A years-long vision to upgrade a worn accessible playing field for physically disabled students at one of Jamaica’s leading special education facilities is moving toward fruition, after a major funding commitment from the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ).
On Tuesday, at an official ceremony hosted at the United States Embassy in St Andrew, AFJ distributed a combined $1.3 million in grants to 65 community and educational organizations across Jamaica – and Genesis Academy, the island’s top-tier special education provider, counted among the recipients.
In an interview with the Jamaica Observer immediately following the award presentation, Genesis Academy co-founder and director Donna Lowe explained the critical need for the project. The institution has operated at its current campus since 2009, and just three years after relocating, a separate community organization donated the custom-built accessible playground that has served the school’s physically disabled students for over a decade. For many of these young learners, the specialized equipment represented their first chance to experience inclusive play: the design accommodates wheelchairs, including modified swings that allow students with mobility impairments to join in recreational activities their able-bodied peers take for granted.
After 14 years of heavy use, however, the playground’s surface has deteriorated severely, leaving large portions of the space unsafe for use. The damaged ground has created an ongoing safety hazard, forcing staff to restrict access to the area and require constant close supervision for any activities held there, creating unnecessary strain for both students and educators.
Lowe emphasized that the AFJ grant could not have come at a more opportune time. The funding will cover the cost of resurfacing the entire playground, and the timeline aligns perfectly with Jamaica’s academic summer break. Once the required safety tiles are ordered, the full reconstruction can be completed while students are away from campus, eliminating disruptions to the school year.
While the grant covers a substantial share of the total project cost, Lowe noted that the full refurbishment remains a costly undertaking, and the academy will launch additional fundraising campaigns to secure the remaining funds, working alongside the institution’s longstanding network of generous community partners. She confirmed that ordering of materials will begin immediately, and the school is confident the project will be fully completed before students return for the new term.
Lowe added that she approached this year’s grant application with some trepidation, despite Genesis Academy having received AFJ funding for three consecutive years. In the wake of Hurricane Melissa, she assumed that disaster relief and recovery projects would take priority, leaving little funding for other initiatives. Her selection for the award, she said, came as a joyful surprise, and the school remains deeply grateful for the support.
“Play is not a trivial luxury for our students – it is a core part of their development,” Lowe explained. “It gives them a space to build social skills, connect with their peers, and express themselves freely outside the structured classroom environment. Every child deserves that opportunity, and this grant gets us that much closer to giving it back to them.”
AFJ executive director Caron Chung outlined the organization’s rigorous selection process for the annual grant cycle. Funding opportunities are publicly announced every November in Jamaica, with eligible organizations submitting applications between November and February each year. A dedicated grants committee reviews every submission to verify alignment with AFJ’s core funding priorities, before selecting final recipients from the pool of applicants. This year, the committee reviewed 88 total applications to select the 65 funded organizations.
Chung stressed that all selected grantees – including Genesis Academy – share a common mission of transforming lives and expanding opportunity for communities across Jamaica, a mandate that aligns perfectly with AFJ’s core mission.
Founded in 1982, AFJ is a U.S.-based non-profit dedicated to advancing well-being for Jamaicans. The organization advances its goals by supporting local initiatives that build economic self-sufficiency, foster healthy, connected communities, and strengthen national development across the island.