Spring Village diaspora committed to needs of community

The Spring Village Association is a charitable organization formed by residents from a community of approximately 5,000 people in south west St Catherine.

Majority of the members of the non-profit group resides overseas from where fundraisers are organised to support those back home.

In January of this year members came together and donated 21 tablets to the Spring Gardens Primary School – the alma mater of many expatriates who originated from the area – as the world desperately grapples with the massive impacts of the coronavirus pandemic.

The education sector was hard hit and given the deep underlining socio-economic issues that prevail in the community, the impacts brought on by the health pandemic will have a longer and more lasting negative effect on not only the students but the wider community.

“Many of the students were not able to participate in virtual school because parents were not able to buy learning devices. We heard stories of some children sharing their parents’ cell phone until it overheated or broken,” Babbington told Old Harbour News.

Funds to purchase the tablets were made possible by the donations made from members from all over the diaspora “to make sure these students are not left behind in this pandemic”.

“The Canada Chapter main goal is to work closely with the school to assess the needs and continue to reach out to the past residents and friends of Spring Village abroad to help us to provide for the students,” she added.

The Spring Village Association has been helping the sole government-run primary institution of learning in the community for many years. In 2018 its members hosted a homecoming reunion where several community persons were formally recognised at an awards function. The group also donated computers and air conditioned units to the primary school.

As is the case for everybody, the pandemic has created much uncertainty with the group having to cancel its yearly Mother’s Day fundraising dinner… proceeds from which they were planning to use to continue addressing the needs of its people back home.