Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
Tanya Wildish, board chair for Salvation Army Eastern Jamaica, addresses the media during a press briefing at the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired in St Andrew, while Major Devon Haughton, divisional commander/executive director of the Salvation Army Eastern Jamaica, listens.

The United States missionary group, that had cancelled plans to travel to Jamaica this month after another group was robbed at the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired, has changed its decision and will arrive on July 15.

The 39 missionary students were robbed on Monday morning.

Yesterday, Tanya Wildish, board chair for the Salvation Army Eastern Jamaica Division, told journalists that the missionary students, who were robbed at gunpoint, were doing well and had had a positive experience while in Jamaica, despite the incident.

Pleased

She also reported that another missionary organisation Adventures in Missions, has changed its mind since the robbery and would now be coming to Jamaica.

"We are very pleased that they have decided to continue with their plan to come and mission to Jamaica," Wildish said during a press briefing at the Salvation Army's St Andrew offices.

Wildish said as a result of the incident, the Salvation Army was now on a drive to obtain additional money to provide better security for the persons who use its facilities and serve the organisation.

The Salvation Army has dubbed the initiative, 'Preserving Hope - A Campaign to Keep Safe the Helpers and the Helped'.

It will seek to raise money to improve security fences, lighting, electronic surveillance, and provide security personnel.

"This is the first time the Salvation Army has had to come up with an initiative for fund-raising particularly for security and it is unique to the Caribbean," Wildish said.

"Unfortunately Jamaica is going to be the guinea pig for this campaign."