Labour Day Outreach: Haile Selassie High School, Friday, May 23, 2025
Labour Day 2025 Project Brief
Rehabilitating the Boys’ and Girls’ Bathrooms (Ages 12–15) at Haile Selassie High School
“…That even in the 20th Century, with faith, courage, and a just cause, David will still beat Goliath.” —H.I.M. Haile Selassie I
A Just Cause….
At Haile Selassie High School at Payne Land the challenge is not mythical—but it is great. In two aging bathrooms meant for our boys and girls between the ages of twelve(12) and fifteen(15), there is no running water. Toilets cannot flush. Sinks cannot pour. Instead, old pails, filled by hand, stand in for the basic dignity of a modern plumbing system.
Read & Download Budget + Project Overview
But this is not a story of despair. This is a call to action.
For years, the burden has fallen on the shoulders of our elderly workers of cleanliness—who are steadfast and faithful in arriving before dawn each school morning. With buckets in hand, they walk distances to draw water so that the students may enter a clean space. Their devotion has kept the line from breaking. But their labor was never meant to replace our responsibility.
We do not raise this issue to shame, but to shine a light.
The students are not defeated. The staff is not broken. But the system needs repair.
Labour Day 2025 (the 23rd of May) is our slingshot. The goal is clear: rehabilitate the boys’ and girls’ bathrooms so that water flows again—for flushing, for handwashing, for health. Not luxury, but dignity. Not convenience, but justice.
This project is not merely about pipes and tiles. It is about affirming the value of every child who walks into that school. It is about honoring the quiet strength of those who have held the line for so long. And it is about proving to ourselves—and our youth—that with faith, hope, and a just cause, we can still win.
We can beat Goliath.
Let this Labour Day be remembered not for what we lacked, but for how we came together. Let it be the day the pails were put down and the waters flowed freely once more.
Let it be the day we restored not just the bathrooms—but the balance.
Location: Haile Selassie I Technical High School
16-24 Payne Avenue,
P.O. Box 155
Kingston 11, St. Andrew
Jamaica, W.I.
For further information, contact
EWF Charter 37: President, Bongo Trevor
(876) 826-5369
Project Coordinator, Bongo James:
(876) 382-8724
Sister Makeba: (876) 828-2511
EWF General Secretary, Ras Witter:
(876) 843-4558
Note: This initiative is endorsed by the School’s Principal Annoina Jones.



