Providing critical learning resources to 3,800 primary school students in Western Jamaica displaced by Hurricane Melissa. A humanitarian response to restore education when schools cannot.
3,800
Students Supported
250
Learning Pods
250
Trained Mentors
600+
Schools Damaged
Funded by the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives
This project is made possible through the generous support of the Government of Canada via the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), administered by the High Commission of Canada to Jamaica. The CFLI supports locally-designed projects that align with Canada's commitment to human dignity, gender equality, and humanitarian response.
The Crisis
When a category-five hurricane struck Western Jamaica, it left behind more than physical destruction. Over 600 educational institutions were damaged, and more than 450 schools in the western parishes were affected, displacing thousands of children from the structured learning they depend on.
For children in crisis, education is not a luxury. It is a lifeline. It restores routine, provides psychosocial stability, and protects the dignity and well-being of the most vulnerable. Without intervention, these children face compounding learning loss that can set back their academic trajectories for years.
School-in-a-Box is the humanitarian response. A rapid-deployment learning continuity programme designed to put educational resources directly into the hands of the communities that need them most, bypassing damaged infrastructure entirely.
Our Response
The Save Our Boys and Girls Foundation, in partnership with EduFocal Limited and with funding from the Canada Fund for Local Initiatives (CFLI), has developed a self-contained learning kit designed for disaster-displaced communities.
Each School-in-a-Box equips one trained community mentor to support a learning pod of 15 students. The kits contain printed, curriculum-aligned workbooks, creative materials, and simple instructions for mentors. No electricity or internet required.
This is education that meets children where they are, delivered by people from their own communities, using materials designed for the Jamaican curriculum. It is immediate, practical, and built to work in the hardest conditions.
What's Inside
Each box is a complete, self-contained classroom. Sponsored by AMG Packaging and packed with enough materials for 15 students.
Curriculum-aligned workbooks covering Mathematics, Language Arts, and Science, tailored to the Jamaican primary syllabus.
Pencils, erasers, sharpeners, crayons, rulers, and all the essentials students need to complete their assignments.
Art supplies and activity guides for creative expression and psychosocial well-being, helping children process their experiences.
Step-by-step instructions for running daily learning sessions, including child protection guidance and gender-responsive teaching methods.
Implementation
Recruit and select 250 community mentors. Conduct intensive training covering the curriculum, child protection, psychosocial support, and gender-responsive teaching.
Assemble and distribute 250 School-in-a-Box kits to trained mentors. Form 250 learning pods of 15 students each, ensuring equitable access for girls and boys.
Mentors lead daily learning sessions using the kit materials. The project team conducts regular site visits, provides ongoing support, and monitors student attendance and progress.
Final evaluation to assess overall impact. Comprehensive reporting on achievements, lessons learned, and recommendations for scaling to additional communities.
For Mentors
We are recruiting 250 community mentors across Western Jamaica. No teaching degree is required. If you have a passion for helping children and a commitment to your community, you can make a difference.
Selected mentors receive comprehensive training on the School-in-a-Box curriculum, child protection protocols, psychosocial support techniques, and gender-responsive teaching methodologies. Each mentor leads a pod of 15 students, conducting structured daily learning sessions.
Key Performance Indicators from the CFLI Project Approval Document
Our Partners
Made possible through collaboration between community leaders, the private sector, and international partners.
Lead Organization
Registered Jamaican NGO led by patron Juliet Holness, with a six-year track record reaching over 15,000 youth across 50 communities.
Implementing Partner
Award-winning Jamaican education technology company providing technical expertise, educational content, and operational management.
Funding Partner
Humanitarian grant supporting education continuity in crisis-affected communities. #CanadaFund #CFLI
Founding Partner
Supporting Jamaica's humanitarian response and promoting human dignity through education.
In-Kind Sponsor
Providing the physical School-in-a-Box containers for kit assembly and distribution.
Content Partner
Supporting School-in-a-Box through content creation and strategy.
Get Involved
Whether you want to become a mentor in your community, partner with us as an organization, or help spread the word about the initiative, there are many ways to make a difference.