FOOD FOR THE POOR LAUNCHES 30TH ANNIV SCHOOL FURNITURE PROGRAMME

IN ANIMATED CONVERSATION: Jean Lowrie-Chin (right), Board Director, Food for the Poor (FFP) makes a point to Education Minister Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites as Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, FFP Jamaica and Dennis Chung, CEO, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica, look on.  Occasion was the launch of the FFP 30th Anniversary School Furniture Campaign held at the Terra Nova Hotel on Wednesday, October 23. . The FFP 30^th Anniversary School Furniture Programme aims to provide no fewer than 15,000 school desks and chairs to educational institutions islandwide between October 2013 and the end of the 2013-2014 academic year.

Kingston, Jamaica - October 23, 2013: In celebration of its thirtieth anniversary, Food For The Poor (FFP) today launched its Thirtieth Anniversary School Furniture Programme which aims to provide no fewer than 15,000 school desks and chairs to educational institutions islandwide between October 2013 and the end of the 2013-2014 academic year.

Making the announcement at the Launch at Terra Nova All Suite Hotel, Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, FFP Jamaica, said that the charity would be seeking to raise US $300,000 (i.e. the equivalent of J $31.5 million) to finance the purchase of student desks and chairs. He disclosed that the first batch of desks and chairs would be presented to schools in January 2014.

FFP TO DONATE 15,000 NEW STUDENT DESKS AND CHAIRS

“Our fund-raising target is US$300,000 to provide 15,000 school desks and chairs between now and the end of the academic year in July 2014,” Mr. Mahfood disclosed. “The first batch of school furniture donation under this programme will take place in January 2014 – a gift to FFP Jamaica from our head office in Florida - and will see us distributing 2,300 desks and chairs across the island. These items are scheduled to arrive in the island by the end of December this year.”

He pointed out that the FFP 30^th Anniversary School Furniture Programme is intended to satisfy the dire furniture requirements of schools which are facing an acute shortage of these much-needed supplies. The FFPJ Chairman explained that the needs and interests of the nation’s children have always been dear to the hearts at FFP, and as the charity celebrates its 30^th Anniversary, it would be taking its service to that cohort of Jamaica’s population to even greater heights and renewed intensity. He asserted that FFP is determined that Jamaica’s children should be allowed to reach their highest potential in a comfortable and nurturing learning environment.

SOS ON BEHALF OF THE NATION’S CHILDREN

“We regard the FFP 30^th Anniversary School Furniture initiative as an SOS to the nation that our children are urgently in need of our support in the creation of an aesthetically pleasing and child-friendly environment,” declared Mr. Mahfood. “We should never subject our children to these sub-standard conditions. It is our duty and social responsibility to empower our children in the best possible way.”

During today’s launch, FFP appealed to private sector foundations, businesses, civil society, school alumni, and members of the Jamaican Diaspora to partner with the charity in the purchase of student desks and chairs, by becoming donors to the FFP 30^th Anniversary School Furniture Programme.

This initiative is the latest in a series of school furniture distributions by FFP over the years.  Between January and August this year, 36 schools received school furniture from FFP. Last year alone FFP distributed $1.3 billion worth of school furniture and supplies to schools across Jamaica.

FFP ENCOURAGING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

At today’s event both the FFPJ Chairman Mr. Mahfood and its Executive Director Jacqueline Johnson expressed the commitment of the charity to continue to meet the needs of the nation’s economically and socially challenged youngsters and adults in a variety of ways. The charity’s executives pointed out that by providing citizens with basic necessities such as food, clothing and shelter, skills training, and by assisting with the development of income-generating activities, FFP has been realizing its mandate of encouraging sustainable development among Jamaicans.

EDUCATION MINISTER ENDORSES FFP SCHOOL FURNITURE PROGRAMME

Keynote Speaker at today’s launch, Hon. Rev. Ronald Thwaites, Minister of Education expressed delight and appreciation over FFP 30^th Anniversary School Furniture Initiative. Commending FFP for its ongoing support to schools, the programmes of the Ministry of Education and the needy in the society, Minister Thwaites said the charity’s 30^th Anniversary School Furniture Programme is “the kind of public-private partnership which he would like most of Jamaica to be engaged in”. He stressed that it is important for Jamaicans “to ensure we lift up the dignity and congeniality of every child by the provision of adequate school furniture.”

He stated that the Ministry of Education welcomed the donation of school furniture from FFP, as during the last fiscal year, of the over $70 billion budget for the Education Ministry, there was no allocation for furniture. He indicated that this year even though approximately $50 million from the education budget will go towards the provision of school furniture, and already some 17,000 pieces of furniture items have been delivered to schools, “this is just a fraction of the need of what exists”.

APPEAL TO THE JAMAICAN DIASPORA

Pointing out that there are 130 school alumni groups in the United States alone, the Education Minister made a special appeal to Jamaicans in the Diaspora: “I call on Jamaicans abroad who have benefited from education here, which allows them to strive abroad, to contribute to this furniture programme.”

Minister Thwaites implored students to take care of both new and existing furniture. Additionally, he proposed that a barter arrangement could be worked out with parents who are welders or carpenters who are having difficulty paying auxiliary fees, in that they could give their labour in effecting furniture repairs as their payment of auxiliary fees.

TESTIMONIALS & ENDORSEMENTS

Merna Jackson, Principal of Real Success Basic School, and Chevon Lewis, Head boy, Kingston College shared testimonials at today’s Launch, pointing out that the FFP donation of school furniture to their institutions has been a source of great inspiration, improved ambience and convenience for both students and members of staff.

Dennis Chung, CEO, Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica and Everton Hannam, President, National Parent-Teacher Association of Jamaica endorsed the initiative, expressing the desire to have greater collaboration between FFP and their organizations in the future. Mr. Chung reiterated that unless Jamaica’s education system was offering a quality environment and turning out quality graduates, the nation’s economy would be stymied.

Among persons who participated in today’s Launch of the FFP 30^th Anniversary School Furniture Programme were: Charmaine Lawson Gray of Supreme Ventures; JoanFlo Morris of the Bob Marley Foundation; Latoya Harris of National Education Trust; Sheryl Bromfield, Public Relations & Communication Manager with the Ministry of Education; Anika Smith of Mayberry Investments and Jean Lowrie-Chin, FFP Board Director, as well as Daniel and Joshua Shreves of St. George’s College.

HOW TO MAKE DONATIONS

Donors may make their contributions on line at: foodforthepoor.org/schoolfurniture  .Persons may also send their commitments to jacquelinej@foodforthepoorja.org and deposit their donations to NCB St. Jago Shopping Centre Branch, Account number 47-1043885. Those wishing to make US dollar donations should lodge to the NCB St. Jago Shopping Centre Branch, Account Number 47-4335267.

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Food For The Poor (FFP)-Jamaica is the largest charity organization in the country.  Food For The Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, was named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the United States. 

It is an interdenominational Christian agency that does much more than feed the millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. FFP provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 95% of all donations going directly to programmes that help the poor. For more information visit our Web site at www.foodforthepoorja.com

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Contact:               

Erica James-King, PROComm, T: 926-6740 or 564-5277

Petri-Ann Henry, Food For The Poor, T:  984-5005 or 564-2886