Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 January 2021
By: Jean Lowrie-Chin
We are always buoyed by conversations with Jamaica’s top motivator Oliver Jones. Last week he told us that the late Rev. Easton Lee’s family lived just a few miles from his in St. Elizabeth. He said Easton and his sister attended Miss Ranger Ford’s school on South Camp Road in Kingston and they both passed the Senior Cambridge exams (like CAPE) at age 16. He said he wanted us to know that “Easton was brilliant, very brilliant.”
Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 January 2021
By: Jean Lowrie-Chin
The Press Association of Jamaica had a successful National Journalism Week. Their Forum last Monday explored Jamaica’s high rating for press freedom by Reporters Without Borders. We are miles ahead of many developed countries. The 2020 PAJ Awards were presented on Saturday. Congratulations to the winners who were still being announced after this column’s deadline. A special Award was presented to PAJ Executive Member Michelle Wilson-Reynolds for giving generously of her organisational and fund-raising skills, making the PAJ a model for good governance and sustainability.
Jamaican seniors are very anxious to receive Covid vaccines, so we are heartened that the PSOJ will be joining with the Ministry of Health to speed the process. JIS reports also that the New Indian High Commissioner to Jamaica, His Excellency Rungsung Masakui, is exploring arrangements with Jamaica for his country to provide vaccines to fight the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: “Our capacity is huge; it is 300 million per month,” he noted. “So we can think of collaborating in this area by sharing our products or by sharing our experiences.” We are certainly looking forward to this.
Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 January 2021
By: Jean Lowrie-Chin
The horror of the murder of four street people in Kingston, and the subsequent reports of the condition of the homeless recalls Marcus Garvey’s statement on poverty: “Poverty is a hellish state to be in. It is no virtue. It is a crime. To be poor is to be hungry without possible hope of food; to be sick without hope of medicine; to be tired and sleepy without a place to lay one’s head; to be naked without the hope of clothing; to be despised and comfortless. To be poor is to be a fit subject for crime and hell.”
This level of poverty leads to homelessness, and we must acknowledge the efforts of this and previous administrations for the safety net of the PATH Programme that has been keeping many a body and soul together. Homelessness is a global problem, and here in Jamaica, it is taken seriously by the Ministry of Local Government and several outreach organizations. However, it is when tragedy strikes that ordinary citizens are jolted by this heart-wrenching situation.
It is not only people with mental issues who end up on the street. On Friday evening TVJ reporter Anthony Lugg interviewed ‘Jodi’, a well-spoken young woman with a 7-year-old son now living on the street. She used to work in a call centre and after she lost her job last year, ended up on the street. She says thugs have stolen all her important documents.
Lugg’s colleague Janella Precius who was presenting the news, posted on social media: “This story broke my heart … I had to DIG DEEP to present the remainder of the newscast.” For those who wish to help Jodi, Janella shared her number: 876-431-1093. We understand that several persons have reached out to assist.
The Open Arms Centre on Windward Road, the Centre for the Upliftment of the Mentally Ill (CUMI) and the Clarendon Association for Street People (CLASP) are inspiring organisations. I had the pleasure of visiting the Open Arms Centre and left with a purchase of beautiful hassocks crafted by the once-homeless residents. The manager, retired Mental Health Nurse Yvonne Grant was conferred with the MBE in 2019 for her dedication to the mentally ill. Ms Grant walked us through classrooms, workrooms and the grounds where farming is done. As a result of their training, scores of previously homeless persons are now able to take up jobs and afford their own accommodation.
Nurse Joy Crooks co-founder of the Montego Bay based CUMI can recount many success stories of mentally challenged persons who have made a turnaround in their lives. Hundreds of her clients have been able to return to the community, to obtain work and achieve stability in their lives. CUMI, a community-based non-governmental organization, officially opened its doors in 1991, when a group of concerned citizens established a soup kitchen and rehabilitation centre in Brandon Hill, Montego Bay, St. James. CUMI’s Day Centre has a small staff, supplemented by volunteers and partners. CUMI has since served as a model for several other parishes, including Kingston, Portland, Westmoreland, Clarendon and St. Ann. It partners with the community, private sector and government agencies, and works closely with the Cornwall Regional Hospital.
