D&G Foundation making a big difference to little lives

The Desnoes and Geddes (D&G) Foundation recently provided $1.3 million to cover outstanding school fees and to fund student breakfast programmes at the Callaloo Mews Basic School and the Christians Early Childhood Academy in St Andrew.

The significance of the gesture was not lost on the care givers and educators who say the gift will go a long way to ease the burden on vulnerable groups, including parents and students in lower income areas.

Callaloo Mews principal Angella Black, who has served the school for 17 years, welcomed the donation of $600,000, which will cover outstanding fees and provide nutritious meals for the students who hail from Waterhouse, Riverton, Ferry and Shanty Town.

“We are located in an inner-city community where finding employment is challenging for many parents. For this reason, we have never turned away a child because their parent cannot afford the fees or because they don’t have lunch money. However, several parents had stopped sending their children to school due to a lack of funds. Of the 52 students that attend the school, I don’t think we consistently receive fees for 10-15 of them each week. We press on through the generosity of people and organisations like the D&G Foundation, but we struggle to pay teachers and cover our overhead costs,” Black explained.

The Callaloo Mews student breakfast programme began in 2006 after a heart-wrenching experience with a student whose parents could only afford to provide him with a bag juice for breakfast. The principal was so profoundly affected that she began taking food from her home for students, eventually expanding the programme with the help of donors.

“We are dedicated to providing education for our students, but it is hard. We must pay for salaries, electricity, water, and meals for the students. This donation from the D&G Foundation will go a long way to help with these costs. All children deserve to go to school, and with the Foundation’s help, we can give our children a fair chance,” she asserted.

The Christians Early Childhood Academy experiences similar challenges.

Of the 83 children who attend from the communities of Waterhouse, Riverton, Shanty Town, Spanish Town Road and Ferry, roughly half are unable to cover the cost of tuition. While expressing her deep gratitude for a donation of $700,000 from the D&G Foundation, the school’s principal, Sherica Francis-Christian, shared a heartwarming story about one of her students.

“She has been missing from school for about two weeks. When I reached out to her mother, she explained that she couldn’t pay the fees, and I was happy to inform her that the D&G Foundation has covered that cost. That little girl is now back at school and learning. This story is just a glimpse into the big difference the Foundation makes for our students,” shared Francis-Christian.

Reflecting on the significance of the breakfast programme at her school, Francis-Christian said: “Initially, it started informally. Now, with the help of the D&G Foundation, we have formalised it to ensure each child can have a proper meal. Before the programme, children came to school with bag juice and chips.”

For D&G Foundation accountant Dennis Beckford, it’s all about the impact.

“These schools serve the communities surrounding our operations, so we are all part of the same ecosystem. Education is at the foundation of any flourishing society, which is why we have committed to supporting these institutions,” said Beckford.