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

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

We gave thanks when the 22-year sentence was handed down to the cold-blooded police officer Derek Chauvin who squeezed the life out of George Floyd, keeping his knee on his neck for over nine minutes, despite his pleas of ‘I can’t breathe’. We give thanks because every time we think of our US relatives being pulled over by a police officer, we are filled with fear, knowing previous outcomes of similar situations. We give thanks because a brave teenager kept her phone video on for the entire duration so that the world could see the cruelty of racism.

We give thanks that the peoples of the world responded in pain and anger, and ‘Black Lives Matter’ echoed across the globe as humans of every colour marched against the savagery that they saw. We give thanks and we pray that this sentence will be a warning to every racist individual that the world will not stand by and allow their prejudice to stand in the way of justice. 

Nordian Thompson is finally ready and equipped to revolutionise her online business. The small business owner was the first user to download the Honey Bun Foundation GAPP APP and complete the survey, which identifies gaps in a company’s business model. The Digicel Foundation, which is a partner of the application, stepped up to donate a laptop for Thompson thanks to The Honey Bun and Digicel Foundations.

Thompson was awarded the laptop at the Digicel Foundation’s downtown headquarters, the Delves Building, on April 14. She downloaded the app after watching the Honey Bun Foundation’s live stream to help her identify growth areas in her St. Ann-based clothing boutique, Porte-Bonheur.

Speaking about her early days as a business owner, Thompson recalled, “It was incredibly challenging. I started with a ZTE Blade – a ‘not so smartphone’ but I had to make it work. I often had issues accessing certain apps to edit or to set up pages/posts that required using a computer. I once had a small business Zoom presentation and was unable to showcase my products as I needed a computer or any other device which I didn’t have access to at the time.”

Now, equipped with her new laptop, Thompson can do so much more. She fondly recalls the moment she found out she had won the grand prize from the GAPP APP launch. “I was in shock! I was screaming, hugging my friend and sent it to a few persons asking, ‘Hey, you see this? That’s me, right?’ Oh my God I was overjoyed, super excited. At one point I became teary because a few days prior I was looking at a laptop. I was just saying like, ‘This is you, God’.”

Now there is no stopping this budding entrepreneur who started her store while also overseeing her mother’s community-based grocery shop, and working part-time at a bill payment outlet in her community of Bonham Spring, St Ann.

Closing the ‘Gapp’

Now, Thompson is focused on closing the gaps identified through the GAPP APP survey.  For her, using the app was very eye opening. “I was just focused on having what was needed and providing it.  I didn’t realise that there were other routes to marketing that I was overlooking and would aid my sales projection,” she explained. “I never had a business plan, and no way to identify the areas of my business that I could improve on. I just took what I had saved and decided I wanted to do something for myself and I did.”

Having used the app, she said, the most immediate change she will introduce to her business is accountability. “I was just spending and replacing, and after I started using the GAPP APP, I realised that I did not even know if I was operating at a profit or loss,” she recalls. “So, now I am more selective and budgeting when making purchases, researching cheaper vendors while satisfying the need for quality, yet affordable items. I am working towards a greater score for my next review.”

Thompson’s experience perfectly captures the aim of The Honey Bun Foundation GAPP APP. “The benefits Nordian gained from the app are exactly what we intended and what we want more small and medium businesses to access,” said General Manager of The Honey Bun Foundation Nashauna Lalah.

“The fact that the grand prize from the Digicel Foundation was also such an essential missing piece of the puzzle for her gives me goosebumps. It’s the start of great success for Nordian and we’ll be here to guide her and others like her along the way,” Lalah added.

Thompson is now looking to the future and sees her business someday becoming “a recognised entity that will provide employment for Jamaicans – an example to other small businesses that with commitment, hard work, dedication and a dream, the impossible will always become possible.”

Childcare facilities across the island are getting a much needed boost from the Digicel Foundation. During a meeting at the Foundation’s downtown Kingston headquarters on Wednesday, an agreement was signed with the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) to erect 10 wash stations in 10 children’s homes across the island.

As one of the basic safety protocols, the need for wash stations in schools and other institutions is growing. The CPFSA has been lobbying for all homes to install wash stations. However, the cost for permanent or semi-permanent structures can be prohibitive for many. Sponsors like the Digicel Foundation have a major role to play in supporting institutions and child care facilities as they aim to keep Jamaica’s children safe.

“It is very critical in our child care facilities to continue with the protocols, including the washing of hands. We’ve instituted regular washing for the children – these wash stations will be critical in that,” explained Rosalee Gage-Grey, CEO of the CPFSA. “It’s our pleasure to be partnering with the Digicel Foundation. Some very meaningful projects have been executed before and we are quite appreciative of this initiative to put wash stations in 10 of our facilities.”

The Digicel Foundation has invested over J$100 million into Jamaica’s COVID recovery thus far. This includes donations of food and sanitization items to the CPFSA. Most recently, the Foundation partnered with the Rural Agricultural Development Authority to donate food items, chickens and agricultural plants to the Maxfield Park Children’s Home.

“Throughout the pandemic we’ve been putting children first,” explained Charmaine Daniels, CEO of the Digicel Foundation. “Our children have been greatly impacted by COVID and we have to do everything to create a sense of normalcy for them while ensuring their safety. That’s why we’ve partnered with the CPFSA to provide continued support.”

In 2020, the Digicel Foundation constructed 10 wash stations in Special Needs schools to assist the institutions with reopening their doors. Each station is made from concrete to ensure durability and is equipped with a sensor-operated faucet and a foot pedal-operated faucet for hands-free use.

It was a great day to be a part of the Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) on Wednesday, May 26, as the doors of a newly constructed multi-purpose centre were opened at MSC Jerusalem in Spanish Town. Previously, meetings and activities for the residents were held in a humble, 100-year old chapel. However, with 165 persons now living on the 8-acre property, which is leased from the Government of Jamaica, a larger space was needed. The Digicel Foundation stepped in with $16.5 million to build the Care Plus Centre of Excellence, which houses a kitchen, multi-purpose meeting rooms and a computer lab. The building will also serve as a fallout shelter for residents in the event of a natural disaster.