In the News

In April, the Digicel Foundation launched a grant campaign in partnership with the Digicel dealer stores to identify projects across the island for its micro-grant programme. These ‘20 for 20’ the grants are  valued at $650,000 each and persons can apply through their local dealer stores. The first batch of grant recipients were recently announced, with cheques handed over in Lucea, Portland, Clarendon, Trelawny and Kingston. The first lucky group to receive a cheque was Cacoon Primary and Infant school, which applied through UGs Better Buy – the operator of the Lucea Digicel store.

The school will use the funds to beautify the property and develop a playfield for students. “Our focus is teaching and learning but students will learn better in an environment that feels like a safe haven and is comfortable – they will have that drive to come to school and learn more,” explained Antoinette Riley, principal of the school. “I’m excited because the funding for a school is never adequate – when we can get funding from a corporate entity like the Digicel Foundation it just makes me feel elated.”

In the News

He’s one of the top professional footballers in Europe, a sought-after prospect for several clubs, and a key member of Jamaica’s national senior team. Added to that, he carries the weight of World Cup qualifying on his back.

Yet, Leon Bailey still remembers a time when things were totally different, when he was a far way from the life he now enjoys. Though things were hard and his path to success less clear, Bailey always knew that one day he would be a professional player.

The Phoenix All Stars Football Academy and its holistic approach to developmental training on and off the pitch was the ticket to opportunities which he rode straight to the upper echelons of the sport. Now Bailey, also known as Chippy to his family and close friends, plies his trade with Bayern Leverkusen in the German Bundesliga and is set to fly to Orlando to join his Jamaican teammates to challenge for this year’s Gold Cup.

A strong, dedicated and coordinated partnership between Leon Bailey and Food For The Poor (FFP) is expected to raise the roof, or better yet, put a roof over the heads of many Jamaicans in need.

During a courtesy visit to FFP’s offices in Spanish Town and accompanied by Phoenix Sports Management President Craig Butler and fellow professional footballer, Ricardo Martin (now on vacation from his club duties at Senglea FC in Malta), Leon renewed his commitment to FFP to support, assist and use his voice and influence as a medium to garner more help for the charity’s many initiatives.

“I remember what it was like to be in need and to be helped to achieve my daily and long-term goals, so I am extremely happy to support the initiatives of this noble organisation and to help as best as I can,” he said.

BETTER JAMAICA

Those sentiments were echoed by Butler, who developed and raised Bailey from childhood to his current status and continues to guide the footballer. “We are cognisant of the impact a little support can have in the life of a human being and we will continue to acknowledge and support Food For The Poor as we build together a united, better Jamaica, one action at a time.”

Through his own charity, the Leon Bailey Foundation, Bailey has partnered with FFP to provide the children of the Nest Children’s Home (an FFP-supported institution) with computer tablets to aid their online learning.

As FFP Executive Director Craig Moss-Solomon points out, a significant benefit of the partnership is derived from Bailey’s visibility, influence and reach.

“Through his excellence as an international footballer, Bailey opens up avenues for other athletes, both locally and overseas, to get involved, as well as other individuals outside the sporting arena. We appreciate the support from the entire Phoenix family, and we look forward to the fruits that will be produced from this partnership, as we work together to uplift those in need.”

He added that the partnership with Bailey will be hugely impactful in several areas of ministry. “Just in the area of housing, FFP receives at least 100 requests each month, with each home typically accommodating four persons, so providing a home is helping to keep a family safe, and that has significant ripple effects.”

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, July 05, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Our society is wounded, and the first place to start the healing must be the home. Justices of the Peace islandwide were called on by Justice Minister Delroy Chuck to engage communities in the prevention of child abuse at last Thursday’s online discussion. Children’s Advocate Diahann Harrison, Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) Head Rosalee Gage-Grey and Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences & Child Abuse (CISOCA) Head SSP Charmaine Shand walked us through the rights of children and the responsibility of adults to ensure their safety.

Mrs Harrison noted that Jamaica ratified the UN Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989) as early as 1991, highlighting four areas of focus: survival, protection, developmental, and participatory (ever grateful for her helpful slides). She gave details on the categories: Survival Rights, the right to life, shelter, food and clothing; Developmental, right to spiritual & moral guidance, an education, reasonable health services, consistent with the age and needs of the child. Protection Rights demand the establishment of policies, practice, legislative framework to ensure children are protected – Jamaica’s Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA) is indeed a model; and Participatory, the right to participate in the decision-making process in matters that may impact upon him or her. 

The right to participate took me back to an account of Bob Marley’s childhood in his biography ‘Catch A Fire’ by Timothy White. White reports that as a small child, Bob was taken from his home by his father Norval to live with the Marley family in Kingston. Cedella Booker saw in this the promise of a better life for her son.  However, instead of staying with them in the Hillcrest area, he was sent to live with a Miss Grey on Heywood Street in downtown Kingston. Ms Booker was distressed that her letters enquiring about her child remained unanswered. A relative spotted the six-year-old buying coal on Spanish Town Road. He begged her for his mother, who subsequently went in frantic search of her son. When she found him, little Bob hugged her crying, “Mumma! Why yuh nuh come look fe me?” She took him back to her family homestead in Nine Miles, St. Ann.

