Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer Column published Monday, April 12, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

THE Ministry of Health’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-0ut continues islandwide this week. Meanwhile, the anti-vaccine WhatsApp messages continue to make the rounds. Those of us who know of the agony of this disease should make a special effort to convince others to take it. Explain to them the “long COVID” condition, in which symptoms can persist for months.

Last Wednesday and Thursday saw a total of 30 COVID-19-related deaths. In a country of three million people, this is an alarming number. It has got to the point at which most of us know someone who has succumbed to the disease.

Teachers, immigration officers, workers in the hospitality industry, and now media workers are eligible for the vaccine. Thank goodness media colleague Dashan Hendricks is fully recovered, Dionne Jackson-Miller is recovering, while Dr. Orville Taylor is struggling with this debilitating virus.

I keep hearing of the courtesy and kindness of our health workers at vaccination centres. A senior who was vaccinated at the Mona Ageing and Wellness Centre (MAWC) at The University of the West Indies (UWI) remarked on the keen attention paid to the seniors by Professor Denise Eldemire Shearer. I was not surprised, as she has sought relentlessly to protect our elderly.

The Ministry of Health’s website ( http://www.moh.gov.jm) has an efficient registration system. Younger folks have been helping seniors to register, and the age eligibility has been lowered. Please assist a senior in getting the vaccine, whether by registering them or by giving them a lift to the clinic.

Monday, 12 April 2021 – Kingston, Jamaica. Digital Operator, Digicel Group, today announced its donation of US$500,000 worth of much-needed items to support the urgent relief efforts in St. Vincent & the Grenadines caused by the Le Soufriere volcanic activity.

With thousands of people evacuated from the red zone and housed in shelters and significant ash fall resulting from the explosive eruptions of La Soufriere affecting the entire island, the situation is developing and deteriorating.

Leveraging its global reach and supply chains, Digicel will work with the Government of St. Vincent & the Grenadines to identify immediate needs – as well as procuring and shipping items identified as urgently needed in these early stages by the National Emergency Management Organisation.

Commenting on the assistance, Digicel Group Chairman, Denis O’Brien, said; “With our priorities being helping to keep people safe and keeping them connected, it’s at times like these that our natural instinct is to want to do everything we can to help. As a company, as a team and as the Digicel family, we are here for the people of St. Vincent & the Grenadines and ready to help in a meaningful way.”

“We take our responsibility as a provider of critical national infrastructure very seriously. Ably and energetically led by Fanta Williams, our CEO for Digicel St. Vincent & the Grenadines, our Business Continuity Management teams are mobilised on-island and across the Caribbean and our focus is on ensuring our network serves the needs of the people at this critical and unsettling time – and that we come through this together.” 

Loop Jamaica Friday, April 09, 2021

• 

Chairman of Winsynco Group, William Mahfood says his late father cherished the work he did with Food For The Poor, more than all the other achievements during his lifetime.

According to William, his father Joseph (Joe), who died on Thursday from cancer, had a special place in his heart for Food For The Poor Jamaica, which was founded in 1982 by brothers Ferdinand, Sam, Joe and Robin.

“The most important thing and he would look at me sometimes and he would say that probably the most significant role that he ever played, in his entire life, was at the beginning and the foundation of Food For The Poor,” William said of Joe, who was also one of the ‘founding ‘fathers’ of Wisynco.

“He would always say that he felt that that was the true crowning glory of his achievement,” William said.

According to William, Food For The Poor has assisted tens of thousands of families in Jamaica and hundreds of thousands in Haiti by building houses for them to occupy.

Apart from the construction of houses, the charity has donated food, school and medical supplies for people in need in the Caribbean and Central America.

“He would say that that is the proudest achievement of his entire life – the ability to give back to the people of the Caribbean and especially Jamaica,” William said.

Joe and his three brothers started West Indies Synthetic Company Limited in 1965, manufacturing Ironman rubber water boots. Sam, who was the chairman, was also in charge of building and expanding a market, with Joe responsible for the business’s manufacturing segment.

William said that Joe went to France approximately four months earlier and had acquired the production skill for the rubber water boots and returned to Jamaica, with the technical know-how and the first machine to establish the factory.

• 

The son said that his father was dedicated to building the company.

“He was there, I remember as a child, at nights, all times, at day and on weekends as they were building the business. He was a true industrialist. He believed in manufacturing as one of the main areas for economic opportunities for the country, so he continued to invest and expand the manufacturing base at Winsynco,” William said.

William said his father Joe and late uncle Sam allowed him and cousin Andrew, who is the current CEO of Winsynco, to transition into the company’s leadership by offering mentorship.

According to William, he and Andrew were able to learn the fundamentals of the business from Joe and Sam and used those lessons to bring new strategies and ideas into the organisation, which Joe was very fond of.

“He was constantly giving us advice on areas of production, engineering and those kinds of things. It was always good, sound advice,” William said.

Several Jamaicans, including Prime Minister Andrew Holness, have expressed deep sadness at Joe’s passing.

“Joe was no doubt a standout Jamaican who has made a sterling contribution to our country both as a businessman and a philanthropist. Joe was a truly great Jamaican, his rich legacy will live on,” Holness said.

According to William, his father was a true nationalist and also family oriented by raising his children with good values, ethics and morals.

“We (children) saw a man that is so principled in everything that he did. He had a tremendous love for his country. When we were growing up as children, he used to take us all over Jamaica. I knew every single corner of Jamaica from west to east, south to north as a child growing up,” William said.

William said although his father was the descendant of a Lebanese, Joe would decline suggestions to visit Lebanon, telling those who tried to convince him that Jamaica is his home.

He said his father’s love for Jamaica, prevented him from visiting other countries for vacation, as he preferred to spend time on the island.

William said the family is trying to cope with Joe’s death.

“When you lose a man who has been such a huge impact, it is hard, it is difficult, but the good thing is that he was a man of faith and he left enough time for us to really spend quality time with him towards the end of his life and so we enjoyed that,” William said.

During his working years, Joe was a member of the Jamaica Manufacturers’ Association, which is now the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association.