Toy Drive to Benefit Jamaican Children Launched

Scores of children across Jamaica will benefit this Christmas from a toy drive being spearheaded by Chairman of the Jamaica Early Childhood Development Foundation (JECDF), Lorna Golding, wife of Prime Minister, Bruce Golding.
This effort is seen as one facet of a broad plan of social transformation, which will pay close attention to early childhood education. Mrs. Golding outlined a comprehensive plan, while speaking at a press conference held at the Jamaican Consulate in New York on October 24, to help launch the drive to provide toys for children across Jamaica.
Citing the initiative as one piece of the mission to change the lives of children in Jamaica, Mrs. Golding spoke of her intention to marshal the support of Jamaicans in the Diaspora to help bring out the creativity in children by providing toys that will stimulate their thinking.
“All people strive for respect and some may try to get it by doing the wrong thing. We want to release the creativity from an early age because creativity starts in the womb, so we want to give them toys that will stimulate them,” Mrs. Golding said.
To this end, she spoke of plans to transform the Jamaica House Basic School, as a resource centre and make it the prototype of early childhood education in Jamaica. The school model will then become the point of reference with regard to early childhood education for establishing similar schools across the island, she said.
Mrs. Golding paid special tribute to Beverley Manley, former wife of Prime Minister Michael Manley, as patron of the Jamaica House Basic School,. acknowledging Mrs. Manley’s belief in investing in the potential of Jamaica’s children through early childhood education.
The JECDF under its current theme, ‘The right start, the right way right now, has engaged a number of stakeholders and volunteers in the Diaspora to help secure and get the toys to the children in Jamaica.
Drop off points in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx have been identified to facilitate the donation of toys. Potential contributors without the time to buy toys are encouraged to write a cheque payable to: Jamaica Early Childhood Development Foundation and mail to: JECDF, c/o onsulate General of Jamaica, 767 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017