Hands Across the Sea, an American-based NGO dedicated to the advancement of child literacy in the Eastern Caribbean, has sent 19,065 new amazing library books to Grenada and opened 12 new school libraries across the country during the 2018-2019 school year.

The schools are: Beaulieu RC Primary School, Chantimelle RC Primary School, Florida Government School, Mt. Moritz Anglican Primary School, Mt. Pleasant Government School, Mt. Rose SDA Primary School, Samaritan Presbyterian Primary School, St. Andrew’s Methodist School, St. George’s Anglican Senior School, St. George’s SDA Primary School, St. Louis Girls RC Primary School, and St. Patrick’s Anglican Primary School. The initiative’s major sponsors include the Sandals Foundation, Scotiabank Community Program, Horizon Yacht Charters, McIntyre Bros. Ltd., and U.S.-based family foundations and individual Hands donors.

In addition, Hands Across the Sea (www.handsacrossthesea.net) supplied brand new, targeted reading books for school libraries at Grenada Christian Academy, Happy Hill Secondary School, Harvey Vale Government School, St. David’s RC Primary School, St. Joseph’s Catholic Primary School, and St. Mary’s RC Primary School.

Hands has also provided Remedial Reading Toolkits (www.handsacrossthesea.net/RemedialReading.htm) and remedial reading workshops to five Grenada secondary schools: Grenada Christian Academy, J. W. Fletcher Catholic Secondary School, St. David’s Catholic Secondary School, St. Mark’s Secondary School, and Westerhall Secondary School.

“Hands Across the Sea wishes to thank our valued partners in child literacy — the individual and corporate donors who funded new books and supported the work of our Hands Literacy Links, and the companies who rebuilt library spaces to help turn them into vibrant centers of discovery and learning,” said Harriet Linskey, Co-Founder of the organization. “We also want to commend the efforts of Gloria Bonaparte and Bernadette John, our two Hands Literacy Links for Grenada. The tireless support of school staff by these program officers has resulted in more children than ever becoming engaged with books, reading, and their school library.” To date, Grenada’s Hands Literacy Links have trained over 400 children as Student Librarians.

Primary schools in Grenada have also received Hands Across the Seaís groundbreaking 179-page Teachers Resource Guide to the Library (Grades K-3), the just-revised Hands Library Manual for Primary Schools, and the updated Hands Student Librarian Handbook. All resources are free and downloadable from the Hands website (see links below).

Since the organization’s founding in 2007, Hands Across the Sea has assisted 72 primary and secondary schools and reading programs in Grenada, sent 57,000 asked-for books, and given 20,580 Grenadian children access to top-quality, appropriate books and literacy support materials. The organization works in Antigua, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada. To date, Hands Across the Sea has served 352 schools with over 464,000 books, reaching 103,700 children.