Pamputtae continues to support Fletcher’s Land

Recording artiste Pamputtae has become a beacon of light for single mothers in her home community of Fletcher’s Land. Her Single Mother Foundation, established in 2018, has provided scholarships, book grants, and an annual back-to-school treat that has eased the financial burden associated with back-to-school costs.

Speaking with The Gleaner, the dancehall artiste, whose given name is Eveana Henry, said she knows the hardships families are facing. “I was young too and growing up it never easy. One time, every treat weh keep I always wanted to go to win sumn so mi know how the youths feel. It’s so good to put a smile on the children’s faces because some of them go through a lot of stuff as little as they are. I lost my mother when I was 10,” said Pamputtae.

She said she believes that children should have the necessary supplies for school. “Every child should have two school shoes or two school bags whether their mothers can afford it yes or no because when I was growing up, in the midst of things, my school shoes and bag mash up and sometimes when it mash up, your parents don’t have [it] to buy it back right away,” she said. She is adamant that children should not suffer the consequences when these things happen, especially when it greatly affects their academic journey.

As a single mother herself, she states that she is able to better empathise with their struggles. “One time I had to walk and look $10 just to buy a pamper. I couldn’t buy two or even a pack of Pampers. So it’s really something that lives in me and I really want to make a difference,” she said. “When it comes on to back-to-school, I can tell you about it, the bags, the books, the textbooks, lunch money, sometimes private lessons and other things are really expensive. I’ve walked, I’ve slept it, I’ve talked it, I’ve cried it, I’ve laughed it, so I know everything about this. They acknowledge mothers all the time, but you see single mothers it’s a different thing when you wear both caps as mother and father,” she added.

The fifth staging of the initiative, held on Tuesday, at the Fletcher’s Land Community Centre, benefited over 100 families. Children were equipped with all the back-to-school essentials, such as school bags, books, school stationery and snacks and were also treated to rides, lunch, face painting and a live stage show.

Arising for her single, Single Mother, the Single Mother Foundation, to date, has assisted approximately 1,500 students. Sponsors such as Nestlé, Tru-Juice, Sunshine Snacks, Chicken & Tings, Exceptional Shipping and several others have played a significant role in helping the foundation achieve its mandate. Even in the height of the pandemic, Pamputtae confesses that she still had to find a way to give back and recounted driving to Fletcher’s Land and surrounding communities where she provided care packages consisting of school bags and other stationery items.

Though she provides monetary assistance, she also acknowledges, that from her experience, a kind word goes a far way and had some advice for mothers and their children. “As a single mother you have to love yourself. Sometimes as a single mother you have to wear the less, eat the best and save the rest. You have to hold your own till you own your own. You have to work with what you have till you get what you want. A nuh every style and everything [that] comes in fashion you must run down. As a single mother, you have to learn how to love, learn how to appreciate, learn how to save and economise,” she said. “As a child, you have to love your mother and you have to work with your mother and what you see. Learn to satisfy as a child, work with your mother and be grateful, thankful and appreciate your mother.”

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