Hands Across the Sea – Handing Over Ceremony

Ocober 11, 2018

On Thursday 11th October, 2018, the Handing Over Ceremony of the Library resources from Hands Across the Sea (Hands) was held at the Conference Room of the Curriculum Unit of the Ministry of Education.

Hands, in collaboration with Mustique Charitable Foundation and Bank of Nova Scotia, was able to acquire 18,872 books and 8 Remedial Reading Kits which will be distributed subsequently.

30 schools in St. Vincent and the Grenadines will benefit from the distribution of the books with 20 Primary Schools and 2 Secondary Schools receiving books and 8 Secondary Schools receiving remedial reading kits, an increase from the 5 kits distributed in prior year.

There was a very colorful and well-arranged display of some of the books at the venue which showcased books relevant and relatable to Caribbean students.

MCF - Hands Across The Sea - Education Conf Room

Brief remarks were made by Enna Bullock (Hands-Literacy Link), Yvette Pompey (Hands-Literacy Link), Deborah Charles (Parliamentary Secretary-Ministry of Education) and Elizabeth Walker (Deputy Chief Education Officer), who all conveyed thanks to Mustique Charitable Foundation and Bank of Nova Scotia.

A very creative and interactive Choral Speaking accompanied by a drummer was performed by students of the CW Prescod Primary School which depicted their gratitude and excitement for receiving Hands books.

Several speakers conveyed theirs thanks to Lavinia Gunn for her tremendous contribution to Literacy over the last decade. Deborah Charles said that she was very pleased to see books of different learning levels and was extremely pleased to see books targeting boys which would encourage the boys to read. Kathleen Joyles, principal of Marriaqua Government School and a previous recipient of Hands books, did a reflection of the impact of Hands books. She advised that parents were also coming to the Library to read the books, so much so that she created a section in the Library for parents. Subsequently, parents were coming to the classroom to demonstrate their reading skills, becoming more interactive in their children’s learning and also now more equipped to help their children. Hence it can be said that the books not only impacted positively on the students but also on the entire family and the community as a whole.