CLASP was created in 1995 by a group of concerned citizens. They state their mandate as, “to take charge of the mentally ill street people, facilitate the provision of their rehabilitation and return the stabilized ones to the mainstream of the wider society”. They note that their clients are evaluated and counselled by a team from the Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) who, along with kind donors including Food for the Poor, provide medication and supplies.
The Jacob’s Ladder project of the Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) was conceived by MSC Founder Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon, to protect residents with physical and intellectual disabilities after they became 18-years-old, the age when Government subvention would end for his young charges. “We couldn’t allow our people to go on the street,” said Monsignor Ramkissoon. “We had to create a safe haven for them.”
Jacob’s Ladder is nothing short of a community powered by love. The 101 residents are housed in 40 cottages with a supervisor in charge of each group. In the large Centre of Excellence built by the Digicel Foundation, there are therapy, catering, learning and craft facilities. A farm has been established, which helps to provide food for the various residences of the Mustard Seed Community throughout Jamaica.
We can take the example of the compassionate heroes in our midst and volunteer to rescue our homeless. Last Friday’s Jamaica Observer noted that currently, “forcing people off the streets may be in breach of their rights” but calls on legislators to act “to ensure that our most vulnerable people are protected, even against their will, and that good order prevails.”
Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 January 2021
By: Jean Lowrie-Chin
We are saddened at the passing of Rev. Easton Lee, colleagues in the advertising business Gurney Beckford and Ronnie Nasralla, and creative photographer Peter Ferguson.
We continue to hear Easton’s voice from his engaging poetry readings and his mentees remember him for his affirmation. Playwright David Heron wrote: “he was one of the kindest, most generous and most supportive human beings I have ever known … an Icon of mine who was kind enough to offer words of encouragement to a young playwright.” Condolence to his dear wife Jean and other family members.
I experienced Gurney Beckford’s creativity and good humour as a young employee of the agency he led, Dunlop Corbin Compton. He was a strong leader. My sympathy to his dear wife Pam and other family members. Ronnie Nasralla was the energetic manager of Byron Lee & the Dragonnaires and Toots & the Maytals, and was co-founder of NCM Advertising. In his book “Lessons to Learn”, we discovered that Ronnie led the charge for people of colour to join the Liguanea Club, and assisted the Jamaica Federation of Musicians in ensuring legal protection for their members. Our sympathy to his beloved wife Rosie and other family members.
Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 January 2021
By Jean Lowrie-Chin
Photo credit: positivetourism.com Tourism Minister, Hon. Edmund Bartlett (right) joins Spanish ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Josep Maria Bosch Bessa and his colleague, Deputy Head of Mission, Victoria García Ojeda for a photograph, during a courtesy call to the Minister’s New Kingston office on August 14, 2018.
Spain Ambassador Josep Maria Bosch ended his tour of duty here last December. He and his wife, Mrs Teresa Bosch embraced our culture and warmly shared theirs on memorable Spain National Days. They gave extensive support to the Spanish-Jamaican Foundation, sponsoring teachers of the Spanish language, declared as Jamaica’s second language. Our thanks and very best wishes to Ambassador and Mrs Bosch.
Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 January 2021
By: Jean Lowrie-Chin
My friend Paula Kerr-Jarrett is hoping that Jamaica will begin using CommonPass soon. She says tourism in Aruba is now booming because their Government, led by Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes, have subscribed to this digital health pass, which, according to a report on the World Economic Forum website, “enables safer travel by allowing people to document their COVID-19 test and vaccination status on their mobile phone and share it in a privacy-preserving manner with airline staff and immigration officials.”
We understand from Paula that this was developed by the non-profit organisation The CommonTrust Network, funded by Commons Project Foundation (more information available at press@thecommonsproject.org). She believes that by registering for CommonPass which is a free service, we could see faster recovery of our tourism industry.
Paula also shared positive experiences from the use of drug, Ivermectin in the treatment of Covid-19. Users have reported that by taking the drug three days in a row after getting a positive result, they were symptom free. “This is a low-cost way of treating Covid,” she noted.
