Back to School to Survive?

For millions of people in the U.S., the “Back to School” season is a time when young children return to places of learning to further their education and develop their mental, social, and emotional skills.

But what if you lived in a country where there was no school for your kids to go back to?

What if there was a school, but you lacked the financial resources to get your kids there?

In Jamaica, the friars do everything they can to get kids to school, because “education is a foundational infrastructure for job creation, and good jobs are the surest way out of poverty.” *

With your help, the friars can help Jamaican children like Jasmine, pictured here with Fr. Jim Bok, OFM, build these foundational infrastructures and break the cycles of poverty that their families have lived in for generations.

Without school, Jasmine would be more vulnerable to challenges such as social and gender norms that can threaten her development. Helping her go to and stay in school is essential to her well-being and future!

Our generous donors have already made life-changing impacts!

In the rural settlement of Revival, Jamaica, the friars are currently overseeing the construction of the future Revival Catholic Pre-School, where for the first time, area children ages 3-6 years old will receive the essential foundations for social, emotional, and cognitive development.

The Revival Catholic Pre-School will welcome all preschool-aged children, no matter their religion, and ensure that they learn early language and literacy skills, social skills, basic math concepts, and the structure of a school environment.

“Studies show that if you don’t support early childhood development—if kids are touching a book for the first time in grade one—you’re setting them back,” says Fr. Colin King, OFM, Chairman of the Revival Pre-School. “I’m thrilled to say that construction is underway! Now, we’re hoping for donors to help us sustain it.”

With your support of the friars, pre-school-aged children in Revival and the surrounding villages can get a head start on a brighter future.

Nine miles from Revival, in the town of Negril, the friars inspired the purchase of a 29-passenger bus that is now central to the Get Kids to School program. This program provides students who weren’t going to school due to the costs of uniforms, books, and taxi fare with free school supplies and round-trip transportation.