Photo Caption: Ariel Garriques (left) Individual Life Administrator, JN Life Insurance, drills screws into a dry wall as Shamoy Martin, Sales Support Officer, JN Life Insurance, watches during the refurbishing of Tidy Tots Educare in Black River, St Elizabeth. The early childhood institution which was badly damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa and was refurbished with assistance from JN Life Insurance and NORTAS Engineering and Contracting Ltd.
The staff and children of Tidy Tots Educare in Black River, St Elizabeth are celebrating a long‑awaited return to their classrooms after the early childhood institution, badly damaged during the passage of Hurricane Melissa, was refurbished with assistance from JN Life Insurance and NORTAS Engineering and Contracting Ltd.
Janet Clarke, principal of the day‑care and kindergarten centre, which serves children from two months to six years old, recalled the devastation that struck when Hurricane Melissa made landfall in October last year.
“The damage was significant,” she said. “We lost the roof, ceiling, partitions, windows and furniture. The wind destroyed everything.”
With the building rendered unusable, the institution’s 100 students could not attend school. Some of them stayed home, while others enrolled at different schools.
“We had to engage the parents to let them know what was happening because we had no roof,” Mrs Clarke explained. “Earlier this month, we got a temporary location at another early childhood institution in New Town. They allowed us to use three of their classrooms.”
The emotional toll on the community was immense.
“To see my hometown destroyed this way and that the younger children couldn’t come to day care or school was hard for us as teachers,” she added. “Other children had to move out of the community because their homes were destroyed. Currently we are only able to engage about 50 students.”
In the days following the storm, teachers and staff returned to the wrecked building to begin clearing debris. But it quickly became clear that restoring the school would require far more support.
“When I came here shortly after the hurricane to see the damage, all 13 members of staff were already here trying to remove the rubbish,” the principal said. “There were parents who tried to help, but we couldn’t do it alone. Many teachers and parents had lost their own homes, but we were determined to resume school.”
Assistant teacher Amoya James said the sight of the destruction was heartbreaking.
“We were so overwhelmed by the damage and the fact that the students wouldn’t be able to resume school. It was even harder because many of us were affected as well.”
Realising the urgency of the situation, Eleanor Muir, whose son attends Tidy Tots, recorded a video of the destruction, and shared it on her WhatsApp status. The school also launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise support for repairs.
“I found it necessary to seek assistance for Tidy Tots by way of social media because it is one of the leading early childhood institutions in the parish,” Mrs Muir said. “The curriculum shared with students, to include my son is incredible as creative skills are highlighted daily by the instructors. As such, I saw the need to highlight the damage caused by Hurricane Melissa to seek assistance to rebuild the institution because that would allow the students to continue their education journey.”
The video soon caught the eye of Susan Holness, Chief of Underwriting and New Business at JN Life Insurance.
“Ms. Holness came to visit us, and when she saw the devastation, she hugged me and said she would really like to help.”
“When I saw what Hurricane Melissa left behind, I felt sad and wanted to see it firsthand. After I visited, I initiated discussions at the next JN Life senior management meeting to see how we could assist,” said Mrs Holneess.
For Othneil Blagrove, Chief of Sales and Marketing at JN Life, the devastation hit close to home.
“The area where Tidy Tots is located has significant meaning to me because I spent most of my childhood there,” he said. “When I learned the school was affected, Ms. Holness and I knew we had to assist.” Ms. Holness then reached out to NORTAS Engineering and Contracting Ltd, whose CEO Nichlous Stewart immediately agreed to help. The firm committed to providing the labour free of charge, while JN Life purchased all the materials.
“From the passage of Hurricane Melissa, I had a burning desire to help with the rebuilding process,” Mr Stewart said. “I wanted to assist an early childhood institution or a home for the elderly. When Ms. Holness approached me, I was happy to help. My team was eager as well.”
“We are grateful for the assistance from JN Life Insurance and NORTAS. It means our students can now resume learning in a comfortable environment. We didn’t want to start school without a roof or under conditions not ideal for learning. Words cannot express our gratitude.”
