The programme is a collaborative effort between the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). It was recently launched at JN Money Transfer locations in Miramar and Lauderdale Lakes, Florida.

Saffrey Brown, general manager, JNBS Foundation, said the role of the JPE is "to collaborate with the ministry in coordinating, facilitating, and expanding the acquisition and distribution of offshore and domestic resources to improve Jamaican public schools in most urgent need."

The intervention will rely heavily on the support of Jamaicans living overseas, as well as tourists and other key stakeholders.

In addition to facilitating donations and distributing cash, goods and services in the targeted communities, JPE is to engage all stakeholders in the education process. These include the private sector, community leaders, business owners and parents, as advocates for policy change on a school-based, parishwide and national level.

Help from us

Business development specialist at USAID, James Burrowes, said the United States government's foreign aid agency will be providing critical financial resources to the project.

"We are confident that the Jamaica Partnership for Education will open doors for streamlining assistance to improve the quality of education in Jamaica," he said.

"It is innovative in that donors, both foreign and domestic, will be provided with timely evidence that their money is being used for the purpose for which it is intended."

Brown contends that Jamaicans in Florida are already receptive to the programme.

"On the first day, we received approximately 85 donations from first-, second- and third-generation Jamaicans, some of whom came out just to make a pledge," she said.

Brown said leveraging remit-tances, which brought in more than US$2 billion at the end of 2008, to repair Jamaica's education infra-structure was crucial.

"Both remittances and tourism represent potent revenue streams to finance improvements in the Jamaican school system," she said.

"We will be finding ways to use these opportunities to fix the broken education system, the results of which have long plagued the nation's global competitive position and internal stability."

Remittance streams steady

Though the global economic downturn has placed increased pressure on individuals and households to meet their financial obligations, Brown maintains that remittance streams into Jamaica "continue to be steady and strong".

Jamaica National's remittance company, JN Money Services, will be responsible for the collection and disbursement of donor funds contributed to the JPE, through its JN Money Transfer brand. JNBS members and customers can make contributions at any of the 18 overseas Money Transfer locations in the UK, US, Canada and Cayman. The programme will also extend to the New York com-munities Brooklyn and Bronx.