Yadel Home for Children seeks help to expand

The Yadel Home for Children, located in Old Harbour, St Catherine, has outgrown its facility and is seeking funding to improve and expand.

Evon Blair, director of the home, said the facility, which started in 2001 as a project of The New Testament Church of God, under the Women's Ministries Department, was established to provide shelter and care for girls from age 10 to 18.

"The facility opened initially with four girls; and over the past 17 years, has grown to accommodate 21 girls," she said as she underscored the need for expansion, and indicated that "the sleeping quarters, bathroom facilities and kitchen all need to be expanded".

PLAY AREA

Blair said that the play area for the youngsters was also in need of resurfacing.

"It is very difficult to have 21 young ladies all penned up in the home and not have suitable outdoor spaces in which they can play, exercise, and release their excess energy," she said.

In addition, she explained that the home needed to be secured.

"The security of our children is very important; and we need a security fence for the property; however, we would require assistance to achieve that objective," she said.

"'Yadel' is quite a strange name," she noted. "It means 'The hand of God extended'. We do hope that concerned persons will identify with us, and support us to address these needs."

The funding support programme for theYadel Home for Children is now located on the ISupportJamaica website, a crowdfunding platform, which is an initiative of The Jamaica National Group.

Phillip Lindsey, ISupportJamaica operations officer, at The Jamaica National Group, said persons can support the campaign by visiting the ISupportJamaica website.

"The website is a simple, creative, secure online facility through which Jamaicans, locally and overseas, along with friends of Jamaica, can provide financial support to microenterprises, and not-for-profit entities, such as the St Patrick's Foundation," Lindsey informed.

Interested persons can donate to this campaign by visiting the ISupport Jamaica platform at www.isupportjamaica.com, click on the Yadel Home for Children project; and then click the 'Fund Project' button, the operations officer explained.

Donations can also be made via PayPal; JN LIVE e-banking; by visiting any JN Bank branch, or MoneyShop; and through interbank transfers.