New York, USA — As the new school term approaches, several Jamaican diaspora organizations in the United States are intensifying their efforts to support education and healthcare initiatives across the island.
The Global Jamaica Diaspora Council for the Northeast U.S. and the Jamaica Ex-Servicemen and Women Foundation have teamed up to secure over $9 million to assist students in 18 schools with essential supplies, including computers, uniforms, and footwear.
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“An estimated 3,000 students and staff will benefit from this initiative,” said Stanford Grant, head of the Jamaica Ex-Servicemen and Women Foundation. The schools set to receive aid are located across several parishes, including St. Catherine, Kingston and St. Andrew, and Westmoreland.
Michelle Tulloch-Neil, representing the Global Jamaica Diaspora Council for the Northeast U.S., noted that the beneficiary schools range from basic and primary to infant and high schools. She added that representatives from both organizations will personally distribute the supplies at the Jamaica Legion on South Avenue, Swallowfield, Kingston.
In addition to these donations, Tulloch-Neil said that some students facing financial hardship, as well as high achievers needing further support, will receive individual grants of US$300 each. “Due to financial constraints, this amount has been reduced from the usual US$500,” she explained.
Grant also highlighted that the Jamaica Ex-Servicemen and Women Foundation plans to donate computers to Port Henderson Primary School in St. Catherine, Operation Friendship, and The Scout Association of Jamaica’s headquarters in Kingston. The foundation is also working to establish a learning center in August Town, St. Andrew, utilizing an existing building. “We intend to use the facility to teach students coding skills—the foundation of software and digital systems that enable computers to perform specific tasks,” Grant told reporters.
Beyond education, other diaspora groups and individuals are preparing or have already contributed toward health care projects. Elder Benjamin Powell of the North Bronx Seventh-day Adventist Church in New York shared that he and his church are partnering with the Good Samaritan Inn in downtown Kingston—a center serving homeless individuals—to enhance its services.
Powell said a team of 20 to 30 volunteers, including doctors and nurses, will travel to Jamaica on July 15 and 16, 2025, to provide medical care. The team will also bring non-perishable food, medical supplies, and clothing.
Similarly, the New Jersey-based Help Jamaica Medical Mission, co-founded by Dr. Robert Clarke and Dr. Rudolph Willis in 2010, is expanding its annual health care outreach. More than 500,000 Jamaicans have benefited from the mission’s screenings, medication distribution, and life-changing treatments over the years.
In Connecticut, retired social worker Primrose Hanchard-Taylor of the Hanchard Family Foundation said the health care services launched last year will continue during this year’s annual family reunion on August 2 in Mt. Regale, St. Mary. The focus will remain on screening for diabetes, high blood pressure, and providing medical and dental care.
Meanwhile, the New York Police Department’s Jamaican-American Law Enforcement Organization recently raised $1.2 million to support 60 Grade 12 students at Marcus Garvey Technical High School in St. Ann, ensuring they have the financial resources to complete their education.
Lastly, the Ex-Correctional Officers Association of Jamaica in New York is aiming to raise funds at its upcoming annual banquet to increase the number of scholarships it offers. Three scholarships are slated to be awarded at this event.
