(M. Elcock/BGIS)
Through its Mabalozi Programme, the Commission for Pan-African Affairs (CPAA) will provide assistance to 14 schools in the islands of Tortola, Antigua and Barbuda.
Minister of Culture, Stephen Lashley, confirmed this today while speaking to members of the media during a press briefing in his Ministry’s conference room at Sky Mall.
In an effort to “bring some comfort and relief” to children in some of the islands severely affected by the passage of Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the Minister said that teachers involved in the Ministry’s Mabalozi Programme had conceptualised a project entitled, A Child Like Me.
The programme will pair several Barbadian schools with their counterparts in Tortola, Antigua and Barbuda. Students from the schools as well as all interested persons are then encouraged to bring items to the selected schools in an effort to provide relief to the young children in those countries.
Items being sought under the Mabolozi project are: stationery and other school supplies, books, board games and sporting gear for delivery and distribution by Mabalozi who are based on those islands.
Among the 14 Barbadian schools who will donate to their regional counterparts are: Blackman & Gollop Primary, Darryl Jordan Secondary, St. Catherine’s Primary and Christ Church Foundation School.
The Mabalozi (Kiswahili for ambassadors) Programme is an African-centred education initiative launched in 2010 in nursery, primary and secondary schools.
Persons interested in donating items may contact the CPAA at 621-2700. For a full list of the schools and their counterparts, persons may click here.