Thousands of school children in Anguilla will benefit from a 350 Thousand Eastern Caribbean dollar injection of funds from Flow, through the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation, which is being used to renovate the Albena Lake Hodge Comprehensive School, Information Computer Lab.
The Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation was set up by C&W Communications as a response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the devastating hurricanes in 2017, including the devastating Hurricane Irma which left Anguilla in a severe state of destruction. The Foundation’s mission is to connect communities and transform lives, with a priority of initially funding critical rehabilitation projects primarily for education-related initiatives.
Three hundred and fifty thousand dollars was donated to the Government of Anguilla to fund the renovation of two ICT lab at the ALHCS which were destroyed by last year’s hurricane. The funding contributed to the renovation exercise to restore a sense of normalcy through the upgrading and improvement of the two labs. Roof-work, painting, extensive repair, removal of a partition, installation of an air condition system and the networking and replacement of doors and light fixtures were just the beginning of the project. It also included the procurement of 70 mini computers with the necessary accessories, 32 work stations, 65 chairs, 2 interactive smart boards, 2 white boards, 2 multi-functional printers and a printing table with 1-year worth of cartridges, 2 laptops, 2 filing cabinets and educational ICT resources to the value of ten thousand dollars.
On Wednesday, 16th January 2019, the first lab was completed and handed over to the ALHCS’s principal, teachers and students by Mrs Dawn Reid, Education Services planner, Minister of Education Mrs Cora Richardson Hodge, Flow Country, Manager Desron Bynoe, Rotary President Ms Caroline Richardson-Hodge, and Principal of the ALHCS Mrs Rita Celestine-Carty at an opening ceremony held on the grounds of the ALHCS Campus B.
Mrs Cora Richardson-Hodge, Minister of Education, stated: “In the aftermath of Hurricane Irma, Flow was one of those business partners which reached out to the Ministry of Education to see how they can help. Given the destruction of the ALHCS, and the need to make provisions for ICT classes, both the Ministry of Education and Flow were eager to ensure that the situation was addressed. To the Flow Team, and the Rotary Club of Anguilla, a heartfelt thank you from the Ministry of Education and the Ministry. From all accounts the collaboration of this project was made easier because you took the time to engage in discussion with us to understand our needs and maintained open lines of communication. We are truly grateful for the investment you have made in our students.”
Mrs Caroline Richardson-Hodge, President of the Rotary Club of Anguilla, stated: “One of the areas of focus for Rotary International is to support basic education and literacy, reduce gender disparity in education and increase adult literacy. Assisting with this project was a great opportunity as it is aligned with Rotary’s foundation strategic aims of educating and empowering communities. Thanks to Rotary District 7020 Hurricane Relief Committee who also provided much needed assistance with this project. Special thanks to Mr Desron Bynoe, Flow Country Manager, and his team for their invaluable assistance with this project.
Thanks also to two members of Rotary Anguilla, namely our Treasurer Mrs Jackie Ruan and Mr. Seymour Hodge, senior advisor for special projects. I hope these smart boards, computers and other teaching aids will have long lasting, positive impacts on the students and their families.”
Country Manager at Flow, Desron Bynoe, says, Cable & Wireless continues to be committed to the Caribbean, and in particular markets affected by the 2017 Hurricanes including Anguilla which is demonstrated by the significant donation from the Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation. “The people of Anguilla, particularly the children, stand to benefit most from this generous donation as we focus time and resources to restoring life and infrastructure to a state of normalcy following one of the worst hurricanes to impact Anguilla. It gives us at Flow Anguilla, through the Cable and Wireless Charitable Foundation, complete gratification to be able to assist the youth who are our future leaders.”
Mrs Rita Celestine-Carty, principal of the ALHCS, noted that “we should adopt an aura of celebration as this is a wonderful day as we open our new ICT lab. I want you to take away, today, what the cost of this lab is – EC$350,000.00! That is a considerable amount! We are very impressed. We express our gratitude to Flow and Rotary for this contribution to our students who need these resources and for being partners in education. Thanks to all for this afternoon, for this formal handing over. Thanks to all our partners.”
