KINGSTON, Jamaica — A major new investment in Jamaican secondary education is now open for applications, as bottled water brand WATA launches its 2026 Hydrate to Educate initiative with a total commitment of more than JA$12 million to support students and school infrastructure across the island.
Now in another annual cycle, the community-focused program splits its funding across two core impact areas: direct individual support for students and institutional development grants for schools. Thirty qualifying secondary students will each receive JA$200,000 in unrestricted educational assistance, which can be put toward tuition costs, required course materials, daily transportation fares, and other unmet academic needs that often create barriers to consistent schooling for low-income youth.
On the institutional side, 14 Jamaican secondary schools will receive targeted grants to advance campus improvement projects. Five secondary schools located in western parishes, an area still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, will each receive JA$1 million to support recovery and development work. An additional nine schools spread across all other regions of the island will receive JA$200,000 each for their own campus upgrade projects.
Brittany Thwaites, brand manager for the WATA portfolio at Wisynco Group, the parent company behind the initiative, explained that Hydrate to Educate is built on a core philosophy that sustainable educational progress requires investment at both the individual and institutional level. “This program has always been rooted in the belief that every young Jamaican deserves equal access to the resources they need to pursue their education, no matter their financial background,” Thwaites shared in a statement announcing the 2026 nomination cycle. “Year after year, we see firsthand how transformative this support is for students, their families, and entire school communities. We’re proud to keep expanding the program to reach more vulnerable communities across Jamaica.”
Thwaites emphasized that the 2026 program has been structured to address the ongoing recovery needs of western Jamaica, where Hurricane Melissa caused widespread damage to public infrastructure, including school facilities. “This year, we made a deliberate choice to prioritize additional support for schools in western parishes that are still working to bounce back from Hurricane Melissa,” she said. “Education is one of the most critical foundations for long-term community recovery and progress. Through this initiative, WATA is working to help rebuild safe, supportive learning spaces where students can continue to learn, grow, and build brighter futures, even after disaster.”
Nominations for individual student grants are open to eligible secondary students from every parish across Jamaica. Any third party who can speak to a student’s financial need — including parents, guardians, teachers, coaches, and community leaders — may submit a nomination. Submissions must include details about the student’s personal background, current financial circumstances, and a description of how the grant would remove barriers to their ongoing education.
For institutional grant applicants, funding is reserved for projects that directly improve the overall campus learning environment, including critical infrastructure repairs, expansion of learning resource centers, accessibility upgrades, and other campus-wide needs that align with the program’s mission.
As previously noted, a dedicated portion of the 2026 funding is earmarked specifically for hurricane-impacted western schools, to accelerate their recovery work and help them rebuild stronger, more resilient campuses for their student bodies.
Nominations for both student and institutional grants will close at the end of the day on June 30, 2026. Interested parties can submit nominations or access full program details by visiting the official program website at educate.wisynco.com.