Davoy Pusey (left) and Zoie Price, students from Highgate Primary and Junior High, have big hearts and go the extra mile to help those around them daily. - Norman Grindley/Chief Photographer

"I see people every day need a lot of things, like mattress, pillow, food - whole heap a things," he said without a tinge of humour in his voice.

"But I am just a child, me cyaah help dem. Mi wish me cudda help dem. Night and day mi seh, mi wish dat mi cudda help dem!"

Fifteen-year-olds Davoy Pusey and Zoie Price are two exceptional Jamaican young people for two reasons: they consider the needs of others and respond to them.

The two grade-nine students at the Highgate Primary and Junior High were recommended by their teachers as regular 'do-gooders'; however, the individual exploits of these compassionate teens speak volumes by themselves.

Career choice

Davoy wants to be a doctor, and not because of the economic benefits to be gained.

"I want to become a doctor," Davoy said, "because I like to help sick people, I like to go round and help people."

One incident illustrating Davoy's passion came when an elderly man in his community suffered a stroke so devastating that he was left destitute and without assistance.

The thought of it all made Davoy absolutely restless and he set in his mind to help the man.

"Me guh up a him yard and wash out every clothes wha him have because him couldn't move, and nuhbody nah help him," Davoy shared.

Kindness stands out

The boy's act of kindness stands out even more when one considers how he pressed the comforts of his parents who were not in the least enthused about their son washing all the old man's clothes.

"Mi modda say 'Yuh know seh if yuh fada hear bout this him a go cuss' and all a dat," Davoy recalled.

Davoy said his mother kept the secret, however, and so he was able to assist the old man, who eventually died in 2007.

Zoie has been an active member of the Jamaica Red Cross Youth Club in her community since she was 12 years old.

She is trained to help others in her community in times of disaster and has had some remarkable experiences as a youth in bringing relief to others.

"When it was Hurricane Ivan, some houses were blown down and washed out," Zoie shared with The Gleaner.

"We had to go to my cousin's house to help push out the water, the mud and everything. Some of her clothes were destroyed and she felt bad and I had to help her wash out some of the curtains and the bed linens," Zoie recalled.

The young Samaritan, who will be ready again to help this hurricane season, says it is her dream to become a lawyer, so she can defend the rights of others.

Davoy is also a member of the Comfort Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church Youth Club, another platform from which he reaches out to help others in his community. Through the group, Davoy shared that he carries gifts to others who are in need that and also tends to the sick by dressing their sores and changing bandages.

Gone without lunch

Zoie and Davoy both claimed to have gone without lunch, on many occasions, so that they could share their money with less fortunate students at their school.

The teens argued that as long as someone is willing to try, an effort should be made to help them. To illustrate the point Davoy highlighted the frugality of a very poor young man with whom he at times shares his lunch money.

"Him try, one thing about him - him try. If me give him $100 today, him save $50 out of it for tomorrow. Him try - a nuh me alone try - him try to," Davoy said.

andrew.wildes@gleanerjm.com