SHELDON MILLINGTON:
FULFILLING HIS DREAM OF FIGHTING THE “PANDEMIC OF ILLITERACY”
Kingston, Jamaica: August 16, 2021 – Students across Kingston & St Andrew are the beneficiaries of a donation of over 40 tablets pre-loaded with a 25GB data plan, providing them with a well-needed resource to support their online learning. Sheldon Millington, an Ambassador of the Governor General’s I Believe Initiative, and the Flow Foundation collaborated on the life-changing gifts under the Foundation’s Tablet Distribution Partnership Programme – a sub-programme under its Digital Education Initiative.
Millington, whose passion for giving back, conceived the initiative as a way of commemorating his 39th birthday on August 10. He shared his deep concern for the hundreds of students whose education is currently negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and sought a way to make a difference. Through a partnership with the Tourism Enhancement Fund and the Flow Foundation, he was able to realize his dream of “enhancing the lives of vulnerable students in communities across Kingston & St Andrew”.
“I realized that since the pandemic started, a lot of vulnerable children are not currently engaged in the online learning system. If we don’t do something about it, we are going to have another pandemic on our hands. That pandemic will be called ‘Illiteracy’ and I don’t want that for Jamaica. It is said, “show me a prosperous country and I will show you an educated nation”. I want Jamaica to be a prosperous nation and the best gift you can give anyone is the gift of education. This is why I wanted to give these children a tool so that they can be positively impacted and become better future leaders,” Millington shared.
Sharing that the Flow Foundation was his best option for this venture given their long-standing history of supporting educational initiatives, Millington commented that he was not disappointed with the response from the Foundation saying, “You know when you have a dream and you see the dream coming true, there can only be joy. My joy is rising and I am so excited!”
Kayon Mitchell, Executive Director, Flow Foundation said, “We were happy to come on board for this initiative as we continue playing our part in supporting education across the country. Our children have been through a lot with this pandemic and as we approach another school year, it is imperative that we do all we can to ensure that more of those who are negatively impacted, are able to engage in the online learning programme this September. As we connect communities and transform lives, this partnership is a natural extension of our Foundation’s drive for digital inclusion at all levels of our society.”
The tablets were distributed on Millington’s birthday to students in the communities of Drewsland, Franklyn Town, Torrington Park, Whitfield Town and Standpipe among others. Both parents and students were present for the handovers in the various communities and expressed their joy at the opportunities that their children will now have to fully participate in online classes because of the gift of the tablets.
One such student, Joshua Clemetson of Torrington Park, stated happily, “I am happy that I now have my own tablet so that I can do my school work. It wasn’t so easy when I had to use Mommy’s phone.” His mother, Lisa Housen, also shared her own appreciation stating, “Words cannot express my joy that Joshua has been given a tablet. I know his school work will improve now that he has a device.”
Courtney Bell, Community Programmes Coordinator at the Flow Foundation, was present for the handovers
“We are committed to transforming the lives of students across the length and breadth of Jamaica. Today’s activities are at the heart of what we do. Students are now expected to effectively navigate the virtual space and so they must be given the necessary tools and devices if they are to succeed,” he said.
He continued, “We were happy to partner with Sheldon on this initiative as he shares our vision of bridging the digital divide.”
The Flow Foundation has had a long-standing history of using technology to support education in Jamaica through various initiatives and partnerships. The Tablet Distribution Partnership with Millington marks the fifth such initiative since the start of the year which has resulted in the donation of tablets and/or data to over 300 students across the country.
