Digicel Foundation’s Build Jamaica grant programme, has awarded grants to eight of the 14 community-based organisations this past Tuesday (November 8) at the Digicel head office in downtown Kingston.

November 2022 is the 18th anniversary for the foundation which has spent US$43.05 million in the country. Out of 245 applicants, 14 are to be selected as grant winners.

The eight grant winners awarded were from St Catherine, St Ann, Kingston, St Thomas, St Andrew, St Mary, Westmoreland and St James and are expected to impact areas including education, agriculture and community development.

“In the past 18 years, we are grateful that we could touch the lives of 748,000 Jamaicans,” said Jean Lowrie-Chin, Digicel Foundation chairperson.

“We will continue to forge ahead for Jamaica’s national development as we work with these fine awardees today to ensure that no one is left behind,” she continued.

The grants are part of the foundations Jamaica 60, $28-million commitment, and will be equally distributed across all 14 parishes.

Digicel Foundation will journey to Manchester to present a grant to the Northern Caribbean
University (NCU) next week Thursday (November 17) and the remaining five grantees will collect their
cheques before the end of the year.

Check out the video below:

Grant winners and their plans

The YMCA Spanish Town in St Catherine will utilise their grant to upgrade its computer lab to aid the teaching of boys from socially disenfranchised homes.

Anna Dallas, principal of YMCA Spanish Town, said: “This project is really to introduce our students to science process skills and to see our students apply these, especially in the areas of production and extraction of oils.”

The St Ann parish winners, Old Folly Youth and Community Club, will use their grant to expand its poultry
enterprise and to renovate its coop facility.

Alvin Gibson, vice-president of Old Folly Youth and Community Club, said: “Specifically there will be about four to five persons who will be directly employed. It’s a revolving project and we intend for it to be a sustainable programme.”

In Kingston, Denham Town High will use its grant to aid in the completion of the resource centre for the school’s literacy intervention programme, which is geared toward improving literacy levels in adolescents from grades seven to nine.

In St Thomas and Westmoreland, Amity Hall Primary School and Porters Mountain Primary School respectively will use their grants to build perimeter fences to prevent animals that are known to frequent the schools from scaring students and damaging school property ad well as safeguard against potential intruders.

In St Andrew, Joy Town Foundations will use their grant to assist with the creation of a Community Wellness, Health and Training Centre, which will help at-risk youth become more purposeful about life.

In St James, the Pitfour Community Development Committee will use their grant to develop a Technology Park.

In St Mary, the Lewisburgh Primary & Infant School will be using its grant to renovate the school’s kitchen.