BVI’s first nanotech and solar-powered library opens on JVD

Jost Van Dyke Primary School today (June 9) welcomed the opening of a nanotech and solar-powered library and resource centre at the facility — the first of its kind in the entire British Virgin Islands.

The initiative included a collaboration between the Soggy Dollar Foundation, Unite BVI Foundation and the Ministry of Education.

Speaking at the handing-over ceremony on the sister island, Education Minister Dr Natalio Wheatley said the new addition to the school is just one of the many initiatives that the government has planned to improve the island.

“I want to let the people of Jost Van Dyke know that the government is focused on improving conditions here, we acknowledge that conditions must improve here, and I think that this is a fantastic new chapter to what’s going to be happening in Jost Van Dyke Primary School,” he said 

“This is just really one of the first steps that we are taking to really improve situations here. The school is another thing, the recreational facilities that we are going to be doing, we are refurbishing roads, we building homes over here, so it’s a lot of work that has to be done here on Jost Van Dyke,” he added.

Dr Wheatley also said the facility will be able to benefit not only the children at the school but the wider community, as many public spaces currently do not exist on Jost Van Dyke.

Funding stems from post-Irma

Meanwhile, General Manager of Unite BVI Kenton Jones thanked all the donors involved in the project and said the funding provided for the facility stems from contributions received following the 2017 hurricanes.

“This came together as a result of our post-Irma work where we went globally fundraising to fund projects that we knew would be important to the territory, so many people went online immediately after the storms in 2017 and many of them are anonymous and put money into the foundation and that is what has contributed to this building as well,” he stated.

Jones further said Unite BVI is working on approximately 20 other projects across the territory, as the foundation usually completes an average of 30 projects annually.