Excerpt from The Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, September 26, 2022

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

We at CCRP welcome the Revised National Policy for Seniors which was unveiled at the launch of National Seniors Week last Wednesday. Congratulations to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) and its agency the National Commission for Senior Citizens (NCSC) on the strengthening of protection for the elderly.

In his address, MLSS Minister Karl Samuda noted that according to data provided by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) in 2012, 32 percent of all Jamaican households had a member 60 years old and over,” and called for care and respect of our seniors.

We join the Minister in congratulating the board and staff of the National Council for Senior Citizens for serving the nation in a “selfless and wonderful manner,” particularly Executive Director Cassandra Morrison who is enthusiastic about the welfare of Jamaica’s elders. Minister Samuda urged active participation of seniors in a society that “guarantees their rights … recognizes their capacities, their capabilities and contribution and facilitates their enjoyment of a life of fulfilment, health and security.”

CCRP has been invited by the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary Colette Risden Roberts to join a Working Committee that will focus on legislation for the care and protection of the elderly. The updated policy is welcome, but legislation will ensure that there will be consequences for the abuse of our elders.

A happy and safe National Senior Citizens Week to the stalwart Jamaicans on whose shoulders we stand.

Excerpt from The Jamaica Observer published on Monday, September 26, 2022

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Imagine enjoying yourself at a friendly Sunday afternoon football match, when out of nowhere two vehicles drive close to you and friends, opening fire at a planned target, and continuing to shoot at others. After the mayhem, three were left dead, six injured and a community traumatized. “What am I hearing,” tweeted a friend who was away on a business trip, “Mass shooting in Jamaica?”

Bereaved relatives and friends have had to get counselling. A pastor shared that the mother of a victim, her beloved daughter, is in such a state that her church family have to be caring for her and ensuring that she takes her medication. So here we see the two sides of our beloved Jamaica: the cold-hearted murderous thugs, and the kind-hearted friends and neighbours. The kind may outnumber the cold, but we are not armed like them.

PSOJ President Keith Duncan aptly describes the level of crime we are experiencing as a national emergency, calling for consensus on crime fighting between Government and Opposition. We need to respect the recommendations of the JCF: they are the ones on the ground with the intelligence on which to act.

Please allow us to go for our morning walks and to leisure events without worrying about being attacked, robbed and murdered. Like too many of us, I write this with painful memories of much-loved friends who have died at the hands of criminals. Crime is the storm that we have the power to calm; now we must have the will to do it.

Excerpt from The Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, September 26, 2022

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

We said farewell over recent weeks to the genius of broadcast media Francois St Juste, the gentle Sister Mary Carmen Chen of the Religious Sisters of Mercy and Fitzgerald Casserly, my late father’s business partner in accounting.

I can tell you that Francois was a beautiful blend of his mother Margarietta and his dad Franklyn ‘Chappy’ St. Juste. I remember during Carifesta, Merrick Needham giving instructions to Margarietta about guests coming from abroad in a strict tone, while Margarietta just smiled, nodded and kissed him on top of his head. She found fun in every situation. Chappy lectured us on lighting and set at Phillip Sherlock Centre in such a cool and friendly manner that you hardly thought you were in a class. They gave us their Francois, a prince of a man.

Sister Irene was adored by her Alpha family. Joyce Archibald recalled the cheers she received when she returned after a long absence: “At the announcement of her arrival she was greeted with thunderous applause. I had never witnessed such outpouring of love, appreciation, regard and delight for someone so humble and unassuming.”

Newton Coote, Training Manager at St John Bosco related that it was Sister Carmen along with Sister Benedict who shared with him their unique style of cooking. Sister Carmen had the sweetest smile, radiating love for all.

Fitz Casserley was a brilliant accountant and a loving family man. Growing up, we were like family to his daughter Ann-Marie and son Richard. We have delightful stories of the love and respect between the two business partners who must be now organising heaven’s ledgers. Fitz gave great jokes, but much of his laughter went after the death of a beloved grandson. He passed away in the Bahamas where Ann-Marie cared for him.

Our sympathy to the families of these wonderful Jamaicans. May their souls rest in peace.

Excerpt from The Jamaica Observer column published on Monday, September 26, 2022

By Jean Lowrie-Chin

Allison Peart (misnamed in last week’s column) was recently elected President of the Jamaica Chapter of the IWF (International Women’s Forum). She succeeds Barbara Alexander, who found creative ways of keeping us engaged and inspired during the challenging Covid years. Allison is President of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Jamaica, past president of the American Chamber of Commerce of Jamaica and the Rotary Club of Kingston and a Charter Member of the Rotary Club of Manor Park. Congratulations to our dynamic powerhouse.

Like other children, Romene Edwards greatly anticipates the start of the school year. Unlike most, the six-year-old has a major challenge which prevents him from walking.

Diagnosed with hydrocephalus at an early age, he is unable to walk owing to the damage to his spinal cord.

Hydrocephalus is a condition in which excess fluid builds up within the cavities or ventricles of the brain. Romene has undergone two procedures so far to tackle the problem. Doctors have placed a shunt from his brain to his spine to drain excess fluid, and have conducted spinal surgery on him.

