Petersfield Primary and Infant School in Westmoreland has a new playground, thanks to the infusion of US$25,000 by the Joseph and Vera Douglas Family Foundation.

The foundation, which was established eight years ago in partnership with the Lasco Chin Foundation, is erecting a brand new playground at the school that has a student population of 700. This is one of the activities undertaken by the foundation as part of their outreach to the school and the wider community of Petersfield.

The initiative received strong support from the school’s administration, parents, teachers, community members and other stakeholders, led by Custos Hartley Perrin, chairman of the school board.

Outside of erecting the playground, parents and teachers gave the school a facelift, applying a fresh coat of paint to the exterior walls of the school and sprucing up the school’s garden.

According to Rachel Barrett-Dolcine, founder of the Joseph and Vera Douglas Family Foundation, her foundation’s investment in a playground is part of her family legacy in helping persons who are at risk.

“It was alarming to know that my grandmother, my mother and myself attended this school and that the school was not equipped with a playground. Therefore, it was crucial for me, as a legacy project, to create a space for the kids to play,” Barrett-Dolcine said.

“I am really passionate about children and their learning environment, so one of the projects we discussed very early was a play space to help them develop their motor skills and to further support their parents in how their children will socialise with each other,” she said.

The Joseph and Vera Douglas Foundation is an organisation that serves at-risk communities in Jamaica by providing educational and healthcare support and workshops, as well as advocating and providing entrepreneurship training for women.