The Children’s Advocate emphasised that any incident or even suspicion of child abuse must be reported, noting that the Children’s Registry in the CPFSA will receive reports of child abuse confidentially at 1-888-PROTECT (1-888-776-8328), after which they will be referred to partner agencies. She noted that the CCPA requires that “any person who has information which causes him to suspect that a child’s right has been infringed, or a child is at risk or in a vulnerable situation” has a “mandatory obligation to report as soon as is reasonably practicable.”

She listed the consequences of not reporting: liable for prosecution; summary criminal proceedings in the Parish Court; maximum penalty of $500,000 fine or six months imprisonment (or combination of both) and penalties also for making false statements.

Since 2007, there has been a yearly increase in the number of children reported as being abused. She said girls continue to be more at risk compared to boys and data shows that the number of abuses taking place right there in the child’s home, is double those that happen at the offender’s location.

The Covid pandemic has also had an emotional impact on children, as revealed by a UNICEF survey of 505 homes. These include boredom (63%), over-eating (57%), frustration (41%), clinginess (39%), anxiety (23%), sadness (23%), fear (21%) and uncooperativeness (15%).  Mrs Harrison appealed to us to get ‘back to basics’: have ‘simple but important conversations about morals and values, and a sense of caring’, focus on supporting parenting activities and working with children in nearby communities.

The launch of “Safe Spot” co-sponsored by UNICEF and private sector bodies, is imminent – a 24-hour child and teen helpline which is toll free and will be manned by qualified professionals. There are several ways that children can reach Safe Spot – call 888-SAFE-SPOT (888-733-3776), WhatsApp 876-439-5199 or DM on Instagram @safespotja. Charmaine Daniels, CEO of Digicel Jamaica Foundation, a co-sponsor of “Safe Spot”, describes it as “a Godsend for Jamaica’s children”. I hope fellow JPs will share this information far and wide as there are children who in need or urgent help.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, July 05, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

We give props to ODPEM, our Met Office and the Ministry of Local Government for helping us track and prepare for Hurricane Elsa over the past days. However, as the old saying goes, “God helps those who help themselves” and too many of us are casual about putting ourselves in order, and quick to blame ‘the Govament’ when we are affected.

At the time of writing this column, thankfully we have been downgraded from ‘Hurricane Warning’ to “Tropical Storm Warning’ – still serious as this comes with a great deal of wind and rain.

We have been specially focused on the elderly as they should have a stock of prescription meds in addition to the usual necessities.  Family members should remember that a sad aspect of elderly abuse is neglect.  They may have been energetic in their time but age has its challenges and dear Grandma and Grandpa do need more support. Please do not wait until the last minute to help them prepare for emergencies; visit at least monthly and check on their supplies.

Many younger relatives live abroad but there are trusted neighbours, church family and friends who you can engage to help you do a physical check. Remember some elders try not to bother their children, so if you do not get in-person checks done you may not know their true situation. There are inexpensive camera systems that can also assist you to monitor wherever you are.

As the National Works Agency tries to keep abreast of road repairs, Parish Councils should ensure that new builds are in accessible areas. Rural folks are suffering from terrible road conditions, with the authorities trying to play catch-up. There is so much potential in every parish in our beautiful country – let us get a handle on our built environment so we do not have the population overload in some places and sparse, struggling communities in others.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, July 5, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Last Thursday saw the Launch of the Association of Retired Education Officers (AREO) at the Bethel Baptist Church Hall. Currently, the affairs of the Association are overseen by an Interim Committee comprising Chair, Mrs Marjorie Gaynor; Vice-Chair, Dr Delores Brissett; Secretary, Mrs Viris Clarke Ellis, Assistant Secretary, Mrs Beryl Jengelley; Treasurer, Miss Patricia Davies; Assistant Treasurer, Dr Ann Hall; and Public Relations Officer, Mr Rudyard Ellis. An Executive will be elected when their first general meeting is called.

AREO is a non-profit membership organization with a mission “To promote healthy lifestyle, wellness and fellowship and to improve the quality of life and ensure the dignity of members, through networking, collaboration, sharing of information, promoting opportunities for self-development and fostering volunteerism.” Congratulations to these dedicated public servants who are well equipped to play important roles in the governance of our education system.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, June 28, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Having been working from home since last year, we will cautiously reopen PROComm and CCRP offices next Monday. Sanitizing, spacing, masking will all have to be observed but we miss the spontaneous exchange of ideas and the quick calls for team support that cannot happen on Zoom.

