When children are educated, they develop the skills and confidence to help lift their families out of poverty and build strong communities for generations to come.

In many countries, such as Jamaica, kindergarten isn’t always free like it is in Canada. Many parents can’t afford the school fees, necessary books or provide their child with lunch.

The good news is that you can help.

Our Back to School Campaign helps children returning to school next month, and you can ensure that they have a place in class, the tools they need to be successful, and a full stomach to help them concentrate.

I want to help send a child Back to School

Food For The Poor works with the Ministry of Education in the countries we serve to support the communities we work with. We build schools in communities identified by local leaders to support the infrastructure of the Ministry of Education, and we partner with public schools and universities to support their work, allowing students to thrive and succeed.

What We Do

  • Build early childhood schools
  • Provide teacher training
  • Provide scholarships at different levels of education
  • Provide schools with essential infrastructure and resources such as running water, sanitation, and playgrounds
  • Provide schools with desks and chairs, computers, musical instruments, soccer balls, and school supplies
  • Support school feeding programs
  • Support vocational training programs in agriculture, barbering, landscaping, sewing, and carpentry
  • Support programs for physically and academically challenged children

Our Impact

  • Built 37 early childhood education schools across Jamaica
  • Built an agricultural vocational training centre in Honduras for grade 7-9 students
  • Constructed a community library in Baramita, Guyana
  • Provided 3,000 filled backpacks to children across Haiti and over 200 backpacks to students in Jamaica
  • Distributed 250 computers to schools
  • Provided two vehicles to community centres
  • Trained early childhood teachers to improve education across Jamaica
  • Provided 780 desks and chairs to schools
  • Provided over 250,000 pens and pencils to schools in Jamaica
  • Provided more than 10,000 educational books to schools in Jamaica
  • Provided 10 university scholarships
  • Distributed 450 soccer balls to schools
  • Shipped and distributed kitchen and lab appliances to Immaculate Conception High School in Jamaica
  • Shipped and distributed musical instruments to Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts

Education Facts

A child whose mother can read is 50% more likely to survive past the age of 5.

Investing in education can help a country lift its people out of poverty. Over 40 years, equitable access to quality  education can help a country raise its Gross Domestic Product per capita by 23%.

Haiti’s literacy rate is 60.8% and the enrollment rate for primary school is 57%, with fewer than 30% of the students reaching sixth grade.

More than 45% of children living in Honduras who should be attending high school in the country are not.