RUBIS St Lucia maintained their commitment to education through a second donation of laptops and tablets. Earlier in 2020, TeamRUBIS donated devices to the Ministry of Education. This time the organization supported the Do Something Different back-to-school programme. The closure of schools, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, created many challenges for both learning and teaching. Rubis’ aim was to provide assistance where possible, assisting students to keep up with their studies while at home.
The donation to the youth-driven group will assist with online learning for several students across the island as the new school term begins. Unfortunately, Rubis was not able to interact with them directly due to Covid-19 restrictions. Tember Cadette, founder of Do Something Different, explained the pandemic resulted in online learning for St Lucia’s students which in turn required the use of devices. The charity’s mandate is to provide devices to those students who are most in need. Ms. Cadette explained the group had worked with teachers and members of the National Students’ Council to ensure those students who were in most need received the devices. The group leader said they also had plans of donating stationery and other school supplies in time for the reopening of schools in January, 2021.
During the presentation, which took place at the Rubis Terminal late December, Jennifer Leid, RUBIS Account Executive said it was important for students to be equipped with the correct type of devices to effectively conduct online classes. She said, “It is very important that students have devices which are compatible with the e-learning platforms used by the schools.” She added that Rubis was happy to support the work of the Do Something Different back-to-school initiative with the donation, which included 15 laptops and 20 tablets with cases valued at over EC$25,000.
This was one of several corporate social responsible actions that RUBIS conducted in December. Other activities included a hamper donation to two charities and the Villa St Joseph Home of the Elderly in Dennery.
