FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA RELEASE
FOOD FOR THE POOR
LAUNCHES ITS 30TH ANNIVERSARY
SCHOOL FURNITURE PROGRAMME
Kingston, Jamaica - October 23, 2013: In
celebration of its thirtieth anniversary, Food For The Poor (FFP) today
launched its Thirtieth
Anniversary School Furniture Programme which aims to provide no fewer than 15,000 school desks and chairs
to educational institutions islandwide between October 2013 and the end of the
2013-2014 academic year.
Making the announcement at the Launch at Terra Nova
All Suite Hotel, Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, FFP Jamaica, said that the charity
would be seeking to raise US
$300,000 (i.e. the equivalent of J $31.5 million) to finance the purchase
of student desks and chairs. He disclosed that the first batch of desks and
chairs would be presented to schools in January 2014.
FFP TO DONATE 15,000 NEW STUDENT DESKS AND CHAIRS
“Our
fund-raising target is US$300,000
to provide 15,000 school desks and chairs between now and the end of the
academic year in July 2014,” Mr. Mahfood disclosed. “The first batch of school
furniture donation under this programme will take place in January 2014 – a
gift to FFP Jamaica from our head office in Florida - and will see us
distributing 2,300 desks and chairs across the island. These items are
scheduled to arrive in the island by the end of December this year.”
He pointed out that the FFP 30th Anniversary School Furniture Programme is intended to satisfy the dire
furniture requirements of schools which are facing an acute shortage of these
much-needed supplies. The FFPJ Chairman explained that the needs and interests
of the nation’s children have always been dear to the hearts at FFP, and as the
charity celebrates its 30th Anniversary,
it would be taking its service to that cohort of Jamaica’s population to even
greater heights and renewed intensity. He asserted that FFP is determined that
Jamaica’s children should be allowed to reach their highest potential in a
comfortable and nurturing learning environment.
DISCUSSING EDUCATION: Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites (left), Minister of
Education has the rapt attention of key stakeholders in Wednesday’s launch of
the Food For The Poor 30th Anniversary
School Furniture Programme: (from 2nd
left) Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, Food For The Poor (FFP)
Jamaica and Dennis Chung, CEO, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica.
SOS ON BEHALF OF THE NATION’S CHILDREN
“We
regard the FFP 30th Anniversary
School Furniture initiative as an SOS to the nation that our children are
urgently in need of our support in the creation of an aesthetically pleasing
and child-friendly environment,” declared Mr. Mahfood. “We should never subject
our children to these sub-standard conditions. It is our duty and social
responsibility to empower our children in the best possible way.”
During today’s launch, FFP appealed to private sector
foundations, businesses, civil
society, school alumni, and members of the Jamaican Diaspora to partner with
the charity in the purchase of student desks and chairs, by becoming donors to
the FFP 30th Anniversary
School Furniture Programme.
This initiative is the latest in a series of school
furniture distributions by FFP over the years. Between January and August this year,
36 schools received school furniture from FFP. Last year alone FFP distributed
$1.3 billion worth of school furniture and supplies to schools across Jamaica.
FFP ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
At today’s event both the FFPJ Chairman Mr. Mahfood
and its Executive Director Jacqueline Johnson expressed the commitment of the
charity to continue to meet the
needs of the nation’s economically and socially challenged youngsters and
adults in a variety of ways. The charity’s executives pointed out that by providing citizens with basic
necessities such as food, clothing and shelter, skills training, and by
assisting with the development of income-generating activities, FFP has been
realizing its mandate of encouraging sustainable development among Jamaicans.
EDUCATION MINISTER ENDORSES FFP SCHOOL
FURNITURE PROGRAMME
Keynote Speaker at today’s launch, Hon. Rev. Ronald
Thwaites, Minister of Education expressed delight and appreciation over FFP 30th Anniversary School Furniture
Initiative. Commending FFP for
its ongoing support to schools, the programmes of the Ministry of Education and
the needy in the society, Minister Thwaites said the charity’s 30th Anniversary School Furniture Programme is “the kind of public-private
partnership which he would like most of Jamaica to be engaged in”. He stressed
that it is important for Jamaicans “to ensure we lift up the dignity and
congeniality of every child by the provision of adequate school furniture.”
