Fidelity donates 50 tablets to city kids across Kingston
EARLIER THIS month, the team at Fidelity Motors handed over 50 tablet computers, courtesy of Smart Mobile Solutions Jamaica (SMS), to the City Kids Homeschool Programme based in downtown Kingston. During the Christmas season, Fidelity Motors Limited chose to give back to their surrounding community in a way that would have a direct impact on the lives of some of the students being directly affected by our new virtual way of life.
Through their Christmas promotion they donated a tablet computer to the City Kids Homeschool Programme operating in the Southside community, on behalf of every customer that purchased a Nissan automobile from December 1 to January 30. The official handover was held at the Fidelity Motors Showroom in downtown Kingston and attended by City Life Ministries Programme coordinator, Pathelia Richards, along with two of the recipients of the tablets, parents and customers. Marketing & Sales Manager Melissa Bennett was pleased with the results of the partnership between their customers and the City Kids Homeschool Programme, and stated in her remarks, “In general, inner-city children already have such a hard time and the challenges brought on by COVID-19 have put them so much further behind than the average child. So when we looked into it we thought, how is it that we as a company can assist? That’s why we partnered with our customers, where for each car that was sold we would donate a tablet to an inner-city child through the City Kids Homeschool Programme. Based on the fact that we are located downtown and in the heart of the city, it was natural for us to look to our close environs to see how best we could assist and really make an impact, especially during this difficult time.”
Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the public education system, youth were adversely affected by the discontinuation of a structured learning environment. In an attempt to continue the educational curricula, schools provided classwork/ worksheets and online portals for students, with an expectation that parents would give necessary oversight. Unfortunately, many parents in the vulnerable communities across Kingston have not been able to handle the basic requests and requirements of the schools or capitalise on the resources provided online.
COVID-19 CHALLENGES
In September 2020, City Life Ministries responded by establishing the City Kids Homeschool Programme. This initiative focused on training parents in how to manage a home-learning environment, and provided them with basic resources needed to facilitate the new virtual-normal. Some resources include tablets, snacks, dry erase boards, learning tables, and other types of teaching supplies. “The extended challenges of COVID-19 on the educational system have increased the need for support of learning environments within the homes of our vulnerable communities. We, therefore, welcome the partnership of Fidelity Motors and the City Kids Homeschool Programme. Such efforts show the value of Fidelity Motors being an active member of the downtown community, as they continue to demonstrate leadership among the private sector through meaningful corporate social responsibility,“stated Carrington Morgan of City Life Ministries. The programme now operates in four communities: Parade Gardens, Tivoli Gardens, Waterhouse, and Fletcher’s Land. Approximately 50 parent-teachers and assistants have been trained, and over 125 children are active beneficiaries of the programme.