SOS Children’s Village gets facelift from tourism players
BARRETT TOWN, St James — The SOS Children’s Village in Barrett Town, St James, has received a much-needed facelift as part of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association’s (CHTA’s) first-ever Responsible Tourism Day, which coincided with other Labour Day activities across the island.
CHTA representatives also spent the day cleaning up the beach at the Old Hospital Park in Montego Bay as well as touring Croyden in the Mountains’ organic farm in Catadupa, all in St James.
“This first [project] is looking at community and tourism. It’s important that as tourism we give back to our communities. They are the essence of everything we do and we need to ensure that tourism touches the heart and soul of our communities,” CHTA president, Nicola Madden-Greig, told reporters.
A group of about 50 local and international journalists, who were invited to cover CHTA’s Travel Marketplace, also participated in the day’s activities.
“We are doing the beach clean-up and we’re going to Croyden in the Mountains for a farm-to-table experience where we will be learning about all the agricultural products. It’s agriculture and tourism, because we can’t feed our people when they come to the beautiful islands unless we have a great agricultural sector. And that’s what we hope to show them,” Madden Greig explained.
A grateful director of SOS Children’s Village Barrett Town, Hewitt Walker, welcomed the enhancement of the facility.
“The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA), through the western chapter, has been a long-time partner with us here at SOS Children’s Village Barrett Town. They have sponsored one of our houses on the village, and by sponsoring the house they provide for the needs of the house, including the maintenance needs, equipment, and whatever it is that the house may need,” he said.
“Today they are here painting the house and all the paint and everything that they are using is donated by them. Also, they provide the furniture for the house. JHTA is a part of CHTA, and today is Responsible Tourism Day so we were selected to be one of the projects that they are working on,” added Walker, who was happy to see the volunteers.
“They are here to do some painting of the house and renovation, and also they are going to be doing a vegetable garden. I am very grateful to [JHTA] and I am also very appreciative of them and, by extension, all the sponsors. There are other houses that are sponsored by hotels, such as Half Moon and Rose Hall Development. They have been instrumental in helping us to be able to provide that loving home for the children that we cater for here,” said Walker.
