I’m not sure I had truly considered that Jamaica was a mountainous island, and what that meant for the landscape, until the drive to Annotto Bay hospital on my first day at work. To my left was beautiful bright blue sea and to my right, forested hills. Coming from Miami, this view even beat my 15th floor bay/city view balconies. At the hospital, there was more of the new familiar- a modestly equipped open air style British colonial style hospital with friendly nurses and patients. I was greeted with a stream of “good morning”s and “good day”s and the smiles seem to be brighter once I mention that I am with Issa Trust, the Foundation clearly has a solid track record with the hospitals. In terms of work, rounding at Annotto Bay, and even clinic, is very independent. As the Issa trust pediatrician, I pre round on the patient (along with the general practitioner “medical officers” and present to Dr. Ramos, the attending pediatrician. He does fantastic teaching for the residents and  specialist, he usually invites me to chip in to teach. In clinic we function completely independently but can still ask Dr. Ramos or one of the house officers if we have questions on procedure, available medications, referrals etc. While all the charting in clinic is handwritten and often not too legible,most of these visits are well newborn checks and the infants have their health booklets with all pertinent antenatal and peripartum information on the baby. This serves as a very helpful portable medical record for the child and even has growth charts, vaccination records and slots to input information for all of their well child visits through to the school-age years! While the rooms are not as fully stocked as they would be in the states (otoscopes etc), with some effort, it’s possible to maintain the same standard of care/screening as we would have stateside. It’s mostly about remembering your basic history and anticipatory guidance skills and making sure to bring with you what you can (oto/ophthalmoscopes, tiips etc) from the states or from the villa. By nature, and training at Jackson Memorial, I try not to assume anything on behalf of the patients or the follow up system so when I doubt anything at all, I ask one of the other doctors to be sure that what I am doing will actually get them their referral, follow up, medication etc. Overall, it’s relatively easy to settle in and the other doctors and staff are very helpful and welcoming.

For me, having grown up between Liberia and Ghana, Jamaica, while new, feels very familiar. From the lush green countryside to the old British colonial architecture in the small towns, it could have been transplanted from any of the British commonwealth countries that I’ve ever visited. Nevertheless, the beauty of this new familiar could never be lost. Driving along the main road with rolling clear blue waves to the left and rising rainforested mountains to the right is not a view one easily tires of. The resort, with the open air layout and, beautiful beaches and crisp white walls is just as beautiful as the country.

Leo Gilling is not one to forget his roots—or anyone in need. The industrious native of Jamaica, who now runs an insurance agency in Florida, grew up in Oracabessa with a determination to make the most of his life. For Leo, that means working hard and giving back even harder, particularly in the area of education.

“I was trained as a teacher in Jamaica, but after college, I switched career tracks to business,” Leo says. The change gave him a better pay check, while still letting him make significant investments in Jamaican education. That includes working alongside Diane Pollard, President and CEO of the Issa Trust Foundation, to increase charitable involvement in education.

Most recently, Leo is partnering with ITF through his work as The Advisory Board Member (ABM) for the West/Midwest USA and the leader of the Jamaican Diaspora Education Task Force. (JDETF) In this role, he serves as an organizer for Camp Summer Plus, a summer program funded by USAID through the Jamaican Ministry of Education with a goal of raising numeracy and literacy among at-risk third graders.

“This is the most critical phase of primary school education,” Leo explains. “The Grade 4 Literacy Test (G4LT) must be mastered before students are allowed to sit the Grade Six Achievement Test (GSAT), the determinant of secondary school placements. We’re attempting to have at-risk students who’ve finished third grade engaged for five weeks in summer so that when they go back to school in September, they will be able to perform at or above their grade level.”

Teachers help to identify pupils who will most benefit, Leo says, and many of those students are reading below the first grade level. At least 125 children will attend the all-day camps, which will be held in three locations.

This year Camp Summer Plus will also include health, occupational therapy, hearing, vision and dental screenings. “Unlike the majority of students in America, Jamaican children might have learning challenges because they don’t have balanced diet and nutrition,” Leo says. “For instance, iron deficiencies can be disabling, and that is somewhat common in Jamaica. So kids sit in class while the teacher is teaching, but they’re not learning. Students might get a C not because they can’t read, but because they can’t see and are too proud to admit it due to their background; the same for hearing.”

Fortunately, Leo didn’t have to look far for a pediatrics partner. “There was no other fitting person to contact than Diane Pollard of Issa Trust Foundation whose specialty is pediatrics,” Leo says. “Issa Trust Foundation is mobile, the personnel are super committed and energized to do work in Jamaica, and Diane comes with a high level of professionalism and competency.”