Retired Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is making sure that children in rural Jamaica have access to online classes by donating computer devices to students.
On March 17, the Usain Bolt Foundation announced a donation of 150 laptops to schools in rural Jamaica. Several schools will benefit from this initiative, valued at forty thousand USD (US$40,000).
Bolt, an eight-time Olympic Champion, said that these initiatives through the Usain Bolt Foundation are pivotal to honor his commitment to ensuring that the children of Jamaica benefit from his hard work.
“The best thing about my life is being able to give back, especially to the children. The current global pandemic has forced many children to do only online classes and highlights the need for technology in schools. We will keep working to provide much-needed equipment and support the education of the next generation,” he said.
The Usain Bolt Foundation focuses on the educational needs of children at the basic and primary school levels across Jamaica.
In 2020, the Foundation had gifted 21 early-childhood institutions across several parishes donations of school supplies and COVID-19 safety equipment such as handwashing stations and thermometers. Seven schools in his home parish of Trelawny had also received computers or tablets.
The retired athlete also gifted the Nuttall Hospital in Kingston with medical equipment to assist in its COVID-19 response in 2020.
