After we first visited Lyssons Special Education School, we realized there was a real need for technology in the schools, even things we think of as rather primitive. Take for example the small Barbie toy computers. They have been available for about 10 years and have small monochrome LCD screens, yet they surpass most of the things we are seeing in the schools there. As a result, we have been purchasing them on eBay for an average of approximately $15 U.S., including shipping. We have carried over 30 of these into the country and have donated them to the Special Needs School as well as many of the basic schools. We are seeing teenagers coming to our mission home and some are challenged by these, even though, they are primarily for preschool to 2nd grade.
Recently, we saw the need for even more computer training. After searching for a place to build a computer lab in Port Morant, we learned that there had been one in the local Catholic church, but it had not functioned in over 4 years. So, we partnered with the Catholic church. They provided the facility and the personnel while we supplied the computers, the software, and the know-how. When we left, there was a functioning 7 station computer lab with approximately 20 educational software programs available.
Jamaica needs many of these computer labs and we hope to be able to develop more of them. Keys there for success are secure facilities and personnel. We hope we can make one available for the Stokes Hall community in the future.
Also, we have been active in building basic schools and adding onto them. In addition to the basic school we built at Stokes Hall, we built one in Pear Tree River and made a kitchen addition at Curtis Bottom Basic School.
