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Global Humanity Network Inc (GHN) has extended its inaugural Beyond the Backpack Scholarship Program to include more than the 10 students initially selected for its comprehensive three-year scholarships.

The GHN is now committing educational support to all 48 students who applied.

While 10 students will receive comprehensive assistance valued at approximately US$2,000 annually for three years, GHN has committed an additional US$19,000 to provide the other 38 applicants with one-time US$500 educational scholarships—ensuring that every child who applied receives meaningful support.

The students, drawn from public primary schools across St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Trelawny, and Hanover, had applied for GHN’s comprehensive three-year scholarship. Following a rigorous selection process, 10 students were selected to receive the full three-year package, representing an initial financial commitment of US$60,000.

The expanded commitment means that all 48 applicants will receive assistance, although the level and duration of support will differ: 10 students will receive coordinated, comprehensive support throughout their remaining primary-school years and transition to secondary education, while the other 38 will receive one-time educational scholarships.

According to Dr Laxley W Stephenson, founder, president and chief executive officer of GHN, the decision reflects the organisation’s commitment to responding to the needs revealed through the application process.

“These students are the face and future of Jamaica, and they must not be left behind,” Dr Stephenson said. “They are not statistics or case numbers. They are children with potential, families making sacrifices, and dreams waiting for an opportunity.”

The 10 comprehensive scholarship recipients will receive coordinated support throughout their remaining primary-school years and transition to secondary education.

 Depending on individual needs, assistance may include uniforms, footwear, school supplies, transportation, nutrition, technology, tutoring, mentorship, leadership development, academic monitoring, emergency assistance, and family-school engagement.

The other 38 students will each receive US$500 toward essential educational expenses, including uniforms, books, supplies, transportation, technology, and other identified needs.

Dr Vinnett Malcolm, principal of Sheffield Primary School, said financial assistance is most effective when combined with sustained mentorship and family and school support.

“Educational barriers do not diminish a child’s ability or potential, but they can prevent that potential from being fully realised,” Dr Malcolm said.

 “When scholarships are combined with consistent mentorship, family engagement, and support from the school community, students are better able to remain focused, build confidence, and believe that their circumstances do not have to determine their future”.

Dr Binzie Roy Davidson, founding director and vice president of GHN and chair of the Beyond the Backpack Fund Development Committee, said the expanded commitment underscores the organisation’s belief that every applicant deserves to know that their future matters.

“Although we could select only 10 students for the comprehensive three-year scholarship, we could not allow the other 38 to believe that their dreams were unseen,” Dr Davidson said. “We see you, we believe in you, and we are committed to helping you move forward.”

Dr Davidson is inviting businesses, foundations, philanthropic organisations, community leaders, and members of the Jamaican diaspora to help underwrite the additional US$19,000 commitment and contribute to the programme’s long-term sustainability.

Dr Delroy Fray, OD, founding director of GHN, described the initiative as an investment in Jamaica’s national development.

“Education remains one of the most powerful instruments for transforming lives and strengthening a nation,” Dr Fray said. “When we remove the barriers standing between a child and an education, we do more than meet an immediate need—we protect potential, restore hope, and help prepare the next generation to lead Jamaica forward.”

Beyond the Backpack was created around a simple question: What happens after the backpack? The programme recognises that educational barriers extend beyond books and school supplies and brings resources and relationships together around four pillars: Access, Stability, Advancement, and Sustainability.

“A backpack carries supplies, but a child carries dreams,” Dr Stephenson said. “When we look beyond the backpack, we see the child carrying it—the dream behind the uniform, the courage behind the smile, and the family making sacrifices that no camera will ever capture.”

The additional US$19,000 was not part of GHN’s original financial plan, but the organisation determined that the needs identified through the 48 applications required action.

Individuals and organisations can support the initiative by underwriting a US$500 scholarship, sponsoring a student in the comprehensive three-year programme, donating educational resources or technology, becoming a mentor, or establishing a strategic partnership with GHN.

“Turning words into actions and actions into results means responding when the need is standing directly in front of us,” Dr Stephenson said. “Every one of these 48 students carries a dream. Our responsibility is to see that dream, protect that promise, and help create a pathway through which that child can move forward.”