Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness on Friday (May 29), toured the Voluntary Organisation for Uplifting Children (VOUCH) Group of Schools, located at National Heroes Circle in Kingston.
The Prime Minister, who is a former Executive Director of the organisation, visited the facility, following a tour of West Kingston.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. [It] certainly gave me a grounding in provision of social services for communities, particularly inner city [and] urban communities. Standing here, it’s just a lot of memories coming back, so I am very happy to be here,” Dr. Holness said.
“I’m very happy to see that you have expanded your services to have a special education department, which is becoming now, a very much in demand service. What I’m particularly pleased about, is the level of care that is given. Clearly, your staff is of the highest level of not just competence, but care and compassion,” he added.
The Prime Minister pointed out that VOUCH survives on the kindness of its donors, and on the generosity of volunteers who give their time.
He also applauded the management for the increased level of care and compassion shown to hundreds of children who attend the VOUCH Sylvia Foote Basic School, but also the significant improvements to the structure.
Dr. Holness however pointed out that repairs were needed in some areas and have committed to paying for the repairs of at least one room.
A non-governmental agency, VOUCH, which was created in 1979 with the merger of two children’s organizations – the Child Welfare Association and the Jamaica Children’s Service Society.
Ideally located at National Heroes Circle, Kingston, VOUCH primarily caters to the immediate communities of Fletcher’s Land and Allman Town in Kingston, but also reaches out to families in other communities.
The entity now consists of four departments including a nursery, pre-school, basic school and a special education unit which caters to children with various disabilities.
