Three students from each parish have received a grant of $175,000 through the Wisynco Group’s WATA Hydrate to Educate Initiative. Students attend schools including: Sydney Pagon STEM Academy and the Central, Rusea’s, Wolmer’s Boys, Porus, Fair Prospect, Mona, Jonathan Grant, Green Pond, Norman Manley, B.B. Coke, Marymount and, Aabuthnott Gallimore High Schools.
The grants will be used to assist students with pressing issues such as paying outstanding school/exam fees, acquiring laptops, purchasing books, or covering transportation costs. At receptions hosted recently at the Wisynco Headquarters in Lakespen, St. Catherine, and at the S Hotel in Montego Bay, the audience heard many stories of how pressing the needs were. In one instance a mother told of the passing of her husband and a former spouse, fathers of her two sons, in the space of two years and the impact that has had on the family’s stability. Another mother told of the tragic passing of the father of her three children and what that has meant for the education of her children.
One student, with tears rolling down her face said: “I’d like to thank Wisynco for this bursary as it will be able to pay my school fee and allow less stress on my guardian. My parents are not well-off and even though they try their best, we sometimes lack what we need for school. Thank you Wisynco.”
More than 5,500 nominations were submitted this year from across Jamaica.
“The WATA Education initiative is designed to allow as many students as possible to benefit from a total allocation of our $12 million dollar education fund. We have met principals, students and parents and are tuned in to what is most important to them. Everyone wants our youth to have the best outcomes and we have seen how access to additional financial support can help achieve this,” said Francois Chalifour, Director of Marketing and Business Development at Wisynco.
Of the three Hydrate to Educate grant offered to three students per parish, one school attended by a grant recipient received $300,000. The fourteen institutions are: Paul Bogle, Marymount, Jonathan Grant, Mona, May Day, Donald Quarrie, Petersfield, Titchfield, Marcus Garvey, St. James, Muschett, Rhodes Hall and Central High Schools and the Sydney Pagon STEM Academy.
Principals have reported plans to use the grant for projects including, improving security and safety, beautification, acquiring sports equipment and in one case, enhancing the deliver of guidance counselling services. Paul Bogle High School, located in the parish of St. Thomas plans to pool their grant to improve security and aesthetics.
“This has come just in time as we are raising funds to improve the entrance to our school. We want to make it more attractive and more secure. This is something we have wanted for a long while, as we believe the attractiveness of the entrance to the school can help set the tone for the students,” said Gary Fuller, a teacher who represented the principal at the reception.
Funds for the Hydrate to Educate initiative have come from the sale of commemorative 600 ml bottles of WATA, identifiable by their yellow labels. The limited-edition labels pay tribute to Jamaica’s achievements in sports with a spotlight on the contribution of women. Also featured on the labels is the WATA Give Back Pledge which commits a portion of the returns from the sale of each bottle to an education fund valued at $12 million.
