Vegetable farm in Trench Town, started
with seeds and materials furnished by Operation Restoration
At the time Operation Restoration started its ministry, there were neither governmental nor other community organizations to which the people could go in order to have their social needs met. Young men and women who were sitting idly at home or on the street corners soon came to the Centre seeking opportunities for self-reliance. It was out of this need that Operation Restoration developed and implemented three major community projects.
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Vegetable farm in Trench Town, started
with seeds and materials furnished by Operation Restoration |
1. Vegetable Farm
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Donovan English, standing on the farm |
Our first financial contribution came from Ziggy Marley, who wanted to do something beneficial for the community in which his famous father was raised. Operation Restoration assisted 14 young men in starting a vegetable farm in Trench Town. The impressive activities of these young men soon came to the attention of the Governor General who assisted them further by providing building materials and supervision from his Aides, as well as managerial training from the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce.
Located on the border of Rema and Jungle, the farm was an immediate success and started pulling the communities even closer as people came to buy the vegetables. The farm has since attracted Government assistance, has now gone into chicken rearing, has become self-financing and now helps to serve the nutritional needs of the community.
2. The Restoration Christian School
The Restoration Christian School, originally the Restoration Educational Centre was started in 1997 when it was observed that a high percentage of children and teenagers in Trench Town (even some attending regular schools) were unable to read and write. This school grew from an initial enrolment of four boys to 12 boys and two girls within one week. A year later enrolment grew to 54 boys and 12 girls ranging from 10 to 18 years old and the enrolment as of September 1999 stood at 96 boys and 20 girls.
The programme has experienced phenomenal results as students have achieved varying levels of competency, ranging from learning the alphabet and starting to read to students being able to sit external exams—Grade Nine Achievement Tests. The pass rate was three out of seven. Personnel from the Ministry of Education have congratulated the Centre for this outstanding achievement as some of these students were not functional on entering the School some 18 months earlier. Some students have acquired skills needed for entry to mainstream secondary and vocational institutions.
It is one of the cornerstones of the project that parents should meet some of the cost of the services provided and thus a nominal fee of $JA1,000 per school term is charged. Not only is there the objective of cost recovery, but also the intention to impart value to education and build self-respect. Due to the success of the programme, the rate of compliance has increased from 30% to 80% as parents began to recognize the value of the programme.
In our efforts to break the "freeness mentality" in these communities, we have found ways and means for children to earn subsidies. Children are assigned various chores, which range from cleaning classrooms to marketing and gardening, and earn payment in the form of lunches, school fees, etc. Last summer, many students earned money for fees and books by working on the construction of the new classrooms.
We have a few sponsors for those children who are unable to pay fees and assistance also comes in kind. One benefactor has been donating several dozens eggs each month for our breakfast programme, which began when it was observed that children could hardly stay awake during the morning sessions. Most had had nothing to eat and for many a 'bag juice' (colored sugar and water) was breakfast.
Jamaica Broilers has been donating two cases of chicken for the past three years and a healthy, balanced, hot lunch is served daily for a subsidized price of $30 even though only half the children pay. No child is ever turned away, not even those we suspect of trying to outsmart us by claiming they have no lunch money. About 80 percent of the children just can't afford to buy lunch every day.
The work of the School has in recent times begun to gain the recognition of the policy-makers and is being hailed as the 'only thing happening in Rema—the ray of hope'). One politician, speaking at the recently held Awards Presentation, plans to bring the Minister of Education to observe the programme with a view to its replication in other schools in the area that have been unable to make any inroads regarding the problems of illiteracy.
This successful programme has been creating waves nationally and internationally. The school has been featured on both our local television stations, many newspaper articles have been written and we are constantly on the radio. A moving, recent radio interview featured a 15-year-old who told the listening audience that he was called "Plugger", because he was a sharp-shooter. However, since enrolling in the school he has learnt to spell his name, which has given him so much pride, that he no longer wants to hang out with gunmen. A doctor was so touched while listening to programme on his car radio he called on his cell phone for guided directions to the school and made a substantial contribution to help other deserving children.
Excerpts of a recent BBC interview were aired on its "Crossing Continents" programme and a listener from Allier, France wrote to say, "The children from your school were so moving when they spoke about their terrible experiences that they brought tears to my eyes. I would like to do something to help your school."
Because so many of the children have been traumatized from experiences of violence, physical abuse, incest, and rape they are filled with anger and hostility and break into fights easily. It is not our policy to beat children, but discipline is firm and our rules are strictly enforced. We have determined that the power of love accomplishes wonders and we never underestimate the ability of courageous acts of love to transform lives of children. It is our practice to lavish huge quantities of hugs and words of encouragement and we have seen miraculous transformations of cold, hardened hearts.
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Chicken Farm in Rema, started with funds from Operation Restoration |
3. Chicken Farm
Started in Rema with funds from Operation Restoration.
4. Natural Juice and Restaurant Kiosk
The picture shows a Natural Juice and Restaurant Kiosk designed by Operation Restoration now under construction in Arnett Gardens (Jungle). Funds for this venture were provided by donations and sources from Operation Restoration.
