Campbell’s Castle Primary School Receives US$2,500 AFJ Grant to Enhance Water Supply for Students

The American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ) has awarded a US$2,500 grant to Campbell’s Castle Primary and Infant School in Manchester, aimed at providing the students with access to clean drinking water.

The institution is among 54 receiving funding totalling US$740,000 during the AFJ’s Grant Awards Ceremony at the United States Embassy in Kingston on Tuesday (April 8).

Parent and Director of Campbell’s Castle Primary’s Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Club, Akibi Archer, is leading the charge to implement a multi-step advanced water filtration system at the institution.

The project aims to harvest rainwater and filter it for drinking and use in the canteen and garden.

The AFJ has been instrumental in supporting the initiative by providing the grant, which covers 83 per cent of the US$3,000 project cost.

Principal, Peta-Gaye Blake-Campbell, told JIS News that the institution had no piped water when she joined the staff in September 2018.

Additionally, she said harvested rainwater and treated water received from bauxite mining and alumina production company, Jamalco, were being stored in the same tank.

“Eventually, we cut off the harvesting and just had the water from Jamalco there. However, because we do not know the state of the tank from time to time, we can’t guarantee that students are having clean water to drink. They don’t have [piped water] at home either. So, if they want clean water, they have to buy it and take it to school,” Mrs. Blake-Campbell further indicated.

Water quality has been a recurring issue, with the Early Childhood Commission (ECC) reporting incorrect pH levels during their assessment of the infant department.

Mrs. Blake-Campbell explained that trucking is not a sustainable option for the school, as it costs $30,000 and the supply only lasts for about four to five days.

Against this background, Mr. Archer advised that, “we’re looking to complete [the project] before the beginning of the [2025/26] school year… so by September”.

The water filtration system’s installation will not only provide clean drinking water for the students, but also create opportunities for the community.

“We’ll have people that will be helping to instal the gutters, plumbers doing the piping, and things like that. It’s a great opportunity. Sometimes I forget to send water with my kids to school one or two days, and it would be great to know that they can go to school and have clean drinking water available for them,” Mr. Archer told JIS News.

The school is seeking donations to finance the remainder of the project, which will enable it to be self-sufficient.

“We are eternally grateful for the support from the American Friends of Jamaica. It wouldn’t have been half possible without them. It’s just like a light in a tunnel because these students in the rural areas of Jamaica deserve to be treated equally. Equity is important. Other persons are drinking clean water and they should be drinking clean water also,” Principal Blake-Campbell expressed.

Persons interested in donating may contact campbellscastle.allage.man@moey.gov.jm or dasakibi@gmail.com.

The Vision 2030 Jamaica National Development Plan targets universal access to safe and affordable drinking water by 2030.