She shared a report which noted, “Ivermectin has been used for more than 30 years for the treatment of several diseases. More than one million doses of the drug are administered daily, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Due to the low prevalence of adverse events with the use of this drug, ivermectin is considered to have a good safety profile and its potential benefit in other diseases is currently under investigation. An in vitro study of ivermectin in SARS-CoV-2 in Australia showed a significant reduction of viral load in infected cells. Subsequently, a descriptive study of 704 critical patients with COVID-19 showed a reduction in mortality, hospitalization, and intensive care unit length-of-stay in those patients who received the drug.”
We do hope the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Health and Wellness will explore the benefits of Common Pass and treatment of Covid-19 with Ivermectin.
Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 25 January 2021
By: Jean Lowrie-Chin
WASHINGTON, DC – JANUARY 20: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden fist bumps newly sworn-in Vice President Kamala Harris after she took the oath of office on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2021 in Washington, DC. Biden was sworn in today as the 46th president of the United States. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
As we watched the swearing in of US President Joseph Biden and history-making Vice President Kamala Harris, we held our breath. After the attack on the country’s Capitol just two weeks before, there was talk of holding the event indoors, but President Joe Biden declared ‘I am not afraid’, insisting that he would not cower in the face of domestic terrorists.
Having watched that tragedy, the attacks on police, the smashing of windows, the noose erected in the yard and hearing the chants of ‘Hang Mike Pence!”, I did not exhale until I watched President Biden and his family, then Vice President Kamala Harris and her family enter the building and saw the doors closing behind them.
We were lifted by Young US Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, a 22-year-old African American who sang her healing lines into the hearts of the millions of viewers worldwide:
“We did not feel prepared to be the heirs of such a terrifying hour but within it we found the power to author a new chapter. To offer hope and laughter to ourselves. So while once we asked, how could we possibly prevail over catastrophe? Now we assert, How could catastrophe possibly prevail over us?”
We hung on her every word because “The Hill We Climb”, the title of her poem, is the hill every nation in this world must climb. We felt the fear and anguish of our American family because we are intrinsically connected, and it made us appreciate the vision of our fore parents who established Universal Adult Suffrage in Jamaica in 1944. We hope the call of Amanda Gorman and the victories of young Georgia Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff will encourage more young people to register to vote, a right that should never be undervalued.
When asked what her priority was, VP Harris answered, “To get to work.” And so the President and Vice President went straight to their desks to conduct the business of the nation. They discovered that the previous administration had no plan for the millions of doses of the vaccine that was sitting in storage, but by Friday, more vaccinations were given in one day than ever before.
President Biden, in his Inaugural speech, outlined the country’s many challenges and called for unity of purpose:
“We can join forces, stop the shouting, and lower the temperature.
For without unity, there is no peace, only bitterness and fury.
No progress, only exhausting outrage.
No nation, only a state of chaos.”
In synchronicity, Poet Gorman recited:
“We will not march back to what was, but move to what shall be. A country that is bruised but whole, benevolent but bold, fierce and free.”
We understand that it was US First Lady Dr. Jill Biden who had heard a reading by the young poet and recommended her for the Inauguration. What a masterstroke that was – this clean, brilliant, eloquent young Black woman capturing the world and erasing at least for those moments the ugly, backward, bumbling of the previous racist occupant of the White House.
Heroes come in many forms. Imagine a busy entrepreneur Robert Scott, aware of the financial challenges of retirees, taking the time to call our seniors organization, CCRP, to offer a complimentary workshop for members. Entitled, “Get a new life – turn your skill into an income,” the registration for the event was so overwhelming that he readily agreed to host a second one.
Mr Scott gave us the example of “Ms Smith” who retired after working many years in a dry-cleaning business. In a consultation with Mr Scott, she realised that she could leverage her wide experience in fabric knowledge and care into several endeavours: teaching, writing a care manual and consulting both locally and internationally.
He recommended the ‘Upwork’ website. This is said to be “an upscale version of ‘Fiverr’ – an open marketplace for posting jobs and connecting with freelancers that offers more safety regulations for payment exchanges and more professional standards.”
He offered strategies for building credibility, including joining business associations, public speaking appearances, strategic alliances and use of both traditional and social media to build one’s brand. “Be prepared for a variety of opportunities to make your pitch,” he advised.
