The efforts of RISE Life Management Services in providing remedial education and other social intervention programmes to inner city communities, was recently strengthened by the donation of One million four hundred and twenty five thousand dollars (J$1,425,000) by Petrojam Limited.
The symbolic cheque was handed over to Executive Director of RISE Life, Sonita Abrahams at a brief presentation ceremony held at the offices of Petrojam on Tuesday, January 14, 2014.
The donation will assist with the organization’s operational expenses and revive the RISE Kidz Club which reaches over 900 inner-city children in communities such as Drew’s Land, Fletcher’s Land, Waterhouse, among others. The RISE Kidz Club provides these children the opportunity to participate in supervised after-school recreational and educational activities. Funding for that programme ended last year.
In presenting the cheque to Mrs. Abrahams, Petrojam’s Manager, Human Resources Development and Administration, Andrea Bent, commended RISE LIFE for its remarkable efforts in developing and empowering children within the inner city communities and encouraged them to continue with programmes such as the KIDZ Club, based on its vast potential.
“When we were approached by RISE LIFE, they highlighted that the Kidz Club programme was under threat due to a lack of funding. After learning about the extent and reach of this programme, we knew that we had to assist in ensuring its continuity,” she noted.
“We thought that it was very far reaching as it assists the young persons to get that care and advice from you as they come into your institution. We are very happy for this partnership and to be able to work with your organization in ensuring the development of our nation’s youth,” Mrs. Bent added.
Mrs. Abrahams expressed her appreciation for the donation, adding special thanks or the injection of funds in the RISE KIDZ Club, which she noted provides a safe haven for many of these children.
“We give them life skills but what we are creating for them is a healthy, happy, safe home away from home, an environment where they want to come to and feel loved and accepted,” she stated.
“It is good for us to know that as a non-governmental organization which relies solely on grants and company donations that we can have a partner like Petrojam and hopefully this partnership can be maintained so we can focus less on fundraising and more on the work we need to focus on.