Karen Campbell, the boy’s mother, said his mobility has been significantly impeded by the illness. And the fact that he did not have a wheelchair did not help.

“It has been stressing because we have to lift him all the time.

“The bus driver who brings him to school has to lift him also, so I really needed the help with a wheelchair. Carrying him around is not easy, he is heavy and my back hurts. Sometimes, he is creeping around and gets minor bruises,” Campbell said.

So, while other parents were preparing for back-to-school by purchasing books, school uniform and shoes, Campbell’s priority was to source a wheelchair to enable her son to be mobile as he enters grade one at Drews Avenue Primary in Kingston. After hearing about Food For The Poor’s (FFP) wheelchair programme, the mother went asking, and the charitable organisation answered the call.

“I called and followed up many times until I heard that I got through. I felt so good. One big stress came off me!” she said.

Romene received a Generation 3 wheelchair, his first. FFP estimates that at least 75 million persons worldwide need wheelchairs but are unable to afford one.

David Shoucair, manager of special recipients projects at FFP Jamaica, said the organisation is glad to be assisting young Romene.

“Food For The Poor considers it our mission to enhance the lives of our brothers and sisters. We are not only assisting Romene and aiding in his education, but we are providing relief to his mother, who has lovingly been carrying him around everywhere,” Shoucair said.

In the drive to improve learning and literacy among youth, and in recognition of World Literacy Day (September 8) Food For The Poor (FFTP) and its donors, through the Angels Of Hope Laptop programme, distributed 68 laptops and covers to children living in 23 supported homes in Jamaica.

The donation was handed over to 10 of the 14 parishes in Jamaica caring for orphaned, abandoned, abused or neglected children to demonstrate the importance of literacy.

The devices are intended to provide Angels of Hope residents with the tools they need to maximise their full participation in online learning while also advancing their education and social development in an increasingly digital environment.

Yvette Mahoney, operations manager for a girl’s home in Montego Bay, expressed her gratitude for two laptops donated to help 10 teenage high school girls at the home.

“As the young people would say, ‘Big up yourself,’” Mahoney said. “I really want to thank the donors for their tremendous support to the girls. Education is the key.”

Major Jacqueline Palmer, an administrator at another AOH-supported children’s home, believes the laptops will boost the children’s academic performance.

“A big thank you to the donors, hats off to you for helping us,” she said. “This is a very big enhancement to the home, towards the children’s education. Thank you again for helping the less fortunate in the Jamaican society, it is going to a good cause.”

With bright eyes and a broad smile, Toni-Ann, an FFTP Angels Of Hope teenager, said the laptop donation will give her a better chance of passing her final exams.

“I feel happy because now I know my School Based Assessment (SBA) will be done,” she said. “I know that I’ll get the necessary things done, pushing me one step closer to becoming a teacher or an actress, while operating my farm. I am thankful to you for sending the laptops. Without them I would not get to finish my SBAs properly and although I have access to my school computers, I can’t always depend on them because school is closed sometimes.”

FFTP president/CEO Ed Raine emphasised that the laptop program will enable children living in Angels Of Hope homes to enhance their skills in a variety of ways and to build their futures.

“A personal laptop will remind these beloved children that they are seen, known, and loved by God and other people at a time when adjusting to constant changes can be difficult,” he added.

UNESCO initially designated September 8 as International Literacy Day in 1966 to raise awareness and concern about literacy issues that exist locally and globally.

With the 2022 Hurricane Season already underway, local charity Food For The Poor Jamaica is presently taking action to meet the expected challenges of this season, and the organisation is encouraging the various entities that it interacts with to follow its hurricane preparedness programme.

The organisation, in addition to providing over 36,000 homes for needy Jamaicans since its inception, has assisted thousands of farmers and fishers across the island and has repaired and upgraded hundreds of schools and other facilities, as well as provided relief care packages after adverse weather events.

In 2021, the nation was hit by two particularly destructive tropical storms, Grace and Ida, which caused considerable damage to buildings and other infrastructure.

Nakhle Hado, director of the Food For The Poor Jamaica’s agriculture division said, respective managers will be asked to review and provide updated information for the contacts of all stakeholders, vendors and partners, which list will be widely shared internally for ease of reference.

“At this time, we are conducting inspections of our offices, workstations and the facility in general, and are addressing any challenge that could negatively impact our operations and safety, should we experience major weather events,” Hado disclosed.

These standard inspections include roofs, windows and doors, trees around buildings/power lines (which are being pruned), the level of debris around the office that could become a hazard.

Further, Hado indicated that personnel should promptly and comprehensively report any outstanding matter/problem observed related to preparedness to the facility’s department or relevant office.

For 2022, the Jamaica Meteorological Service is predicting that, for the seventh consecutive year running, the Atlantic Hurricane Season will experience above-normal activity.

The outlook is for up to 21 named storms, six-to-10 hurricanes, and three-to-six major hurricanes (category 3 or higher).

According to the US-based National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), this year there is a 65 per cent chance that the activity of the season will be higher than normal, while near-normal activity is about 25 per cent likely and there is only a 10 per cent likelihood that it will be below-normal.

