Hewitt Walker, SOS Children’s Village director, is impressed with the progress of his residents after a comprehensive upgrade by International Game Technology (IGT) of their After School Advantage (ASA) computer lab at SOS Barrett Town, St James.

“Previously, students lacked convenient access to information to complete their assignments but now we are grateful to have a dedicated space where the residents can efficiently access resources needed for their academic tasks,” said Walker. 

Generous donation

SOS Barrett Town was first equipped with an IGT ASA computer centre in 2013.  In a recent upgrade, the company replaced previously installed desktop systems with 10 brand-new laptops equipped with updated software. In addition, IGT has provided a laptop storage cabinet and versatile multipurpose printer.

In observance of International Literacy Month, representatives of IGT made a generous donation of books to SOS Barrett Town earlier this month, engaging residents in a reading session.

Hosted under the theme ‘#IGTreads,’ this initiative reflects the organisation’s commitment to supporting education while emphasising the importance of literacy and reading. The theme was created for an IGT read-aloud initiative last year.

Debbie Green, IGT general manager, says she is elated to see the progress and growth in the IGT decade-long partnership with SOS Children’s Village Barrett Town under its After School Advantage programme.

“We remain committed to partnership and continued support of our centres under our After School Advantage programme, and we embrace the opportunity to nurture lifelong reading among our students, understanding that in the pages of books, we venture into a world of possibilities,” said Green.

Tisha Wilson, IGT’s administrative supervisor, along with two team members, were welcomed by a host of youngsters at the children’s village, who were thrilled to receive this book donation. Upon seeing the range of books being donated, the youngsters could not contain their excitement.

Support United Nations SDG

This positive reaction was a major goal as IGT is encouraging reading and awareness around the significance of literacy. This is also in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Good Health and Well-Being, Quality Education, and Reduced Inequalities. 

“The children were just so excited,” said Wilson. “The goal is to raise awareness for reading and improve literacy among our children. With technology and the Internet, we don’t have many readers, so for me, I was very surprised when we came in and the students were picking up books to find their favourite stories – even without us planning to engage them at that level. It was heart-warming to see students still having that interest to read.”

Walker believes that this initiative has the potential to ignite a passion for reading among the residents, particularly in an era dominated by technology, where reading is less common and social media use is more prevalent.

“I think it was a very good initiative because we live in a technological age and a lot of children use technology for social media, as opposed to reading, so a donation of books to the SOS Children’s Village is a good venture. This is a very important donation because it allows the kids to be exposed to books so that they can delve into stories and read more,” said Walker.

He, too, was impressed by the reaction of the youngsters.

“I think the kids are quite happy. They are looking for the books that they like and are enjoying them so far. I am very happy to see this because this is not something that you see very often in the village,” said Walker.

Improved literacy

House mothers at SOS Children’s Village Barrett Town Juliet Campbell and Marcia Whyte were also impressed by the initiative taken by IGT. For Campbell, IGT’s push for improved literacy plays an active role in their homework sessions.

“There are times when we have problems getting books at their reading level and I see that they have received a lot of those, so we are happy for them. We will engage them with more reading in the evenings after school,” Campbell said.

“I think this initiative will enhance the children in their vocabulary and help them to know new words,” said Whyte.

IGT shows its commitment to supporting education and technology access for youth through its After School Advantage (ASA) programme.  The gaming technology firm has established 15 ASA computer labs in NGO-run institutions in Jamaica, including those in SOS Children’s Village Barrett Town and Stony Hill, Mustard Seed Communities – Matthew 25:40, Spring Village Development Foundation, Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation Mandeville and Savanna-La-Mar and Sunbeam Children’s Home in St Catherine.

SOS Children’s Village Barrett Town provides an alternative home for 38 children and young adults up to 22 years old who have lost parental care. SOS Children’s Villages International comprises more than 130 national associations around the world and has helped over four million children worldwide since its inception in 1949.