Mount Olivet Boys’ Home Benefit From UWI Students’ Fundraiser

A group of enterprising final-year students from the University of the West Indies (UWI) have handed over the proceeds of a fundraiser to the Mt. Olivet Boys’ Home.

The money is a contribution to the Home’s project to purchase tablets to boost online learning for the boys.

Psychology major and member of the group, Katherine Bryan-Rattray, told JIS News that the main goal of the Applied Group Dynamics course, in which the students participated, was to demonstrate how to function effectively in a group setting to achieve positive outcomes.

“We came together to form a group, a real organisation, to implement a project, carry it out effectively, and we learned from that experience,” said Miss Bryan-Rattray, at the handover event at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) head office on Friday (March 18).

Part of that lesson was how to leverage cooperation among group members to make a difference in an area of interest.

Nordia Thompson, who is also a member of the group, noted that the students wanted to do something that would affect the lives of other students.

“We didn’t just want to form a group. We wanted to do something that would be impactful at the end of the day. So, we decided to raise funds to donate to somewhere where we could make an impact and create a difference in someone’s life. Hence, we chose Mt Olivet Boys’ Home,” Miss Thompson said.

Miss Thompson said she was happy that the Home had decided to use the donation to purchase tablets, noting that this would help to address the “digital divide”.

“When schools went online, my device just went blank. So, knowing that we will be able to help young boys who are facing similar issues to persevere in their educational endeavours is really a good feeling,” she noted.

Director of the Home, Patrick Newman, who received the cash, amounting to $13,800, expressed gratitude for the donation.

He said that the Home is on a drive to acquire 26 devices to be used alongside the face-to-face modality to accelerate learning for the wards.

“COVID-19 has really affected the boys. Because they were out of school for such a long time, some of them are way behind. It is a matter of catching up,” the Director said.

Underscoring that the focus on education at the Home has been bearing fruit, Mr. Newman pointed to some of the areas of academic achievement.

“The Mount Olivet Boys’ Home has been a beacon of hope for boys for many years. We have two boys at Caribbean Maritime University, we have one youngster at G.C. Foster College, and we have one at Shortwood Teachers’ College and a number of youngsters who are at HEART training institutions,” he proudly shared.

He added that one young man has completed studies at the American University of Paris.

Chief Executive Officer of the JIS, Donna-Marie Rowe, welcomed the donation and congratulated the students on their initiative.

“We are very happy that you chose to collaborate with the JIS, with the Mt. Olivet Boys’ Home being your beneficiary. The donation will help us to help them,” the CEO said.

The Mt. Olivet Boys’ Home in Walderston, Manchester, which is home to 41 boys, was adopted by the JIS in 2009 and remains the agency’s main corporate social responsibility project.