CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters

Photo by Varun Baker “You perform just like a mother would… Everything that you’d do to your child at home, it is [expected] here. You start out with bathing, combing hair, see that their teeth [are] properly cleaned, and you look after their meals. You send them out to school just like your own child,” she said. The children wake up at 5:00 am to shower and eat breakfast prepared by their caregivers. They journey to schools in Spanish Town and Kingston, and those who are still there at 7:00 am gather for devotion. By 8:30 am, the 21 children attending home school get dressed and walk the few feet to the schoolhouse on the property. The girls are a sea of blue, some in shirts and skirts, others in tunics of various designs. The boys are in khaki uniforms, some their pants seem to be held up by makeshift cloth belts. The children line up and receive their shoes at the doorway, a privilege awarded only to older children who are fit to take care of them, and this completes their ensemble. For the rest of the day, while the staff cleans, the children are taught by their teachers in two classes separated by blackboards. At 1:00 pm, the children form a line, are given soap to wash their hands, and are then served cold porridge or biscuits spread with jam. When school ends at 2:00 pm, the children relinquish ownership 39

CARIMAC Times 2016: The JREAM Edition Journalists Reviving Awareness of what Matters | Page 43