Food For The Poor is making history in the country where it started out 35 years ago. The organisation has built 100 schools throughout Jamaica, thanks to the generous support of its donors in the United States, Canada and Jamaica.
The school-building project started in 2012, when the organisation embarked on an ambitious goal, to build 50 schools in 50 months in honour of Jamaica's 50th year of independence as its gift to the nation's future generations.
Five years later, Food For The Poor has doubled the goal of its Jamaica 50 Campaign with the completion of its 100th school, Mount Zion Infant School in St Ann.
"This is a monumental accomplishment by our donors. We are deeply moved by the outpouring of support we've received over the past five years to make this incredible vision a reality. None of this would be possible without the Lord, and we are tremendously grateful for His blessings on this organisation's sincere desire to serve the poor," said Robin Mahfood, president and CEO of Food For The Poor.
"The Food For The Poor - Jamaica office and the contractors truly put their hearts into this project and accomplished a tough goal," Mahfood added.
Through the Jamaica 50 Campaign, 100 schools that were falling apart have been replaced with beautiful buildings with flush toilets, creating safe and inspiring places for students to learn. The new schools are also beneficial for the teachers and staff, who now are better equipped to help their young students to thrive.
"The best gift of all is the gift of knowledge. It's touching to know that many who have left Jamaica to pursue their dreams in Canada or the United States have remembered their homeland, the homeland of their parents and of their grandparents, to support this school-building campaign," Mahfood said.
"The donors through Food For The Poor Canada have done a tremendous job in supporting this campaign and we can't thank them enough for their loving support, and to reach this milestone as Jamaica celebrates 55 years of independence is really special," he added.