National Baptist Basic
May 2022
National Baptist Basic School, Trench Town — May 2022
The Beginning of Read Write Now
The first Read Write Now sessions were held in May 2022 at National Baptist Basic School in Trench Town, Kingston—right after schools reopened post-COVID. For many of the five-year-olds in Class Three, the classroom was still new and unfamiliar. These nine sessions helped ease that transition, nurturing comfort, confidence, and a love for reading and writing.
The children especially enjoyed the animated videos created during the lockdown and affectionately named the main puppet Mr. Green Green. Principal Pauline Davis and the teaching staff embraced the programme wholeheartedly, and the volunteer team—Ajowah Davidson, Suetanya Mchorgh, Rineil Brown, Danielle Dowie, and Dru-lissa Grant brought vibrant energy and care to each session.
The impact was deeply felt. I was honoured to be invited as guest speaker at the class’s graduation and was later featured on TVJ’s Ray of Hope and interviewed by JIS.
National Baptist will always be the birthplace of Read Write Now.
Special thanks to HELP Jamaica! for funding this full launch.
