ST. THERESA'S LITERACY PROJECT –

                                     HELPING CHILDREN REACH THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

St. Theresa’s Literacy Project is the only rural project currently supported by Jamaican Self-Help. There are four schools participating in the project: Annotto Bay All Age School, May River Primary School, Mt. Joseph Primary School and Enfield Primary and Junior High School. Through the commitment and ongoing efforts of the project co-ordinator and her dedicated teachers, children are learning to read and gaining the confidence needed to reach their full potential.

St. Mary, on the north-east coast of Jamaica, is considered one of the poorest parishes on the island. Residents of this area face many challenges. Most families work in agriculture – either on their own subsistence farms in the mountains, or in the banana plantations that spread out along the flat coastal areas. The area is prone to storms and flooding which can be devastating for the farmers and can cause many disruptions to daily life. With a reliance primarily on agriculture, St. Mary residents also feel the brunt of shifts in world economic and trade priorities and agreements.

In the mountain communities, few people own vehicles. They use taxis to travel into town to work or school --- often a small car is full with 7 or 8 passengers, taking the long ride down dirt roads full of potholes. Many times there are no taxis, or if it rains the roads are impassable. Bringing crops to market, or travelling to and from work, is almost always a challenge. In the town of Annotto Bay, residents work in the banana plantations surrounding the town, or in services in other communities. Many people here take occasional jobs and face frequent bouts of unemployment.

A number of small primary schools have been built in the remote communities in the mountains, including Mt. Joseph and May River Primary Schools. The children generally come from families who farm their own land, often sharing food with their neighbours. Typically a child will have a banana or an egg and a piece of bread for breakfast, before walking to school. Many parents have had little formal education themselves, and some keep their children back from school several days a week to help with the household chores.

May River Primary School is very small, with only 55 students in Grades 1 to 6. St. Theresa’s literacy project includes 14 students from Grades 1 to 6. At Mt. Joseph School, there are 28 children in the literacy class out of a total school population of 90. In both cases, the literacy project has had a tremendous impact on the students and the school as a whole. For example, 8-year old Lidj was living in Kingston, but his family wanted to keep him away from the problems of the city, so he moved to St. Mary to live with his aunt. Lidj’s father was very concerned that his son could not read. The teacher at May River School tested him and found he knew 23 letters but did not know the sounds. After just three months in the literacy class, Lidj was able to read at a Grade One level and wished he could spend the whole day in the Reading Room. With this kind of success, the student populations in both schools have grown recently as parents in these communities want their children to attend these schools.

Annotto Bay All Age School is a large school in the middle of town where about 500 children from Grades 1 through 6 play in the dusty courtyard. Many families in Annotto Bay are struggling; the evidence can be seen in the children who act out with disruptive behaviour, and who may come to school with only a “bag juice” for breakfast. Many parents cannot read and are embarrassed to admit that they cannot help their children with homework. At this school, the literacy project has four teachers who work with over 70 children from all grades.

Just outside of the town of Annotto Bay, Enfield Primary and Junior High School includes students from Grades 1 to 9. Two literacy teachers work with 66 students. The teachers describe one student who has made great strides in a very short time: Derrick was a Grade 8 student who loved to play soccer and watch TV, but he could only read at a pre-primer level. He was shy and a little anxious to join the literacy class. He told the teachers that he “wanted to read so badly, but did not want a teacher who would be rough, but rather have patience with him.” St. Theresa’s teachers encouraged Derrick to apply himself in class, using computers to help motivate him. By the end of the school year Derrick had shown a vast improvement and was reading at a Grade 5 level! He is now no longer afraid to read and he gets help at home from his grandmother and sister.

There are many other success stories at each of the four schools. As Project Co-ordinator, Stacy Wilson has multiple roles – she assists the seven project teachers with literacy techniques, and supports them in any challenges they face; she works with the students if a teacher is absent or needs extra help; she documents and tracks student progress, and reports to the Board of the Literacy Project as well as Jamaican Self-Help. Much of her time is spent travelling to each school to offer assistance as needed. Jamaican Self-Help congratulates Stacy, the staff and the students of St. Theresa’s Literacy Project for their efforts, and will continue to support this project that has shown such a positive impact.

St. Theresa’s Literacy Project is partially funded by the K.M. Hunter Charitable Foundation and the Elementary Teachers’ Federation of Ontario (ETFO).

Charitable Registration Number: 89733 7150RR0001