Contributed
Empress with children of St Tekle Haimanot Basic School in Bull Bay, St Andrew.

Sadeke Brooks, Staff Reporter

Singer, television and radio host Empress surprised even herself when she helped to raise $1.6 million to improve conditions at St Tekle Haimanot Basic School in Greenvale View, Bull Bay, St Andrew.

Empress, whose real name is Emprezz Eartha Camielle Mullings, raised funds for the 'Teach Them Well and They Will Excel' campaign, doubling her initial target of $800,000.

Empress says she fell in love with the school after being invited there by its Chairman Alfred Brisset.

"I fell in love with the children and saw so much potential for greatness. I saw the commitment of the teachers and knew in my heart that my lifelong dream to help my country and the ones that need assistance was going to begin there," Empress told The Sunday Gleaner.

She says the theme 'Teach Them Well and They Will Excel' was created along with the chairman's wife, Keitis Brisset.

Pay attention

"We sat down one day and together decided that if we pay attention, listen and cater to the young children, they will reach their full potential. This begins with their environment and this is where I decided to start," said Empress, while noting her belief in African proverb that 'It takes a village to raise a child'.

Empress said St Tekle Haimanot Basic School has been in existence for over 20 years and she decided to finish the work started by ABBA Wolde Madhin, the school's founder and late founding president of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), Kingston, Jamaica.

Work on the school will begin tomorrow, ahead of the new academic year in September. Bathrooms will be built, existing classrooms will be finished and new windows and doors will be added. In addition, a resource library centre and sickbay will be built, while the entire building will be refurnished.

Empress said, "This is the start. I intend to always be around to assist the teachers and parents with helping the children with their homework, reading and helping them build confidence in themselves so they feel they can achieve anything."

Major impact

Empress says the project will have a major impact on the school and the wider Bull Bay community as many children there will attend the school.

"I want this school to be the most advanced in Jamaica. I want the parents and the young people to feel proud of the school. I want them to have a resource centre and library to serve the community. All values and principles are learnt at an early age," Empress told The Sunday Gleaner.

She admitted that her popularity may have had an impact on the support the project received. She says her reason for working on television and radio is to assist in her humanitarian efforts. Empress therefore encourages other influential people to support a similar project.

"If we all did that; then it would be such a better country. Let's not be selfish. Give and share love; that's what I believe. I am about the physical and mental upliftment of our people," she said.

While she is proud of her achievements, Empress notes that the project was a team effort, with work being done by teachers and parents, UNIA, the school board and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

Empress also says she is grateful for the cash and kind donated by individuals and organisations such as National Commercial Bank, Food For the Poor, Jamaica Money Market Brokers, Mr and Mrs Immaraj, Royal Bank of Trinidad and Tobago, Tru-Juice, Choc'late Allen, Digicel, Mr KG, Tile City and Home Centre, Wayne Chen of Super Plus, Strawberry Hill, Kameica Reid, East Japanese Restaurant, Village Café, Upper Cut Barbers, Steve Wilson, Bally Vaswani of Lerner Shops, Smoothie King and MSA TYRES.