AT just 13 and 12 years old, Malia and Miya Myrie have turned compassion into action through the Myrie Scholarship Foundation — a youth-led initiative transforming the lives of children across Jamaica.

What began as a simple desire to help families struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic has grown into a mission that now provides life-changing scholarships, school supplies and hope to youngsters who might otherwise be left behind.

Founded in 2022 with the support of their mother, Patricia Wright Myrie, the foundation was born during one of the country’s most difficult periods. As families grappled with the economic fallout of the pandemic and many children lacked basic school supplies, the sisters decided to expand the small acts of kindness they already practised into something that could touch lives on a much larger scale.