Digicel playing its role in the Education Revolution

20.FEB.09

Country Manager at Digicel Sonia Polius says that the telecommunications company has a big role to play in the development of the community.{{more}}

And with that in mind, Polius handed over a donation of EC$5,000 to Past President of the Rotary Club of St.Vincent Dr Simeon Norton.

The donation which was collected last Friday at Digicel’s Corporate Offices in the Sprotts Building on Bay Street will be used to purchase a Computing Unit for the Literacy and Skills Training Project at Her Majesty’s Prison.

“This is a worthwhile project because I believe that some people deserve a second chance,” said Polius.

Polius, who is also a Rotarian, says that the Rotary Club has some of the same goals as Digicel, “and we try to help organizations that share similar ideologies”, said Polius who added: “I believe in rehabilitation and I believe that some people deserve second chances and this particular programme is aimed at getting people not only rehabilitated but gearing them to play a worthy role when they get back into the community”.

According to Norton, the Literacy and Skills Training Project was launched in February 2008 and seeks to teach, among other things, computer literacy and moral education.

The donation, says Norton, will help to make more computers available as well as upgrading the library. Norton explained that Paul Morris, of Mavcom, goes to the lone penal institution once a week where he teaches basic computing skills to selected inmates.

“I would like to encourage other firms to come on board as we are also hoping that we can make the female prisoners a part of the programme,” said Norton.

“We want to help rehabilitate persons who have made bad choices; about 90% of the prisoners are recidivist so we are hoping that we can help break that cycle,” stressed Norton who added that the Rotary Club needs all the help that can be given with this project.