Thousands of Jamaican women carry the name of Pamela McNeil in their hearts. This unsung heroine who passed away on February 6^th, was the Founder and first Director of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF). In her 1998 report, 20 years after the founding of the WCJF, Mrs McNeil reported that the Foundation had seven main centres and seven (at present eight) outreach stations islandwide.

Mrs McNeil matched her passion for the education of teenage mothers with solid research which proved the social and financial worth of the programme. She wrote: “Dr. Sanshu Handa of the University of the West Indies also did a cost-benefit analysis of WCJF’s Programme for Adolescent Mothers, and … concludes that each Jamaican dollar invested in the WCJF Programme for Adolescent Mothers results in 6.7 dollars worth of benefits to society. In fact, due to the savings to the government, it now funds all salaries, wages and utility expenditures of the Women’s Centre.”

Mrs McNeil shared some of “the real achievements” of the WCJF : “A decrease in the negative societal attitudes formally displayed towards the teen mother; the breakdown of the barriers within the Ministry of Education and the changes in the Education Code (a regulatory law) to allow teenage mothers to return to the school system; the thousands of young women who have been able to achieve academic successes and social advancement; the scholastic achievements of the children of teen mothers involved in our programme.”

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange, in her tribute to Mrs McNeil noted that she was “a visionary who saw it as her purpose to take an active part in assisting teenage mothers to carry on with their education and realise their dreams.”

Some 50,000 graduates of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica have achieved successful careers. I have heard their stories and seen their resolve and confidence. We hold precious the memory of this good woman, Pamela McNeil who helped us to judge less and love more.

Daily, this student could be seen after school on her knees, a tiny figure in the imposing surroundings of the Holy Trinity Cathedral on North Street.  She had taken one look at the crowded bus stop by Emerald Road (now George Headley Drive) and escaped to the Cathedral to pray until the crush subsided. That student was me and I am forever grateful for the interludes of grace in that holy space.

Thank goodness that Thalia Lyn, on hearing that the Cathedral was in a maintenance crisis, reached out to then Ambassador Jesus Silva for the assistance of the government of Spain. The NCB Foundation, chaired by Lyn, joined forces with the Cathedral Restoration Committee, led by then Archbishop Lawrence Burke, May Lowe, resident architect Clifton Yap, Enith Williams, Errol Moo Young and then Monsignor Kenneth Richards. The goodly Professor Antonio Sanchez Barriga visited the Cathedral in 2006, and volunteered his services pro-bono to 2010. Recruiting and training 34 young women and men from the surrounding communities, Professor Barriga was able to uncover the exquisite creations by the Jesuit priest Father Francis J Schroen in 1910 –1911, that had been coated with marine paint.

Ambassador Silva’s successor, Ambassador Celsa Nuño continued this support, hosting concerts so the public could enjoy the refreshed environment.  The baton was passed to the keen Spain Chargée d’Affaires Carmen Rives.  Now Ambassador for Spain Josep Maria Bosch has once again welcomed Professor Barriga to Jamaica, to update and complete several aspects of the restoration.

“Dear friends of the Holy Trinity Cathedral,” said Ambassador Bosch at a recent reception in Prof Barriga’s honour, “to have on board on this project , Professor Sanchez Barriga is a real privilege as he is one of the leading world experts in conservation and restoration … He has been a restorer at the Museo Del Prado, in the National Archaeological Museum Of Madrid and he has established a restoration centre in Jerusalem and has been working in important archaeological sites in Egypt, Rome and London.”

No wonder then that the popular tour company “Island Routes” now includes a tour of the Cathedral for international visitors, who have compared our Cathedral with some of the finest in Europe.

Hon Denis Lalor has blessed the project with his kind patronage and is inviting Jamaicans to support the continued maintenance of this exquisite National Heritage Site.

For those of us who danced through the transitions of ska to rocksteady and rocksteady to reggae, this Reggae Month has special meaning.  The music that had you singing along and livened your gatherings dances forever in your memories.

My husband Hubie has great stories of the artists he met while working as an engineer at Total Sounds (later Sonic Sounds). He recalled the dictionary and notebook that was Jimmy Cliff’s constant companions. The legendary singer explained that whenever he heard or read a new word, he would look it up, write it down with the meaning and try to use it several times until it became a part of his vocabulary and enriched his lyrics.

One day Hubie took home a record: his boss Herman McDonald wanted my opinion (I was theatre reviewer for Daily News) because Bob Marley had requested a sizeable deposit before they could distribute. The only thing I could say after he played it was, “Tell Mr Mac he should give him double.” So Bob’s request was granted and the record was Number One for six straight weeks; it was “Rat Race”!

Neville Garrick who was creative director at the Daily News, designed album covers for Bob Marley, creating striking images to match the enduring legacy of Marley’s music. And so, our lives reverberated with sounds from Bob, Cliff, Toots Hibbert, Alton Ellis, Dennis Brown, John Holt, Delroy Wilson, Byron Lee, Gregory Isaacs, Hortense Ellis, the amazing I-Threes – Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths and Judy Mowatt (I wish their song “Neighbour” was more popular – we should use it for community building) . Later we were thrilled by the Marley children, Buju, Nadine Sutherland, Cynthia Schloss, JC Lodge, Carlene Davis, Queen I-Frica, Tony Rebel, Cocoa Tea, Freddie McGregor, Beres Hammond, Fab 5 and Bare Essentials. How beautiful the story about Bob Marley’s mentorship of Nadine Sutherland carried in the Jamaica Observer.

