Textbooks and stationery are available for pick-up by parents who cannot afford to purchase them. A spokesperson for the organisation, Venus “Rastaman” Cherry, says the bursary was started to assist every child in attaining an education.

 “The book drive started three years ago in Gros Islet. The initiative was just to assist. Every day we talk about the top achievers, and the top achievers get scholarships and opportunities and so forth - which is good. But how do we get more top achievers if the majority do not have the basic needs to go to school? So, what could we do? And we have been in the situation ourselves,” Cherry told SNO. The success of this programme, he says, relies on the kindness and goodwill of strangers. Parents whose children no longer require the textbooks donate them to the organisation. The books are then redistributed to parents who need them.

 “We provide an opportunity where parents who no longer need the books drop them off, and those that are in need come with their booklists and pick them up. Everything we do is free, and it’s not a Seaview thing, but an island-wide thing.” Cherry added that the organisation engages sponsors and other donors to provide stationery for those in need. “We ask people to donate school supplies - pens, pencils, notebooks, et cetera. We are not only in Gros Islet at the HRDC but in Soufriere as well.”

The book bursary programme officially ends on August 3oth, however, the services remain open to parents even after the end date. According to Cherry, school supplies are being shipped to Saint Lucia year-round to assist parents in need.