The Met Service also cited a La Niña effect as one main factor expected to contribute to the increased activity. In addition, warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures on the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea, weaker Atlantic trade winds and an active West African monsoon season will favour the development of tropical systems during the 2022 season.

Just between the years 2019 and 2021, damage to agriculture from storms and inclement weather (including damage to roads) has variously been estimated as equivalent to about one per cent of Jamaica’s GDP.

Written by Michael Edwards

iCreate Limited has set September 26 as the approval date for the long-awaited 2022 rights issue.          

The ex-date is September 23, 2022. iCreate is seeking to raise approximately J$55 million in capital from this equity option.

Proceeds of the capital raise will be used for, among other things, iCreate’s pivoting into its Creative City Commercial Real Estate project.

The fresh capital raised will be used to inject much-needed cash will help to push the progress of the real estate project along faster as well as the restructuring of its bond, which is currently at 12.7 per cent with principal payments looming, working capital to enable the company to meet its short term obligations and conversion of a portion of the debt to equity.

In addition, resources will be poured into marketing support to reach a wider audience in iCreate’s business development efforts. The company continues to be bullish about the digital industry as its growth area in terms of training.

iCreate has executed the NCB Foundation Level-Up Training, in addition to executing training for a number of organisations such as the GraceKennedy Group, Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) and Jamaica Tourist Board (JTB).

The creative company has seen significant growth in educational content production, which accounts for 15 per cent of total revenues since the loss of face-to-face classes. It has recently completed projects in this space with HEART/NSTA Trust and One on One Educational Services to create digital content for its students, and has also created digital content in the past for Digicel in relation to digital transformation and online content development.

Given the digital direction of Jamaica and the wider world, iCreate Limited sees this as a growing market and the company is “well-positioned to take advantage of”. The Tyrone Wilson-led, Jamaica Stock Exchange (JSE) Junior Market-listed entity is excited at the prospects ahead for the training institute.

Written by Michael Edwards

WHILE iCreate finalises plans to complete the agreed acquisition of outdoor media company Visual Vibe, the company has tapped Irish-born Declan Tully, its chief revenue officer, to become the CEO of Visual Vibe upon closure of the transaction.

CEO of iCreate Tyrone Wilson made the announcement during the group’s extraordinary general meeting (EGM) last Thursday, August 25.

“The opportunity to broaden the digital and creative footprint arose earlier this year with the latest planned acquisition of Visual Vibe Limited, a leading digital, out-of-home, billboard advertising company,” he told shareholders at the EGM.

According to Wilson, the acquisition will further improve iCreate’s performance and would, in fact, have had an immediate positive impact on the company’s bottom line if the business was part of its group operations up to the second quarter of 2022.

Written by Michael Edwards

Technology and media firm iCreate Limited has reached an agreement to acquire Visual Vibe Limited, a digital billboard advertising company.

iCreate has tapped VM Wealth as the lead arranger/broker and listing agent for the rights issue through which the acquisition is to be completed.

The acquisition was formalised with the signing of the agreement at the offices of iCreate in Kingston on Wednesday (June 29).

Speaking at that ceremony, iCreate CEO Tyrone Wilson said the deal continued his company’s aggressive quest for sustainable growth through acquiring well-run businesses that were compatible with its outlook.

“We’re very pleased to be able to agree on this acquisition, as it brings iCreate closer to our vision of becoming a creative conglomerate,” he said.

Technology and media firm iCreate Limited has reached an agreement to acquire Visual Vibe Limited, a digital billboard advertising company.

iCreate has tapped VM Wealth as the lead arranger/broker and listing agent for the rights issue through which the acquisition is to be completed.

The acquisition was formalised with the signing of the agreement at the offices of iCreate in Kingston on Wednesday (June 29).

Speaking at that ceremony, iCreate CEO Tyrone Wilson said the deal continued his company’s aggressive quest for sustainable growth through acquiring well-run businesses that were compatible with its outlook.

“We’re very pleased to be able to agree on this acquisition, as it brings iCreate closer to our vision of becoming a creative conglomerate,” he said.

“Visual Vibe is a market leader in the outdoor media field and has been a profitable enterprise. We expect this venture to have a positive impact on our bottom line in short order, help us to grow our business at a faster rate.”

Wilson also argued that the venture was in fulfilment of the company’s ‘two-to-one’ financial strategy, which is to deliver US$2 million in revenues and US$1 million in profits.

CEO of Visual Vibe Aldrick ‘Allie’ McNab described the deal as well-timed, coming at an important juncture in both the company’s history and the overall economic climate.

“The business has great potential for expansion into other areas of advertising and iCreate came with some proposals that were good,” he noted. “We have been discussing the possibility of finding the right entity that can maximise the opportunities in this digital reality, and we are confident we’re placing the company in good hands.”

McNab said he intends to stay on at the company for another year to assist with the transition.

Visual Vibe has been in business for almost two decades, providing clients in both the private and public sectors with high-impact, quality video board advertising islandwide.

There are presently 13 Visual Vibe boards spread across the parishes of Kingston, St Catherine, St Ann, St James and Manchester.