Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr is appealing to members of the public to support the Good Samaritan 5K Run/Walk, geared at raising funds to procure a bus to support children with special needs.

The bus, valued at over $6 million, will be used to transport Community-Based Rehabilitation Jamaica (CBRJ) staff as they visit various communities to provide services for special needs children and their families. Speaking at the recent media launch of the 5K event at CBRJ’s offices in Spanish Town, St Catherine, Charles said that, by empowering organisations like CBRJ, children with special needs get an opportunity to access resources that can help them to thrive. The CBRJ is a non-governmental community-based organisation that provides early-childhood education and therapeutic intervention for more than 600 students with disabilities in five centres across three parishes.

“Our goal must be to create more avenues for access to education, therapy, access to healthcare, access to opportunity, to dignity, to independence. It's about moving the barriers that we have created so people can get an opportunity to do what they can do,” he added.