Happily, we have been able to host development seminars and an entertaining talent evening on Zoom for CCRP seniors including items by our Living Legacy Honourees Dr Jean Small, Merel Hanson and Dr Owen James. Our members are talented, witty individuals who could perform on any stage.

Excerpt from the Jamiaca Observer column published Monday, June 28, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Fully vaccinated, we headed to the drive-through Antigen testing site at Old Hope Road as we prepared for our first overseas visit in fifteen months. It was an easy process; there was no need to leave the car as they brought out a card with a QR code so we could answer a few questions on WhatsApp, pay via a mobile card machine and 30 minutes later our results were in our inbox.

Because we didn’t want to change flights, we got a ride to Montego Bay to catch Southwest to Baltimore. Our favourite spot in the airport Club Mobay was buzzing, with attentive staff and great snacks. There were frequent reminders that masks had to be worn in the airport and on the flight.

The jovial flight attendant announced that no liquor was available – this after a rowdy passenger had attacked a Southwest attendant a few weeks before on a US domestic flight. The plane looked spotless but we did wipe down the arms of the seat just to be sure.

On arrival, there were no questions about vaccination and testing as all this had been checked in Montego Bay, but lots of questions about agricultural products. We detailed everything we had in our bags, but along with the few Jamaicans, were still directed to the agricultural line where the lady wrote down the items: coffee, coconut drops, bun, tamarind balls, rum cream – “No ma’am, no mangoes” – how I wished I could have taken the lovely mangoes from my trees. My relatives have been buying them for a fortune at the West Indian store.

So here we were in the fully opened state of Maryland. Many folks were not wearing masks, but we kept them on wherever we went. There was indoor dining and we understand that cinemas and other places of entertainment were well attended. What a difference vaccination makes. What a tragedy that there are still so-called pastors dissuading their congregants there and here in Jamaica from taking the vaccine. It is the unvaccinated who are accounting for those Covid deaths still occurring.

We had to be tested to return to Jamaica, benefiting from the free PCR tests offered by the US Government for anyone, whether citizen or not.

Returning home, there was not one empty seat on the flight and most were tourists. The Montego Bay Airport was busy and Club Mobay was packed to capacity. Our Red Cap porter Mr Nelson regaled us with stories as we crossed to the Knutsford Express on the airport premises. Let us pause to congratulate the founder of Knutsford Express, Oliver Townsend for creating this islandwide transportation system that is professionally run. You can set your watch on its departures. It has been a Godsend for Jamaicans travelers.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, June 28, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Come Wednesday, we will have shorter curfew hours, beginning at 11pm on weekdays and 6pm on Sundays. There will be a 70 percent allowance for seating in churches and cinemas. However, we are reminded that mask-wearing, distancing and regular handwashing or sanitizing are crucial to maintaining this gradual opening up.

Understandably, members of the medical community are concerned as they became burnt out just a few months ago when beds and oxygen were running short. With loud calls from the entertainment sector, the Government is again trying to balance lives and livelihood.

The challenge is the discipline required to respect the protocols. I was concerned at the announcement that 5,000 spectators would have been allowed to attend the National Trials. Yes, we understand that they would have been spaced out, but the science shows that shouting and laughing cause aerosols of fine droplets to travel more than six feet. None of us can keep quiet when we see our favourite athletes flying to the finish. Good sense prevailed and the decision was reversed. Clearly our athletes were not napping during the pandemic. The fastest woman alive Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce thrilled us with her Mommy-Rocket skills and Elaine Thompson-Herah, Shericka Jackson and young Briana Williams are the promise of a breathtaking Tokyo Olympics Relay. We have been spoiled by our sub-10 men’s athletes but we should note that Yohan Blake did that in the semis and should not give up hope of a good showing. Indeed, I have a soft spot for Blake, who has been a strong supporter of Food for the Poor over many years.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, June 28, 2021

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

We were impressed when PSOJ Vice President Mariame McIntosh-Robinson shared their current programmes in a meeting last week: promoting access to financing for MSMEs, the ENDS project, for micro businesses, the Children’s Help Line in association with the Office of the Children’s Advocate and the Digicel Foundation, the Connect-a-Child project to raise funds for laptops and tablets for students, the Public Sector Vaccination Initiative (PSVI), the Standing Committee on National Security and Justice, and support of Government’s tree-planting programme. Well done, PSOJ.

Excerpt from the Jamaica Observer column published Monday, June 28, 2021

By Jean Lowrie Chin

The video recordings of the partial collapse of a condominium complex near Miami Beach are stunning. Now, rescue workers are digging through the rubble to find the 159 persons who are unaccounted for, as we hope and pray with their grieving families. On social media, architects and construction engineers are weighing in, suggesting faulty design, rising waters and poor maintenance. The lesson to builders here in Jamaica, is that it may seem like an arduous stretch to get the soil-testing, the NWA, NEPA and Fire Dept approvals, but we must respect the process.