Thursday: The Children of Jamaica

After breakfast, we went on an excursion. No, we didn't go ziplining or trek through the jungle. We took a 10 minute van ride to a local school to read to the children.  The Sandals Foundation recently built a school building for an infant school (ages 3-6) which had been in operation for over thirty years without a permanent building. This is the school we visited.

All children in Jamaica go to school from the age of three. These schools are run by the government, and supplies are severely limited. We colored with a handful of crayons for each table, read well-worn books to the children, used flashcards from the US with unfamiliar pictures (T is for .... [a picture of a tent] ... the children shouted "house"), and played on a rocky playground with a few soccer balls.

Even though Sandals built the school, it was turned over to the government. The teachers, principal and janitor had been working two months, but the government had only provided enough money to pay for minimum supplies. The teachers had not been paid at all. We spent two hours with the children and it was by far the highlight of our vacation. It was sad that only eight people went on this trip. There were over two hundred at the previous night's "Sandals Select" lobster dinner. Eight of us went to read to the children.

You can see the children wear uniforms. All of them had shoes. Each had a snack while we were there and they do receive a hot lunch. There is a library at school with computers, and the children are allowed in a few at a time to look at the books and learn the computer. We asked if the children have books at home and the principal told us no. Most parents say "books are for school. reading is for school." and do not allow the children to read at home.


The children were sweet, smart, and grateful we were there. And they loved the camera!

 

Before we left, the children said Bible verses and sang a few songs.

If you visit Sandals, I encourage you to take this trip. If you have room in your suitcase, they mostly need pencils and rubbers (erasers). If you don't visit Sandals, you can still donate through the Sandals Foundation link.

 

After that kind of morning, we had a rather quiet day. We played bingo, and I came in second in the "survivor round" -- I lasted the second longest without a single number being called. Pizza for lunch, a little too much beer, a nap, and some reading in the room and outside while Mike played beach volleyball.

We had dinner at Eleanors again, fantastic service once more, and I read a little more while Mike took a nap. I think after all the activity early in the week, we were ready to just chill.

The evening's entertainment was an Afro-Caribbean show, which was entertaining, educational, and hilarious.