Jamaican woman raises 32 kids: 'I do it because I see myself in them'

theGRIO REPORT - Annmarie Richards is a woman of warmth, kindness and love who has opened her home - and her heart - to taking in and raising 32 children.

Lilly Workneh

Mar 25, 2014

Annmarie Richards is a woman of warmth, kindness and love who has opened her home – and her heart – to taking in and raising 32 children.

Richards has dedicated her time to making a positive impact in the lives of children everywhere and she’s done this by raising more than 32 homeless kids across her home country of Jamaica.

In a short film published on YouTube, Richards’ compelling story tugs on the hearts of viewers who witness the joy she has spread through her acts of kindness.

“There are children who are on the streets, there’s a lot of teenage pregnancies, there is not enough food, not enough money for school, not enough modern parents to help them grow up to be all they can be,” Richards says in the video.

“I recognized that there were so many kids that were in need. I recognized myself on the streets and so my husband and I decided we’re going to try and do something.”

In taking action, Richards and her husband decided to invite these children into their home and raise them as their own.

“We sent them to school, we bathed them, we washed them, and we took them in. We took care of them,” Richards says. “How we do it is we take you on unconditionally, we don’t need to know where you’re from, we just know that the love in our heart … is a reason to help another child.”

Richards story was so remarkable that it inspired filmmakers Joel Robbins and Matthew Butler to make a short film to be published through their company GoBoka Play, a YouTube channel that creates videos and partners with companies who are interested in donating funds to any cause.

GoBoka’s mission is that the more views their videos receive, the more donations their subjects will earn.

After meeting Richards on a trip to Aruba in February last year, Robbins, Butler and their team decided to fly back to Jamaica and create a video telling her story in hopes that the video will garner enough views to generate a substantial amount of money for Richards and her family.

“A lot of young people or college kids or anyone, really, want to do humanitarian things, but they don’t have the money to help out,” Robbins told the Huffington Post. “With GoBoka, instead of donating a dollar, all they have to do is play, like or share a video.”

The goal is for Richards’ video to reach 50,000 views by April 10th. If it does, foundations and charities like Make Life Better and Unicity will donate a computer lab to Richards’ kids.

“I do it because there is a need. I do it because I see myself in them,” Richards says. “I do it because I know that if they get the opportunity to shine, they will be diamonds in the sky.”

Watch the video below: