Seventy-five students and their four teachers at Elgin Town Basic School will soon enjoy the comfort of brand-new facilities built by Food For the Poor in partnership with RBC Royal Bank.

This comes as part of Food for the Poor's Jamaica 50 campaign to build and rehabilitate 50 basic schools in 50 months.

With an investment of just over J$5 million, RBC Royal Bank has enabled Food for The Poor to build the largest school to date under the programme. Elgin Town Basic School is now an Early Childhood Commission (ECC)-certified school with brand-new, facilities including four individual classrooms, a computer room, kitchen and dining room, and office.

The school has also received new ECC-certified basic-school furniture as well as a fridge, stove, and computers for use by the students.

"We were very excited to support Elgin Town Basic School. When I visited in March, there were 75 children in a crowded, one-room classroom and terribly inadequate sanitation facilities with one bathroom shared by teachers and students," said Samantha Mahfood, executive director for Food For The Poor Canada.

"We are so pleased and very thankful to Food For the Poor and RBC Royal Bank. With the new facilities and equipment, we are much better able to deliver the quality education we strive to provide for the children of our surrounding communities," said principal Garnet Dias.

"We believe that every child should be given the opportunity to become motivated about school and they need to see learning as an enjoyable experience," said Roger Cogle, managing director for RBC Royal Bank, speaking at the official opening of the new Elgin Town Basic School.