Jamaica Tourist Board laces up in support of Helping Hands Jamaica
“We believe that giving children a gift of education is the best gift we can give to Jamaica and the community,” said Angella Bennett, regional director for Canada at the Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).
The JTB talked the talk, and walked the walk, on Saturday (Sept. 26) as a presenting sponsor at “Jam-Walk 2020,” a 5 km fundraiser in support of the Helping Hands Jamaica Foundation’s school-building efforts in Jamaican communities.
The lively walkathon, which started at Palais Royale on Lakeshore Boulevard West and then proceeded along the Lake Ontario-facing Martin Goodman Trail to the Humber Bay Arch Bridge and back, aimed to raise funds for the foundation’s 23rd school, set to be built in Port Antonio, Jamaica, in July of 2021.
Saturday marked the organization’s 11th annual fundraiser, which raised more than $37,000.
“All donations go back to Jamaica and helps build a school in a rural community that needs support,” Bennett told PAX at the sunny Saturday morning event, which drew roughly 60 people. “For us, it is a perfect project.”
For more than ten years, Helping Hands Jamaica has built 22 schools in Jamaica, raising more than $2 million dollars and improving the lives of generations.
One to two times a year, the organization takes a team of some 25 volunteers to Jamaica to build a school – to help with everything from nail hammering to door installations to painting – alongside a crew of local construction workers.
“We have a dedication where the principal and students come out and we get to hand the school over to the community,” said Natasha Borota, president of the It Factor Ltd, which manages the builds. “Not only are we providing access to education for kids in need in a third-world country, but we are also giving them a place in the community where elders can meet, where they can have opportunities to have votes, or have after-school programs.”
“It’s a safe place that’s conducive to learning,” said Borota.
Helping Hands Jamaica organizes the logistics for the voluntourism trips, which typically happen off season.
“It’s an experience where you’re immersed in the culture, the food, the music, and the people,” said Borota. “It’s unbelievable team building.”
This year’s trip was, unfortunately, cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the organization still managed to fulfill its commitments to funding the construction of St. Martin Infant and Primary in St. Mary, Jamaica, which was completed by local workers and will open in October.
Funds for their 2021 build in Port Antonio, which is located on the northeastern coast of Jamaica about 100 km from Kingston, are ready to go, said Borota, noting that the foundation for the new school will be completed in the coming months.
“People go down there and fall in love with the culture and the people. They form relationships,” she said. “It’s amazing how many people have gone on more than one school build.”
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Source: Author: Michael Pihach, PAX
