FOOD FOR THE POOR HANDS OVER 50TH BASIC SCHOOL - News Release - March 3, 2015

NEW TESTAMENT EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE GETS NEW STRUCTURE: Veronica Baker (center right), Principal of New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre in Wynters Pen, St Catherine and Dr. John Buuk (center left), Donor Representative, Food For The Poor (FFP) cutting the ribbon to officially open a new building for the school on March 3. Sharing in the moment are (from left): Reverend Bruce Farrell, the school’s Board Chairman; Andrew Mahfood, Chairman of FFP Jamaica; David Mair, Executive Director of FFP Jamaica and the Very Rev. Burchell McPherson, Bishop of Montego Bay and Board Member of Food For The Poor Inc. This is the 50th basic school to be constructed as part of FFP’s Jamaica 50 campaign.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Kingston, Jamaica – March 3, 2015: Today, Food For The Poor (FFP) officially handed over the 50th basic school under its Jamaica 50 Campaign to the New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre in St. Catherine, Jamaica.

The Jamaica 50 Campaign was launched on June 12, 2012. At the launch, the charity organisation announced that it would build 50 basic schools in 50 months, as its gift to the nation to commemorate Jamaica's 50th anniversary of Independence. The 50 basic schools have been completed 18 months ahead of the time promised to achieve the objective.

Present at the handover of the 50th basic school was Minister of Education, Reverend The Honourable Ronald Thwaites and FFP-Jamaica Chairman, Andrew Mahfood.

During his address, Minister Thwaites thanked FFP for fulfilling its promise to Jamaica, and to the education sector.
"I want to begin by expressing, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, our sincere gratitude and appreciation to Food For The Poor for its continued support for education. Specifically, we commend the organisation for sticking to its commitment to build and upgrade 50 basic schools in 50 months as a gift to Jamaica and Jamaicans for the island's Golden Jubilee," Minister Thwaites said.

"You not only said it, you did it! It is fitting that Food For The Poor has undertaken this project as it targets basic schools in communities across the island where the Early Childhood Commission and the Ministry of Education have identified the more dire needs for pre-primary facilities. This is in line with the Government's overall policy to lift up the weakest in the society," he further stated.
In his address, Mahfood said the philanthropic organisation could not have completed its objective of building 50 schools in 50 months, without donations received from his local and overseas donors.

"Today, we can say 'mission accomplished.' However, FFP's journey in developing Jamaica's education system has not ended. We remain committed to our children and to constructing suitable structures for their upliftment. In this regard, under our ongoing projects portfolio, eight schools are currently at various stages of construction," Mahfood said.

Both Minister Thwaites and Mahfood handed over the newly constructed school building to Veronica Baker, Principal of New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre.

Baker wholeheartedly thanked them.

"We are so thrilled and happy to have received the 50th school building from Food For The Poor as part of their Jamaica 50 Campaign," Baker said. "We had no school building in the past. We were behind of the church in a space that was not suitable for teaching young children. Now, we have a wonderful building."

Funding to build this school was provided by Hope Lutheran Church, Bonita Springs, Florida, and Faith Lutheran Middle and High School, Las Vegas, Nevada.

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For more information, please contact:
Ainsworth Morris, PROComm. Tel: 926-6740 or 375-6136
Petri-Ann Henry, Public Relations Officer, Food For The Poor Jamaica. Cel: 564-2886

PROUD PRINCIPAL: Veronica Baker, principal, New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre, rejoicing after Food For The Poor officially handed over the 50th basic school to her under their Jamaica 50 campaign.

HAPPY STUDENTS: Students enrolled at New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre playing happily on the new seesaw handed over, along with the new building, to their school on March 3.

RECESS TIME! Students from New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre playing during their recess on a new slide donated to their school by Food For The Poor.

GRATEFUL HEARTS: Students and teachers of the New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre expressing their gratitude to members of Food For The Poor after the school was officially handed over to their principal on March 3.

NEW FACILITIES FOR NEW TESTAMENT EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTRE: A student of the New Testament Early Childhood Development Centre washing his hands in a newly constructed sanitation facility provided with the newest built school by Food For The Poor.