The town of Negril, Jamaica is known by most of the world as a vacation haven. With it’s seven mile white sand beach and crystal clear water it seems like a dream. However, to the majority of the local people living there it is more like a nightmare. The level of poverty in Jamaica is vast and with the economy being almost completely controlled by foreign money, Jamaica is at a standstill.

Jamaican people work night and day barely scraping by, it seems like they are on an economic treadmill because there are really no opportunities to excel. The government is in an enormous amount of debt and as a result these foreign companies are allowed to prosper enormously from Jamaica’s land, resources, and its people, while leaving Jamaica with nothing.

This cycle of debt, poverty, and dependence on foreign money must be stopped for Jamaica to have a future. The only way to change anything is to educate the youth of Jamaica. With the right education these bright young minds can strengthen the economy and create a new Jamaica. A place where there are opportunities for Jamaican people to build a better life for themselves and generations to come.

Restore Humanity wants to build a school in Negril to help ensure the youth are being educated. We would begin with a primary school and if our model works hopefully build a secondary school. We want the school to also be a hurricane shelter for the local people in that area because they have no shelter if a major storm comes. It is important to build it very strong initially, so that it can withstand anything. We will be using part of the building as a community center that provides a variety of classes that focus on important issues such as childcare and women’s empowerment, as well as provide various job skills programs to give encouragement and assistance to the community.

For the children we would like to have sports programs and after school activities to give them positive ways to spend their time, at the same time keeping them out of trouble. At some point we would like to offer daycare services for the community to stimulate the pre-primary children to give them love and structure at a young age that will stay with them throughout their lives. Finally, Restore Humanity wants to start a scholarship fund for the children at the school to provide a higher education for them, so that they can help uplift Jamaica and possibly change the world.

Restore Humanity’s board members are going to Negril this December to lay the groundwork for this very important project.