Jamaican children in need (please read)

[barb cruz]

I have a friend in cudjoes hill jamaica who runs a school and is very very short on funds this year she tells me that they can't even afford to buy the basics and its getting harder to keep the school running.
The school is not funded by the government and my friend ruth is a good cristian woman who takes from her own family to try and give some kind of education to the children in her community and is very dedicated to keeping the school open.
I'm looking for someone to tell me how can i raise money to help these children in need, the only thing i have to offer is my art work(have no money)I'm willing to donate a few painting for this cause but I dont know how to get started or how to send money to them! do they have paypal in jamaica? or whats the cheapest way to send money?
If anyone wants to help please let me know or how i can help. these kids will never get an education if no one helps and the way I see it that is all they have at this point to help them grow up with some kind of future.
if you email me i will give you a link to the schools web site and please let me know what is the best way I/we can help out ruth and the cudjoes hill school. we are their last hope so please respond.

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

It this sustainable?

The current GOJ has new rules about Basic Schools I think they also have a funding instrument to help the owners/operators of these schools to get in compliance.

Why don't you advise her to contact the MOE to get advice and help?

[barb cruz]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

thanks for your concern. the jamaican government made them spend alot of money to get the school up to compliance last year but they still will not help because they dont think the children need pre school most of the kids get one meal a day and its provided at the school not to mention ruth teaches them the basics.
Who is moe? here is a link to the schools website so everyone can see for oneriver.org/cudjoeshill
I did find out they do have paypal for jamaica I asked my friend ruth to sign up for an account.
thank you so much for helping out any more suggestions please feel free to contact me

[Tuff Gong]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)


MOE is the Ministry of Education!

[barb cruz]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

the government will not give her any money because they dont think children as young as 3 need to be in school.
her school is for children 3 to 6 years old they not only provide an education but they provide a hot meal and for some its the only meal of the day.
I will do anything in my power to help them, if anyone has a suggestion it would be greatly appericated

[Gen]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

ok so is she receiving funding from the govt. for the children OVER the age of 3 ?

[barb cruz]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

No her school receives no government funding .
Even though the government does not fund the school in any way the school still has the same requiements as a goverment funded school( liscensed teachers,curriculum,fire safety,ect..)
that stuff cost money to get the proper documents,fire equimpment ect.
with the money collected from parents for the meals and donations and fundraisers she funds the whole school the last couple of years some of the parents became unempolyed, sick and could not pay every week ,but for the childrens sake ruth still let them come and eat and learn everyday she even has counciled the parents on better parenting,birth control ect...

go to the website there is alot of info on the school and the people who run things.
I have never met a more selfless person than Ruth Mclish she has transformed so many childrens lives since she opened the school and is as close to a saint as mother thresa was.
thanks for your concern

[evanovitch]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mrsbcruz</div><div class="ubbcode-body">thanks for your concern. <span style="font-weight: bold">the jamaican government made them spend alot of money to get the school up to compliance last year but they still will not help because they dont think the children need pre school </span> </div></div>

<span style="font-weight: bold">Golding defends spending on early childhood education</span>


Friday, October 31, 2008



<span style="font-weight: bold">PRIME Minister Bruce Golding has rejected a recent statement by Joan Neil, Organisation of American States (OAS) director, that Jamaica's spending on early childhood education comes at the expense of successive education levels</span>.

&quot;Now we are being told that we are being foolish. That is not the word that was used but that is what was meant. I do not necessarily accept that,&quot; Golding told a high-powered gathering of public and private sector workers at the National Productivity Conference 2008 in Kingston Tuesday.

Neil, who was speaking with the Observer after addressing the opening session of the two-day Caribbean Child Research Conference at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel last week, <span style="font-weight: bold">said that Government's current thrust to shore up early childhood education across the country is short-sighted and will not yield sustainable benefits. She said then, that Government was putting too much money into early childhood education alone and not enough for the children at higher levels.</span>

But said Golding: &quot;I found it strange because we were told before by international experts and organisations... that part of our problem is that we are not spending enough on early childhood education and it made a lot of sense to me.&quot;

<span style="font-weight: bold">He said over the past four years, the Government has taken a number of steps to improve the education, care and protection of the very young. Among them are the passing of the Child Care and Protection Act which paved the way for the Children's Registry and the Office of the Children's Advocate. It also set up the Early Childhood Commission to streamline the educational services at that level and has implemented mandatory registration of early childhood institutions.</span>

But that approach, according to Neil, was not enough to stem the tide of illiteracy and innumeracy, antisocial behaviour, unpreparedness for the labour market and unemployment among youth.

Said Golding: &quot;The primary level <span style="font-weight: bold">is a continuation of early childhood education</span>. That training has to be done. It is not a matter of resources, we are to spend $54 billion on education this year and that is not an insignificant amount of money; we need to spend more but we also need to make sure we are getting value for the $54 billion.&quot;

[Gen]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: mrsbcruz</div><div class="ubbcode-body">the government will not give her any money because they dont think children as young as 3 need to be in school.
her school is for children 3 to 6 years old they not only provide an education but they provide a hot meal and for some its the only meal of the day.
I will do anything in my power to help them, if anyone has a suggestion it would be greatly appericated </div></div>

the govt will not give her money because they dont want to fund children 3 years old.

why doesn't she apply for funding for the children OVER the age of 3 is what I am asking ? If the parents and private donors are unable to keep the school running then that is the only other option, do you not agree ?

[Gen]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

aye sah

[evanovitch]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

http://www.unicef.org/jamaica/index.html

maybe ur friend is not participating in the required updating of her qualifications re the teaching of children at that formative age....there is an active program with UNICEF...true , nuff falls thru the cracks in Ja BUT if dem did contact har fi she update di facilities as in the buildings, it is odd dat having done dat dem now ha no interest....

[evanovitch]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-weight: bold">There is almost universal enrolment of children in pre-primary schools (ages 3-5 years) - 96.8 per cent in 2004 (Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions, JSLC, 2006</span>), with an attendance rate of approximately 71.3 per cent. <span style="font-style: italic">While enrolment of children in pre-schools remains high, the quality of services is often poor.</span> According to official estimates, fewer than one out of three children entering grade one were ready for primary level, and some 30 per cent of primary school dropouts were illiterate.

</div></div>

rest to be viewed here

http://www.unicef.org/jamaica/early_childhood.html

[evanovitch]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

it is the issue of the quality of service that is provided that the government is seeming trying to effect change ...nuff school stawt a yaad ...a feeding program is one ting but teaching such young minds properly is anodda

[barb cruz]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

thanks for your suggestions everyone! I will pass the unicef info on to ruth to see if they will help in some way.
I'm very grateful for all your suggestions I worry so much about the children being a former teacher myself and I always try and help somehow.

[blugiant]

Re: Jamaican children in need (please read)

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: evanovitch</div><div class="ubbcode-body">it is the issue of the quality of service that is provided that the government is seeming trying to effect change ...nuff school stawt a yaad ...a feeding program is one ting but teaching such young minds properly is anodda </div></div>

da guv luv fii chatt out de side aff itt mouth bout qualitee miseducation wen nah fund itt. free miseducation butt wan text book fii 20,000 dollars