I stumbled across Collecteco online, trying to get help for the new charity I had set up. I set up The HummingBirds charity to help to develop communities in the Caribbean through sport. The fantasy was that I would set up a charity and a load of people would see what I was aiming to achieve and support us in all the many ways they could. Unfortunately, the brutal reality, is that even people I know, friends, barely supported in a way as easy as to follow on social media.
Not long after sharing the information of The HummingBirds charity, I received an email from Collecteco, in which they were offering me furniture. All I needed to do was tell them what I wanted, and I could either have it delivered or collect it myself. Again, this didn’t seem right – too good to be true! When I saw what Collecteco was offering, I saw help; I saw an opportunity that would help us to improve the resources being used by schools in the Caribbean. At this point, I had to call them to make sure all was real, not a scam, and I really only needed to tell them what I wanted. “Yes, please. Can The HummingBirds have some of that furniture?”. The answer was “yes, what would you like?”. I gave quite a long list, hoping, not knowing what to expect, but something is better than nothing. That was all confirmed over the phone and on we went.
We resumed contact with the Ministry of Education, which is based in Montego Bay, St. James. We had already spoken to this organisation a few times, researching and gathering information for The HummingBirds, and making clear the work the charity wants to do on the island. Having these meetings made us familiar with the organisation, exposed us to many issues within education in Jamaica, and started laying the foundations for a long-term relationship. Resuming contact with them at this point was to make clear to them the furniture we were delivering to Jamaica, and what we wanted to do with it.
It was primarily the Ministry of Education who decided what school, pre-school or basic school would receive what, helping those who needed what we were able to deliver. We made a trip to the parish of St. James in September 2022 to explore the work we had done. We personally met with the Ministry of Education again and they directed us to the schools they had already given furniture to. We visited some of the schools to see who, and how we had managed to help, and to see the furniture being used. As you can imagine, tables, chairs and whiteboards go a long way in helping to teach. To supply bins, a fridge and lockers really help to improve the setting, making things more comfortable. The relief and gratitude was evident on the teachers faces, along with the excitement of children being able to do more things for themselves, such as run a tuck shop! The tuck shop is now a useful source of income for the school. The school told me that the money raised by the tuck shop is mostly used to fund extra-curricular activities for the pupils, including subsidising swimming lessons and supporting the gymnastics club.
We believe that this is just the beginning of our work with Collecteco and helping in the Caribbean. It was quite a long journey for different reasons, but we have reached a destination, hit a target, and helped a lot of people. We have made it easier for many to learn and to teach in St. James, while we learnt our own lessons along the way. Seeing the results of our efforts still puts a smile on our faces and almost butterflies in our stomachs. Completing this project has added more fuel to our fire, given us more wind beneath our wings, wind that will help The HummingBirds fly. Collecteco help The HummingBirds fly!
Let's All Play!
#HelpTheHummingBirds