevor Tomlinson, another Cornwall College old boy, personally inspected the 8,000-piece donation in Florida.

“Of everything we saw, there’s only about five pieces that we would outright say we’re gonna reject,” he said.

Bell explained that the shipment could require between 14 and 17 containers, depending on the size of the furniture.

The initiative is being jointly organised by several alumni groups, spearheaded by Cornwall College chapters in the Mid Atlantic, South Florida and New York.

“We’re going to need everyone involved, including alumni associations with some of the beneficiary schools,” Bell said.

He told the Sunday Observer the furniture is already secured in Florida.

“It’s waiting for us. Actually, it would have been a July project but the manufacturer that’s replacing some of those furniture could not deliver it in time so they had to move the project back to December,” he explained.

Bell said the estimated cost of shipping the 14 to 17 containers is about US$160,000.

“A lot of people think of just a container cost but you have to factor the distance that the tractor trailer that moves the container will have to travel to the port in Miami, from all the way up in Central Florida, down to Miami,” he explained.

He said the organisation is seeking Government assistance to reduce costs, including a proposal for Jamaican Customs officers to inspect and certify the contents in the United States before shipment.

“If you can get… Customs agents on the ground there then what simply happens is that before the item goes on to the container, they are there to make both tally and confirm what is going on the container,” he explained.

Bell added that they also hope to receive logistical support from the Jamaica Defence Force and Jamaica Constabulary Force to assist with unloading at schools across the country.

The shipment unloaded Wednesday included 130 desks and chairs, with 50 allocated to Culloden and the remainder to Cornwall College.

“We have even laptops that were given to us by United Nations that we’ll be sharing with the schools that are part of this whole giveaway. We have fencing items. We have a lot of things. You name it, it’s in there. Not just agriculture is covered. Science equipment is covered; digital equipment, such as access points, network switches that we use to give to the schools so they can connect multiple computers to connect to the Internet. All those items are in the container. [This is the work of] the Cornwall College Old Boys Association, Mid Atlantic — and, of course, we have a lot of donors or people who have assisted us to acquire these items. Maldon Alumni Association, for example, is significant in this as well, because they, too, have items that they have acquired and also shared in our container that is going to be distributed to other schools as well, including laptops,” Bell told the Sunday Observer.

The Ministry of Education’s Region Four has expressed gratitude to all involved. It has been particularly impressed by the networking skills of the Cornwall College old boys, which have expanded the impact of donations. Many schools have benefited over the years, and the ministry has given an assurance that the donations will be used effectively and in accordance with established standards, maintaining strict inventory records to ensure transparency.

“As the Ministry of Education, especially Region Four, we do appreciate the collaboration with the Cornwall College old boys. The ‘Men of Might’ have actually been very good in terms of trying to network persons, especially abroad, and they have been in contact with local persons, including myself and principals,” regional director for the Ministry of Education and Youth’s Region Four, Dr Michelle Pinnock told the. Sunday Observer.

The unloading of a container with supplies for 17 schools taking place at Mount Alvernia High School in Montego Bay, St James. Cornwall College Old Boys Association, Mid Atlantic Chapter, spearheaded the initiative.