The EC$241,519.00 project, funded and implemented under the 10th Programme of the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), included a full retrofit of the classroom, new toddler and teacher washrooms, modern furnishings, a storage facility, fresh painting, an external reading zone, and an upgraded boys' urinal. The upgrades reflect the government’s renewed emphasis on equitable access to quality education from the earliest stages of learning.

At a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by community leaders, educators, and development partners, the modernized space was officially handed over to the Babonneau Primary School administration.

Among the guests were Dr. Virginia Albert-Poyotte, Babonneau’s Parliamentary Representative; Cyrus Cepal from the Ministry of Education; John Victorin of the Saint Lucia Social Development Fund; Brandon Antoine from BNTF; and Vernita Bruce from the Early Childhood Development Unit.

Principal of Babonneau Primary, Ms. Tessa Bartlet, described the handover as a moment of pride and progress. “We have already borne the fruits of having this Pre-K classroom in the area,” she said. “Forty-seven children have successfully transitioned to Grade 1, and we are serving families from Babonneau Proper to Garrand and Cacao. These renovations have had a profound impact on our community, and we are deeply grateful.”

The BNTF, administered in Saint Lucia by the SSDF under the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment, is the Caribbean Development Bank’s flagship initiative for poverty reduction.

Its 10th Programme focuses on community-based interventions that improve education, water and sanitation, drainage, and livelihoods for low-income and vulnerable populations.

As the classroom doors open to a brighter, safer learning environment, the community looks forward to a new era of nurturing early education and reducing inequities, one child at a time.