Uzazi Foundation brings support to schools in rural and urban areas of Jamaica

BY PAUL JUNOR

It has been four years now since the Uzazi Foundation has been influencing young lives. The Canadian-based charity was founded by Devon Dunn, and has been making a difference in the lives of students in rural and urban areas of Jamaica.

According to its website: uzazi.ca, the mission of the group is captured in its name. “UZAZI” is Swahili meaning “Birth” and was conceived from a dream and a need to make a difference in the lives of children in the developing world. Having worked within school systems for decades they felt skilled and empowered enough to assess, appreciate and strategically support schools in the developing world.

I interviewed Devon, and he shared interesting details and information about the mission, vision, and values of the organization and what motivated him and his team to become involved in different projects across Jamaica. Devon was born in Jamaica where he completed his primary and continued his studies in Canada. He studied Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University in Ottawa and through his exposure to the Jamaican community he was influenced to become involved in volunteer work.

Although Devon comes from a privileged background, he was always aware of the needs of the disadvantaged, downtrodden, and those who were less fortunate. The website reveals that it was after researching Africa and Caribbean countries that the decision was made to start supporting Mount Hermon Primary and Infant School in St. Catherine Jamaica. “Mount Hermon was our first and their needs were amazingly achievable for us. Basic school furnishings, audio video equipment, WIFI networking equipment, science models, fencing, thousands of library books, computers, and much more.”

Devon shared with me that Uzazi has taken over a forty-year-old Canadian charity called Jamaica Self Help.  According to the website:https://jhscanada.org, Jamaica Self Help was founded in 1978 by two teachers, John and Rosemary Ganley from Peterborough, Ontario, It was created with a vision to end poverty and a mandate to support education and community development programmes. Uzazi will continue to sustain the vision of this organization.

Devon shared with me that Uzazi is currently involved with eight schools with over

15,000 students. Canada benefits in that we save furniture, and used science equipment from the landfills sustaining our environment while helping children learn and grow.

Uzazi is constantly looking for donations and volunteers and anyone interested can check:

Website: https://uzazi.ca/

Facebook: @uzazifoundation

Instagram: uzazifoundation