S Hotel commits $1.5 m in back-to-school grants for children of displaced tourism workers

The assistance comes as schools reopened Monday, September 7, with some tourism workers still without salaries because the properties at which they worked remain closed.

Under the initiative, children attending primary and secondary schools will receive grants ranging from J$25,000 to J$50,000, based on need and school level, with high-school students receiving the larger grants.

“These are people who have spent years taking care of our visitors and helping to build Jamaica’s tourism industry,” Issa said. “Right now, some of them are going through a difficult period because the hotels where they worked have not yet reopened. We felt that, at the very least, their children should not have to worry about whether they can go back to school properly prepared.”