St. Ann Bauxite Partners Providing Community Support

Since the start of 2007, several community initiatives aimed at providing strong support for a number of key institutions, have been undertaken by St. Ann Jamaica Bauxite Partners.
Speaking to JIS News, Community Relations Officer at the company, Kent Skyers noted that in January, a special culinary and scientific competition for schools was held.
“This was held on the grounds of our sports club and was a big success. As a matter of fact, we not only had schools from St. Ann but also from St. Mary as well as Trelawny, with more than 2,000 students participating,” he said.
Mr. Skyers pointed out that several government agencies and private sector entities were on hand to provide “much needed information.”
“We had HEART/NTA and some of our local hotels doing their part, and on the entertainment side, we engaged the services of performers such as Christopher Martin and ‘Brushy One String’ to add another dimension to the activity,” he said.
Mr. Skyers noted that this was just one of the many undertakings that the company had funded.
“Just recently, students attending the Water Valley Basic School benefited from a major improvement in the facilities at that school, as a new bathroom block, constructed by the company, was put into operation at the start of the new school term,” he said.
The Community Relations Officer noted that previously, the students had to use pit latrines.
“The construction of the new bathroom, with an environmentally friendly sewerage system, was done as part of a programme initiated by the company to assist schools in its operating areas to enjoy improved sanitary conveniences,” he said.
Mr. Skyers indicated that the most current project being led by his department, was that of a safety programme for schools.
“We call it the Safety Always For Everyone (SAFE) course, and is aimed at sensitizing students and teachers about the importance of observing safety rules at all times. As part of the programme, the students are presented with books and pencils at the end of each session,” he said.