Sat | Oct 25, 2025

WATA awards over $7m in back-to-school grants to students across Jamaica

Published:Monday | August 18, 2025 | 12:08 AM
Wisynco Group Limited team members Erin Mitchell (back row, right), head of consumer marketing; Melissa-Kim Johnson (front row, right), consumer marketing manager; Brittany Thwaites (front row, seventh left), WATA brand manager; and Jusanna Staples (front
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Wisynco Group Limited team members Erin Mitchell (back row, right), head of consumer marketing; Melissa-Kim Johnson (front row, right), consumer marketing manager; Brittany Thwaites (front row, seventh left), WATA brand manager; and Jusanna Staples (front row, left), WATA brand coordinator, join the 2025 WATA Hydrate to Educate Grant recipients during the Kingston awards ceremony on August 14. The initiative also held an awards ceremony in Montego Bay on August 15. A total of 42 students received educational grants valued at $175,000 each.

Forty-two high-school students from across Jamaica have each received $175,000 to help with back-to-school expenses, as WATA awarded more than J$7 million in grants during ceremonies held in Kingston and Montego Bay, St James last week.

The support was provided through the company’s Hydrate to Educate programme, which assists families with the cost of tuition, books, uniforms, transportation, and other school-related needs. Three students were selected from each of the island’s 14 parishes.

Brittany Thwaites, brand manager for the WATA portfolio at Wisynco, said the initiative was created to ease financial pressures while celebrating students’ drive and promise.

“With Hydrate to Educate, we wanted to go beyond grades and exam results,” she said. “These grants recognise students for their determination and potential, while giving families real, practical support as they prepare for September.”

Parents, teachers, and community leaders attended the ceremonies, emphasising how timely the support is for families. One recipient, Nashá Patterson of Hampton School, shared her appreciation.

“This support came at the right time. My mom has always done her best for me, and, with the cost of transportation being so high since I live far from school, this grant really helps. I’m thankful for the assistance as I head into my final year of sixth form, because now I can focus fully on my studies.”

Thwaites emphasised that WATA’s Hydrate to Educate programme continues to reinforce the brand’s commitment to empowering Jamaica’s youth through educational initiatives.

“Education is one of the most powerful investments we can make in the future of Jamaica, and WATA is proud to play a part in helping students achieve their goals,” she added.