Small or medium businesses (SMEs) which may not be able to hire full-time staff should consider hiring retirees on a part-time basis. From companies who have, we get reports of their vast experience, their discipline and their sound ethics. Robert Scott, whose company is StartTrade Jamaica reminded our members that the internet opens opportunities for jobs anywhere in the world. He invited members to them to call him, volunteering further assistance. For us, Robert Scott is a hero for seniors – he opened their eyes to exciting new opportunities, for which they were all very appreciative.
Gratitude! Staff and students from the Lyssons School for Special Needs were excited to share in the handover of the newly renovated Pear Tree River campus which will serve as an extension of the school’s secondary school programme. From left are: Kaydian Woodcock-Brown, Wilmore Simpson, Merva Watson, Dwight Dawkins, Vanessa Cooper, Education Minister Hon. Fayval Williams, Althea Burke, Michelle Charles MP, Lyssons School Acting Principal Jacqueline Hendricks, Arlene Barnes, Mesheka Morgan, Meisha Clarke and Jean Lowrie-Chin, Digicel Foundation Chair.
The quiet rural community of Pear Tree River in St. Thomas was abuzz recently, when students, parents and staff members joined representatives of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information (MOEYI) and the Digicel Foundation for the official handover ceremony of a remodeled school for special needs. Formerly Pear Tree River Primary School, the building will accommodate 60 students aged 13 to 21, doubling the number of available spaces for Special Needs students in the parish. The school focus will be on life skills and vocational training programmes, including agriculture, cooking, sewing, carpentry, tiling, and data entry.
Pear Tree River is the second Special Needs institution to be renovated by the Digicel Foundation in St. Thomas. It will serve as a “sister school” to the Lyssons School for Special Education, which was renovated in 2018 under the Foundation’s Centres of Excellence programme. That school is now fully subscribed with 60 students enrolled. Digicel Foundation’s Special Needs partnership with the MOEYI has enabled the renovation and construction of five Special Needs Units to date.
Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Fayval Williams, in her remarks, expressed her appreciation for Digicel Foundation’s commitment: “They have just been consistent in their support for the education sector,” she noted, adding: “We welcome our partnership with Digicel Foundation. I want to implore the community here to support the school in its activities, the care of students and the property. Special commendations to the staff who worked diligently for our students.”
Chair of the Digicel Foundation Jean Lowrie-Chin said: “Our vision at the Digicel Foundation is to help create a world where no one gets left behind. Fully supported by everyone in Digicel, over the last 16 years the Digicel Foundation has completed over twelve hundred projects and helped nearly 7,000 persons in Jamaica…When we all join together as we are doing today with Minister Williams and her fine professionals at the Education Ministry, the citizenry and our Digicel Foundation team, nothing can stand in the way of the betterment of our people.”
We care! Janet Brimm (second right), Regional Director at the MOEYI for Region 2, presents a plaque to thank the Digicel Foundation as they open their fourth Special Needs school in the MOEYI’s Region 2. The plaque is presented to (from left) Charmaine Daniels, CEO, Jean Lowrie-Chin, Chairperson and Carnel Campbell, Project Construction Manager.
Charmaine Daniels, CEO of the Digicel Foundation, pointed out: “While COVID-19 remains a serious challenge, we are determined to press ahead with our commitment to Special Needs students and their families – especially those in the most remote rural areas. We have recognized the tremendous demand for quality education at the secondary level; vocational training is important for many of these students as they will soon transition into adulthood and need the necessary skills to be productive members of society. We are looking forward to seeing the students equipped with really practical tools that will enable them to go out and live independent lives.”
Digicel Foundation has ensured that the newly renovated building meets all guidelines for safety and accessibility with a new perimeter fence, paved roadway for vehicular access, wider doorways and ramps for wheelchair access, upgraded roof, electrical rewiring, and other fixtures.
The school has already begun accepting students with parameters in place for distance learning and plans being set for when the MOEYI resumes face-to-face classes.
Minister Williams concluded: “I cannot say thank you enough to Digicel Foundation, to the community, and to all who worked to make this day a possibility.”
Jamaica Highlights 