IN JAMAICA : Teens feed the homeless... Street People Liberation

uesday, June 28, 2016    

Daily, regular men, women and young people walk by the homeless on Jamaican streets. They perhaps feel a faint pang of empathy, but they walk on with their lives.

Ashli-Ann Broughton (19) and her team of over 50 volunteers at Street People Liberation don't. They acted on the pangs of empathy, deciding to do something for some of society's most vulnerable.

Street People Liberation  

Street People Liberation is a non-profit organisation which was founded by Ashli-Ann in March 2014. It is operated by youths who plan projects geared towards improving the lives of the homeless, supplying them with clothing and toiletries throughout the year, and cooked meals on public holidays.  

These TEENs cook and distribute hot meals to the homeless, primarily on public holidays, because the St James Parish Council Care Centre, which provides food and clothing for the homeless persons around Montego Bay throughout the week, is closed on public holidays. In June 2015, Street People Liberation was awarded a St. James Junior Council award for valuable contribution to the parish. Ashli-Ann [pictured above with fellow volunteer Sabrina Ferguson (left)], however, feeds the homeless in MoBay on the weekend, at least twice a month. Why does she do it? Ashli-Ann says that after seeing their plight, "I thought to myself that the Government can’t assist the homeless alone, and instead of discriminating and complaining, I came up with the idea to start my own initiative to care for the homeless."

Street People Liberation  

Since starting out with 10 volunteers, from the schools of Cornwall College, Montego Bay High School for Girls, Mt Alvernia High School, Anchovy High School, Irwin High School and the Montego Bay Community College, Street People Liberation has grown, and estimate that they have helped close to 1500 homeless persons. "Our projects are funded by friends and families of members. A majority of persons who donate to us live overseas, they ship parcels of clothing and tin items to us. However, all our donations are given to these persons throughout the year, and over our past two years of existence and donations, the homeless in Montego Bay have received shoes, toiletries, shirts, shoes etc." the president and founder told teenAGE. more