He stated that the Ministry of Education welcomed the
donation of school furniture from FFP, as during the last fiscal year, of the
over $70 billion budget for the Education Ministry, there was no allocation for
furniture. He indicated that this year even though approximately $50 million
from the education budget will go towards the provision of school furniture,
and already some 17,000 pieces of furniture items have been delivered to
schools, “this is just a fraction of the need of what exists”.
Hon. Rev. Ronald
Thwaites (left), Minister of Education delivers the keynote address at the
launch of the Food For The Poor 30th
Anniversary School Furniture Programme on
Wednesday, October 23. Sharing in the occasion at Terra Nova Hotel are (from
left): Jacqueline Johnson, Executive Director, Food For The Poor
(FFP) Jamaica; Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, FFP Jamaica; Dennis
Chung, CEO, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica; Merna Jackson, Principal of
Real Success Basic School, and Chevon Lewis, Head boy, Kingston College.
APPEAL TO THE JAMAICAN DIASPORA
Pointing
out that there are 130 school alumni groups in the United States alone, the
Education Minister made a special appeal to Jamaicans in the Diaspora: “I call
on Jamaicans abroad who have benefited from education here, which allows them
to strive abroad, to contribute to this furniture programme.”
Minister Thwaites implored students to take care of
both new and existing furniture. Additionally, he proposed that a barter
arrangement could be worked out with parents who are welders or carpenters who
are having difficulty paying auxiliary fees, in that they could give their
labour in effecting furniture repairs as their payment of auxiliary fees.
TESTIMONIALS & ENDORSEMENTS
Merna
Jackson, Principal of Real Success Basic School, and Chevon Lewis, Head boy,
Kingston College shared testimonials at today’s Launch, pointing out that the
FFP donation of school furniture to their institutions has been a source of
great inspiration, improved ambience and convenience for both students and members
of staff.
Jacqueline Johnson,
Executive Director, Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica points out some areas of
service undertaken by that charity as evident in Poster Boards displayed at the
launch of the FFP 30th
Anniversary School Furniture Campaign. Viewing the exhibits are Dave Myrie,
Principal, Kingston College and Chevon Lewis, head boy of that school.
Dennis Chung, CEO, Private Sector Organisation of
Jamaica and Everton Hannam, President, National Parent-Teacher Association of
Jamaica endorsed the initiative, expressing the desire to have greater
collaboration between FFP and their organizations in the future. Mr. Chung
reiterated that unless Jamaica’s education system was offering a quality
environment and turning out quality graduates, the nation’s economy would be
stymied.
Among persons who participated in today’s Launch of
the FFP 30th Anniversary
School Furniture Programme were: Charmaine Lawson Gray of Supreme Ventures;
JoanFlo Morris of the Bob Marley Foundation; Latoya Harris of National
Education Trust; Sheryl Bromfield, Public Relations & Communication Manager
with the Ministry of Education; Anika Smith of Mayberry Investments and Jean
Lowrie-Chin, FFP Board Director, as well as Daniel and Joshua Shreves of St.
George’s College.
HOW TO MAKE DONATIONS
Donors may make their contributions on line at: foodforthepoor.org/schoolfurniture .Persons may also send their commitments to jacquelinej@foodforthepoorja.org and deposit their
donations to NCB St. Jago Shopping Centre Branch, Account number 47-1043885. Those wishing to
make US dollar donations should lodge to the NCB St. Jago Shopping Centre
Branch, Account Number 47-4335267.
-End-
Food For The Poor (FFP)-Jamaica is the largest charity organization in the country. Food For
The Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, was named by The Chronicle of
Philanthropy as the largest international
relief and development organization in the
United States.
It is an interdenominational Christian
agency that does much more than feed the millions of hungry poor in 17
countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. FFP provides emergency relief
assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for
orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development
assistance, with more than 95% of all donations going directly to programmes
that help the poor. For more information visit our Web site at www.foodforthepoorja.com
___________________________________________________________________________________________
Contact:
Erica James-King, PROComm, T: 926-6740 or 564-5277
Petri-Ann Henry, Food For The Poor, T: 984-5005
or 564-2886
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