St. Maarten – St. Martin News Update

The RISE Foundation has completed the main phase of its 2026 Back-to-School Support Project in Philipsburg, St. Maarten, reaching approximately 100 students across the island. The initiative provided uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, and footwear to students attending four partner primary schools. Additional support was also extended to students and classrooms at other schools beyond the core partner institutions, broadening the program's overall reach. The project aims to ease the financial burden on families at the start of the academic year, ensuring children are properly equipped to learn. The foundation's expanded outreach signals a growing commitment to educational support across St. Maarten's communities.

The RISE Foundation on St. Maarten has completed the main phase of its 2026 Back-to-School Support Project, reaching 100 students across the island. The initiative provided uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, and shoe assistance to students enrolled at four partner primary schools. Beyond those core partnerships, the foundation also extended additional student and classroom support to other schools and organizations across St. Maarten. The project reflects RISE Foundation's ongoing commitment to reducing financial barriers that prevent children from starting the school year fully equipped. By broadening its reach this cycle, the foundation signals a growing capacity to serve more of the island's student population. The effort is particularly significant in a community where back-to-school costs can be a considerable burden for lower-income families.

Judicial and Institutional Services (J&IS) and the Guardian Council (CoG) in Sint Maarten have jointly issued a public call urging parents and caregivers to adopt positive, respectful, and violence-free parenting methods. The statement comes in direct response to a recent public debate on the island regarding corporal punishment and physical discipline of children. Both institutions emphasized that children deserve to be raised in safe environments free from physical harm. The appeal highlights growing concern among child welfare authorities about the normalization of physical punishment as a disciplinary tool. By speaking out together, J&IS and CoG signal a unified institutional stance on child protection in Sint Maarten. The call reflects broader regional and international efforts to shift parenting culture away from physical discipline and toward constructive, non-violent approaches.