House of SDM partners with Digicel Foundation to give Galilee Basic School a facelift
Published:Saturday | June 4, 2022 | 12:08 AMKeisha Hill - Senior Gleaner Writer
Students at the Galilee Basic School in Kingston will learn their lessons in a more comfortable environment, after receiving a much-needed facelift courtesy of the House of SDM, in partnership with the Digicel Foundation.
The school has been a beacon in the community for many years, but was in dire need of repairs and renovation. According to Sheldon Millington, chairman of the House of SDM, it decided to make the school its official project to brighten the lives of the children and the teachers there.
“The school’s chairman, Joy Johnson, reached out to us and we did a site visit. We realised how badly the school needed repairs and we vowed that we would do what we could to make it better,” Millington said.
In its effort to contribute to the well-being and welfare of the children, the House of SDM partnered with the Digicel Foundation, which readily came on board to assist with the project, providing the funding for the execution of the project and also a set of volunteers to participate in the activity.
“Digicel Foundation is the master of partnership. When you find an organisation like Digicel Foundation that ensures that nothing is left for assumption, then you know how passionate they are about the work they do,” Millington said.
With just over 40 students, the play area and the bathrooms were renovated and the physical environment of the school repainted. The community spirit was also alive and well and the members turned out to show great appreciation for the partnership and were all pleased.
“The students for sure will be going back to school in an environment that looks completely different, nothing beats an environment that is clean and fresh,” Millington said.
Miguel ‘Steppa’ Williams, community development manager, Digicel Foundation, said it’s mandate is geared towards education and it is currently revitalising early childhood spaces in the back-to-school post-COVID-19 era.
“It is important to focus on paying it forward to our children on the mere basis of sustainable growth of our citizenry. Early childhood development is key to a solid foundation,” Williams said.
The House of SDM is a non-profit organisation founded by Millington and is built on the pillars of education, employment, human rights, heath and community development. “We are committed to preserving dignity and empowering the Jamaican family through the works we do. We are governed by a board of directors who work tirelessly to ensure our mandates are accomplished,” Millington added.
For more information about the House of SDM contact: 876-436-1242