Rotary rescue - St Andrew North club gives $10 million towards repairs at hurricane-ravaged schools

The Rotary Club of St Andrew North has come to the rescue of hundreds of students in central and western Jamaica whose plight was dire following the devastation of their schools in the area by Hurricane Melissa. 

The club, in collaboration with several stakeholders, spent $10 million to repair school buildings and replace equipment ruined by the hurricane.

The partners included Korey Rowe, principal of KR Method (USA); Apex Foundation (USA) and United Way of Jamaica. 

On June 21, a busload of Rotary Club of St Andrew North members travelled from Kingston to inspect the work done at three schools.

The three early childhood institutions which had their roofs restored are Morgan’s Pass Basic School, Clarendon which serves 26 students; Sanquinetti Early Childhood Institute in Trelawny with 64 students; and Middle Quarters Early Childhood Centre, St Elizabeth with 50 students.

“The students are now learning in safe, dry and comfortable classrooms, which is incredibly rewarding,” said Pierpont Wilson, president of the Rotary Club of St Andrew North.

While on the visit, school representatives had accolades for the club’s intervention.

Stacey McCalla, principal of Morgan's Pass Basic School, shared that the school had been on the verge of closure after the hurricane. 

“This assistance saved the school and preserved an important institution for our community,” she said. The club has also committed to securing replacement furniture damaged by the hurricane.

According to Pauvine Barrett, principal of Middle Quarters Early Childhood Centre, before the re-roofing of the school, classes could only be held from 9 a.m. to noon because the tarpaulins offered little protection from the heat and afternoon rain. Project oversight was carried out by Father David ‘Tony’ Reid, Anglican priest in the area, who described the Rotary Club’s intervention as timely and invaluable, noting that many schools in the area still remain without permanent roofs after seven months.

As a show of appreciation, Diane Douse-Benjamin, principal of Sanquinetti Early Childhood Institute, presented the club with a plaque of appreciation, noting that the school's 64 students had frequently been sent home because of rain. 

“When no one else showed up, the Rotary Club of St Andrew North did,” she said.

Nakia Rowe, past president of the Rotary Club of St Andrew North, introduced KR Method, headed by his brother Korey Rowe, to the Melissa relief project. 

He said the partnership was born from a desire to help rural communities recover after Hurricane Melissa and praised the Rotary Club of St Andrew North as an outstanding implementation partner. Both brothers have roots in St Elizabeth.

“The visits reinforced the power of partnership and Rotary’s commitment to ‘Service Above Self’,” said the club president. 

“We are happy we could have transformed lives and made an impact in difficult times like these.”

In addition, the Rotary Club of St Andrew North and partners  donated  neonatal equipment valued about US$20,000 to the Black River Hospital, St Elizabeth; J$1 million to Munro College, St Elizabeth; a Xerox multifunction printer to Petersfield Primary School, Westmoreland; an HP printer to Friendship Primary School, Westmoreland and covered the cost of re-roofing a selected family house in St Elizabeth.