| New Broughton Primary Gets New Bathrooms |
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The
newly constructed sanitary facility has replaced the unhygienic and unsafe pit
latrines, which have been in existence since the school was established some 57
years ago.
“I
am so elated for this donation because students, teachers and parents were
becoming quite discouraged at the sight and smell of the pit latrines,
especially during the rainy season,” stated principal of the institution, Mr.
Fitzroy Francis.
According
to Mr. Francis, the school and its Board were not financially able to construct
proper bathrooms for the students, ages 6 to 12 years old. As a result, several
written requests were made to public and private entities seeking help for
proper sanitary facilities but no response came until “Food For The Poor and
the Japanese Embassy came to the school’s rescue, putting an end to our
misery,” he said.
In
explaining the benefits that the new facility will have on the 112 enrolled
students, Mr. Francis said, “the bathrooms will have a profound impact on the
sanitation and health of the student population, they will feel more
comfortable and secure, attendance will definitely improve and the
teaching-learning process will be enhanced.”
The
facility, with male and female partitioning, is equipped with seven toilets,
four wash basins and a urinal. New
The
donation was made subsequent to the launch of Food For The Poor’s Islandwide
School Sanitation Programme in 2006, which seeks to replace pit latrines with
modern bathroom facilities in basic, primary and secondary schools across the
island.
Speaking
at the official handing over ceremony at New Broughton Primary recently,
Ambassador to Japan, Mr. Hiroshi Yamaguchi said, “from the People of Japan… to
the People of Jamaica here at New Broughton Primary, we are proud to see this
new state-of-the-art facility with modern conveniences that, from today
onwards, will provide an effective, conducive teaching and learning environment
for all students and teaching staff. A small gift from
The
nine other schools that will benefit from the partnership are Bellas Gate All
Age in St. Catherine, Thompson Town Primary and Mt. Carmel All Age in
Clarendon, Devon Pen Primary and Derry Primary in St. Mary, Top Hill Primary in
Manchester, Kentucky Primary and Junior High in Westmoreland, First Hill All
Age in Trelawny and Gutters Basic in St. James.
“Food
For The Poor’s sanitation programme is only possible through the generosity of
partners such as the people and government of
“We
continue to appeal to corporate
Since
the launch of the programme in 2006, over 7,000 students from 39 schools have
benefited from sanitation upgrades.
Food
For The Poor, the largest international relief and development organisation in
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CONTACT: Petri-Ann Henry
Tel: 984-5005; 907-3664; |
