Buju Banton Delivers On His Promise To The Sunbeam Boys Home
Just under a month ago, the Charities Authority in Jamaica denied the application for the registration of the Buju Banton Foundation presumably because of the singer’s previous conviction in the United States. Thankfully, that hasn’t stopped the veteran Dancehall singer from continuing on his path to help alleviate the struggles of some of the disenfranchised youth of Jamaica.
He recently showed his commitment with his donation of a commercially viable poultry/egg layer business to the Sunbeam Boys Home in St. Catherine. Banton, whose real name Mark Myrie, took a personal interest in the home last year and even donated his JMD $3 million top prize from the Jamaica Festival Song competition.
At the time of winning, he said: “I want to congratulate the true winners tonight. Everyone who participated in this competition: you’re all winners. I was happy to share the stage with you all. But for me the true winners tonight are the Sunbeam Boys Home.”
The home which opened its doors 43 years ago was in need of a boost as it was facing several challenges.
An administrator at Sunbeam Boys Home, Desmond Whitely expressed his gratitude to the foundation for helping them to make a significant impact on improving the lives of several young men.
“Mr Myrie and the foundation our sincere gratitude for this gift. We see this as the most significant contribution by any single individual and its impact on the development of Sunbeam. The approach taken by the Buju Banton Foundation to focus and invest in the long-term development of the wards is the best way to attain a sustainable life-changing impact; especially, for young men. It is indeed easier to build boys than to mend men. The foundation’s contribution is building the boys of Sunbeam and to a larger extent the men of Jamaica,” he said in a statement shared by Buju Banton.
A director at the foundation, Rosemary Duncan, explained that they met with the organisation before and they decided that the chicken farm was one of the most viable ways forward. She also revealed that the home received 500 layer birds and a state-of-art chicken coup valued at about $3 million.
She also said that the income will directly assist the residents of the home.
“A marketing officer has been employed to assist with promotion, sales and product distribution. The income generated will be directly reinvested into the facility to provide for its residents. They, along with staff, will obtain ongoing, theoretical and practical training in agriculture and management, to ensure the durability of this project,” Duncan continued.
The Buju Banton Foundation, which was created in 2019, has also helped other youth who are facing challenging circumstances like Tajay Bailey who attends Denham Town High School. He was awarded a full scholarship.