MONTEGO BAY, St James — Pointing to the value of the personal touch, state minister in the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information Rhoda Moy Crawford has reminded members of the Diaspora that they do not need to go through formal government partnerships to help Jamaicans in need at home.

“Your help in the Diaspora, it doesn’t always have to be channelled through the structured systems of government,” she said Tuesday during a panel discussion as part of the 11th Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference held at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The panel explored the theme ‘Connecting, Engaging and Empowering the Youth Diaspora for National Development’.

In making her point that there is still room for informal initiatives, Crawford pointed to the role played by structured systems within her ministry as well as by organised youth groups.

“I am saying to you in the Diaspora, you don’t have to channel to Government, you don’t have to wait for partnership, you can return to the community that you came from, you can help a struggling child,” she said.

While not discounting the structured support the Diaspora can and has provided, for example in times of national disaster, Crawford explained that sometimes a small gesture goes a long way, especially for younger students who face resource challenges. She suggested a tangible way for those listening to her to help. “You can visit a school in the community you are from — or any other school across Jamaica. You can say to the principal, ‘Hey, I want to give back in a tangible way.’ Graduation is coming up, could you do an award in your name? It could be tuition grants, it could be book grants, it could be a tablet,” she suggested.

And while she pointed to the possibility of reaching out to Members of Parliament (MP) for advice on how best to help, she stressed that there is no hard and fast rule that resources from the Diaspora need to be under MPs’ control.

“You don’t have to run your resources directly through the Members of Parliament, you can ask the Members of Parliament to assist with supplying you with names or you can visit the different schools; there are so many different ways that you can help with our rebuilding efforts,” Crawford said, reminding the audience that MPs have their own funding, with $5 million from their Constituency Development Fund (CDF) earmarked for educational support.

Turning to ongoing efforts to rebuild educational institutions pummelled by Hurricane Melissa last October, the minister of state highlighted this as another way in which the Diaspora can make a difference.

“We have 1,000-plus schools across Jamaica; more than 600 of them were damaged following the passage of Hurricane Melissa. Through our ministry and the National Education Trust (NET) we have been working aggressively to have the schools repaired but, of course, we still need your help,” she appealed.

“If you see especially a basic school, an infant school and you want to give back, even before you go [back overseas], you can stop by. You can offer two bags of cement, a load of marl, you never know where your small help can go. No small act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted,” said Crawford.