Joan Conover, SSCA Coordinator and Salty Dawg Rally Dominica Rendezvous Host brought this to our attention. See below for how you can help the students at Roosevelt Douglas Primary School.
During the Dominica Yacht Appreciation Week, Feb 14-21st, participants had the opportunity to visit the local elementary School, Roosevelt Douglas Primary School, Portsmouth Commonwealth of Dominica, with Magoe Johnson of www.macarioadvantage.org. Imagine my shock to discover a school having funding cut to an extreme level, all due to Hurricane Erica damages last summer. It does make sense, the island’s road and other critical infrastructure were severely damaged, the government is only able to fund bare minimums of public services as it deals with the financial aftermath of the disaster. The government is doing the most they can with a limited budget, the same as any individual facing a natural disaster of this magnitude.
For a public school this even comes down to needing toilet paper for the restrooms. At RDPS, we found a devoted principal, Mr Terry Wallace, and his staff working to provide high quality education while facing tremendous logistical issues. Arriving vessels can contact Mr. Wallace at his rosezelle05@hotmail.com email address, or Mr. Huburt Winston (Seven Seas Cruising Association Cruising Host) at info@dominicamarinecenter.com.
Boats could bring the following items as gifts to help:
Dry Erase Markers for Whiteboard (Assorted Colors), Construction Paper Glue/Glue Sticks, Toilet Paper, Thumb Tacks, Paper Clips (small & large), White Chalk, Assorted Color Chalk, World Maps/ Caribbean maps/Globes, Heavy duty staplers. Pencils, Pens, Crayons, Rulers, Correction tape/fluid, Pencil sharpeners, First Aid Kits, Copy Paper.
