KINGSTON, Jamaica — Global Humanity Network Inc (GHN), has expanded its inaugural Beyond the Backpack Scholarship Programme to support all 48 students who applied, adding 38 one-time scholarships after initially selecting 10 students for its planned three-year comprehensive programme.

According to a release from GHN, the expansion represents an additional US$19,000 commitment beyond GHN’s original plan.

The 10 students selected through a rigorous process will receive scholarships valued at about US$2,000 annually for three years, representing an initial US$60,000 commitment. The other 38 applicants will each receive a US$500 one-time educational scholarship.

The students attend public primary schools in St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny and Hanover.

The 10 comprehensive scholarship recipients will receive support through their remaining primary-school years and transition to secondary education. Depending on individual needs, assistance will include uniforms, footwear, school supplies, transportation, nutrition, technology, tutoring, mentorship, leadership development, academic monitoring, emergency assistance and family-school engagement.

The 38 additional recipients will receive assistance toward essential educational expenses, including uniforms, books, supplies, transportation and technology.

GHN founder, president and chief executive officer Dr Laxley W Stephenson, said the decision to expand the programme was driven by the needs revealed during the application process.

“These students are the face and future of Jamaica, and they must not be left behind,” Stephenson said. “They are not statistics or case numbers. They are children with potential, families making sacrifices, and dreams waiting for an opportunity.”

Dr Vinnett Malcolm, principal of Sheffield Primary School, said financial assistance has greater impact when combined with sustained mentorship and support from families and schools.

“Educational barriers do not diminish a child’s ability or potential, but they can prevent that potential from being fully realised,” Malcolm said.

Dr Binzie Roy Davidson, founding director and vice-president of GHN and chair of the Beyond the Backpack Fund Development Committee, said the organisation could not support only the 10 students selected for the comprehensive programme and leave the remaining applicants without assistance.

“Although we could select only 10 students for the comprehensive three-year scholarship, we could not allow the other 38 to believe that their dreams were unseen,” Davidson said. “We see you, we believe in you, and we are committed to helping you move forward.”

Davidson is appealing to businesses, foundations, philanthropic organisations, community leaders and members of the Jamaican diaspora to help underwrite the additional US$19,000 and support the programme’s long-term sustainability.

Founding director Dr Delroy Fray, OD, described the initiative as an investment in Jamaica’s national development.

“When we remove the barriers standing between a child and an education, we do more than meet an immediate need — we protect potential, restore hope, and help prepare the next generation to lead Jamaica forward,” Fray said.

The programme recognises that educational barriers extend beyond books and school supplies and is built around four pillars: Access, Stability, Advancement and Sustainability.

“A backpack carries supplies, but a child carries dreams,” Stephenson said. “When we look beyond the backpack, we see the child carrying it — the dream behind the uniform, the courage behind the smile, and the family making sacrifices that no camera will ever capture.”

GHN said individuals and organisations can support the initiative by underwriting a US$500 scholarship, sponsoring a student in the comprehensive three-year programme, donating educational resources or technology, becoming a mentor or establishing a strategic partnership with the organisation.

“The additional US$19,000 was not part of GHN’s original financial plan,” the organisation said, “but the needs identified through the 48 applications required action.”