Every school morning, many of us stood in line, hands at our sides, and said the words without thinking too much about them. "Before God and all mankind, I pledge the love and loyalty of my heart, the wisdom and courage of my mind, the strength and vigour of my body in the service of my fellow citizens." We were children then. We did not know how much those words would one day ask of us.
Today I think about them all the time. Every year, when our team spends a month serving children in Jamaica, I see how much the world has changed for them, and how much they need grown-ups who will actually live that pledge.
Growing up fast in a fast world
The children we serve are bright, funny, curious and full of promise. They are also carrying more than children should have to carry.
- Screens and social media. A phone can open a door to the whole world, but it can also put the whole world's pressure in a child's pocket. Comparison, bullying and content no child should see don't stay at the school gate. They follow children home and into the night.
- Strain at home. Many children are being raised by grandparents, aunties, or one tired parent doing the work of two. Some parents are working overseas so the family can survive. The love is there, but being present is hard, and children feel the absence.
- Economic pressure. When money is tight, the first things to go are often the things a child needs to thrive: a proper lunch, shoes that fit, a book, a bus fare. Children notice, and many quietly carry their parents' worry.
- Learning gaps. A child who falls behind in reading at seven can feel lost by twelve. Without someone to sit beside them with the homework, the gap grows wider every term.
- Mental health. Anxiety, grief, anger and loneliness are real in young hearts. Too often there is no one trained to listen, and no money for the help that would make the difference.
None of this is a judgment on Jamaican families. It is the reality of raising children in a world that moves faster than our support systems do. And it is exactly where the rest of us come in.
The pledge is a to-do list
Read the pledge again slowly and you'll notice it isn't a feeling. It is a list of actions: to stand up for justice, brotherhood and peace; to work diligently and creatively; to think generously and honestly. And then it tells us why.
“So that Jamaica may, under God, increase in beauty, fellowship, and prosperity.”
Beauty, fellowship, prosperity. Not for a few of us. For Jamaica. And Jamaica's future is sitting in a classroom right now, hoping somebody shows up.
For those of us in the diaspora, in London, Toronto, New York, Miami and everywhere in between, the pledge did not expire when we boarded the plane. If anything, distance gives us a special responsibility. Many of us have opportunities our parents never had. The question is what we will do with them.
And then, the whole human race
The pledge doesn't stop at our shores. It ends by asking Jamaica to "play her part in advancing the welfare of the whole human race." I love that line. It reminds me that caring for our own children is not small or inward-looking. It is how we practise the kind of love the whole world needs.
When we show up for one child in one Jamaican community, we are taking part in something much bigger. That is the heart of United People of God: people uniting to solve real problems, beginning at home and reaching outward to the whole human family.
What living the pledge looks like, all year round
Each year our team spends a month on the ground serving children, an average of 110 of them every year. For a long time, the hardest part has been the day we leave. The need does not get on the plane with us. So we are building something that stays: year-round support, funded by people who refuse to let one good month be the end of the story.
- Everyday needs: food, clothing, school supplies and feminine necessities, so no child misses out on learning because of what they lack.
- Learning and guidance: mentorship, tutoring and homework help, so children have consistent adults in their corner long after we fly home.
- Health and wellbeing: dental care, medical care and therapy, because a child who is hurting in body or mind cannot fully learn or grow.
This is the pledge with its sleeves rolled up. The love and loyalty of the heart, turned into a lunch, a tutor, a check-up, a listening ear.
Your part
You don't need to be rich to keep this promise. You need to be faithful.
Give from $10 a month. A small, steady gift does more than a large one that comes once and fades. Monthly donors are how support continues in the months when our team isn't there, and every donor giving $10 or more a month gets access to our members gallery, so you can see what your money does.
Join a trip. If you can give a month, or help us find the people who can, come and serve with us. We always need more volunteers on the ground.
Pass it on. Share this with your family group chat, your church, your old school association. The pledge was never meant to be said alone.
Before God and all mankind, let's keep our promise to these children.
With love and gratitude,
Leighton Campbell, Founder, United People of God
The words of Jamaica's National Pledge are quoted from the National Library of Jamaica.
Keep the care going all year.
Give from $10 a month and unlock the members gallery, or join our next trip.
