ST JAMES, Jamaica — The National Education Trust (NET) extended its annual back-to-school support to St Elizabeth, providing school supplies, uniforms and medical services to children and families ahead of the new academic year.

The Back-to-School Pop-Up Village was held on Friday, August 14, at Barbary Hall Primary and Infant School, bringing together eight partners to assist children from 20 schools in the area.

NET launched the initiative to directly engage its partners in providing back-to-school assistance for students across Jamaica.

NET Donor and Partnership Manager, Shirley Moncrieffe, said the first Back-to-School Pop-Up Village, held in Kingston and St Andrew, assisted Region One children, with Jamaica Impact Inc (JAMPACT) as its sole donor.

In its third year, with support from JAMPACT and collaboration among partners, including the JN Foundation, eLearning Jamaica, VM Foundation and Unicycle Jamaica, the event served approximately 800 students at the primary, infant and secondary level.

Among those benefiting was preschool teacher Tanisha Mullings, who said the initiative has eased the financial pressure of preparing her four children for school.

Mullings, who has children ranging from kindergarten to Grade 12, expressed gratitude to the organisers, stating that the support was particularly helpful as she continues to recover financially from Hurricane Melissa.

“I am a preschool teacher, and it (Hurricane Melissa) had affected me because my school has been destroyed, and that set me back financially. This pop-up has really helped me and the kids. It’s only three weeks left [for school], and I’m just getting their medical done; if I had had the finances before, I would have done it already,” she said.

Another parent, Kimberlee Barrett, whose children benefited, said the Pop-up Village was crucial for the community’s recovery.

“The trauma that people have been through, all of those things have set us back. So, this programme coming out and assisting the community with back-to-school supplies, it is doing a whole lot for the community,” she said.

Lead for Environment and Community Development Programmes at JN Foundation, Omar Wright, said the foundation has conducted more than 20 mobile medical missions since the hurricane and saw its partnership with NET as a natural extension of its work with vulnerable communities.

The JN mobile medical team provided general check-ups, school medicals, psychological support to parents and other services, while personal-care kits, bedding and other relief items were also distributed.

JAMPACT Communications Officer and Secretary, Jenny Campbell, said the organisation’s partnership with NET increased their reach to Jamaican children and allowed the transition from sending supplies via barrels to having boots on the ground in Jamaica.

She highlighted that JAMPACT aims to support and connect with families in Jamaica.

“It’s a lot bigger than school, and education is a lot bigger than school supplies. It’s just letting the community know that we see them, and that we’re here to support them as best we can,” she said.

Former Mayor of Black River, Councillor of Mountainside, St Elizabeth South Western, Derrick Sangster, commended NET and the participating agencies for bringing the initiative to the hurricane-affected community.

He also praised teachers and students for maintaining educational progress despite the disruption caused by the hurricane.

—    JIS