I have been close to the Sisters of Mercy almost all my life and so I knew the late, great Sister Mary Ignatius Davis, principal of Alpha Boys School. You can imagine my surprise when I was watching a music programme on television and there was Sister Ignatius featuring in a Leroy Smart music video.  I called to tease her but she was not amused. “My dear,” she said. “That boy Leroy called to say he wanted to visit me and when he came in I saw these cameras! I had no idea!” Sister Ignatius, her predecessor Sister Marie Therese Watson (aunt of Merrick Needham) and successor, Sister Regine Isaacs loved those students like their own and encouraged them to create their own sounds. Thus the school became the cradle of ska. Now, former Alpha student the great Sparrow Martin continues to guide the young musicians. Dr Joshua Chamberlain, founder of Alpha Boys Radio, supported by I-Heart Radio, has overseen the collection of music featuring Alpha graduates played on that station – you would be amazed at their range and reach.

And so, this past week, as we celebrated the 75^th Birthday of Bob Marley and also Dennis Brown’s Birthday earlier in the month, we are again overwhelmed by the richness of the music with which we have been endowed.

Last Wednesday The Ghetto Youth Foundation, brainchild of the Marley siblings Steven, Damian and Ziggy and headed by philanthropist Eva Silverstein, opened the Cornerstone Learning Centre in Trench Town. This is one of the best tributes to their father who sang out the tribulations of the poor in his community.

Koffee – ‘Gratitude is a must’

There are many reasons to Toast (pun-intended) Koffee, our youngest and only woman Reggae Grammy-winning artist. Give thanks for her mother Jo-Anne Williams; check her Instagram page @jojothekoffeemaker and imagine the unique upbringing of her daughter. “Gratitude is a must” from Koffee’s lyrics is her constant hashtag, a phrase now well woven into virtually every vote of thanks.

We enjoyed Koffee’s introductions on YouTube videos by Chronixx, her Spanish Town neighbour on a BBC special and Cocoa Tea at Rebel Salute. It is heartening to see the mentorship and collegiality among our musicians. The young star’s return to Jamaica was a bright spot in a week which had some heart wrenching news. Can we try to reach those cold hearts with our music?

VP Records’ “Miss Pat”

We met the generous Patricia ‘Miss Pat’ Chin, co-Founder of VP records with her late husband Vincent ‘Randy’ Chin at an event hosted by Ambassador of France Denys Wibaux, last Tuesday. The couple is credited for guiding emerging stars on their rights, regarding copyright and royalties. Starting with Randy’s Record Store in 1958 in Downtown Kingston, the couple moved to New York in the seventies, opening up new marketing opportunities for Jamaican music. Now the VP Group has offices in New York City, Miami, Kingston, London, Tokyo, Rio de Janeiro and Johannesburg.

Pat Chin (Convent of Mercy Academy ‘Alpha’ alumna) is currently writing her book, ’60 Years of Jamaican Music’.  That will be a keeper.

Ambassador Wibaux and Senator Tom Tavares-Finson, Chair of the National Gallery urged us to visit the “Jamaica Jamaica!” music exhibition at the National Gallery. We met the gifted David Cairol, a Bob Marley devotee from France who has been linking high school students in Jamaica and France. His music video shows the unifying power of music: a song about togetherness with the French verses sung by students of St. George’s College and the English sung by French students.

 

We first met Greg Christie when he was legal counsel for Kaiser International and quickly realised that this was an outstanding professional of the highest integrity.  During his seven years as Contractor General of Jamaica, Christie’s tough approach to corruption met with both plaudits and brickbats. Now with Jamaica moving down a few notches on the corruption scale, we should welcome the news that this fearless Jamaican will return to head the Integrity Commission, a merger of the Office of the Contractor General, the Commission for the Prevention of Corruption, and the Integrity Commission under the Integrity Commission Act 2017.

According to a Jamaica Observer Report, “The Integrity Commission was established in February 2018 with a mandate to promote and enhance standards of ethical conduct for parliamentarians, public officials, and other individuals. Under its mandate it is to consolidate the laws relating to the prevention of corruption and the awarding, monitoring and investigating of the government contracts and prescribed licences. It is also mandated to strengthen the measures for prevention, detection, investigation, and prosecution of acts of corruption.”

Jamaicans should be heartened at this appointment, as the cost of corruption is too much for our country to bear.

A young professional shared with me a letter she received from the Students Loan Bureau, requesting full payment of her loan balance of over $2 million by a certain date and warning that if this is not forthcoming, her photograph will be published in the press. She explained that most of the positions she had held before getting a full-time job last year were internships offering stipends. She paid a lump sum recently and was saving to pay more when the letter arrived.

I cannot understand why a student who is not trying to hide from the Bureau and who has been communicating her employment challenges would receive such a threat. We hear of fraudulent activities in various Government agencies, of arrests, and very rarely are photographs of the accused published.  Yet these young graduates, at the threshold of their careers are being subject to an action which can cause serious damage to their reputation. We would understand if the SLB were to get tough with borrowers who cannot be reached and make no effort to clear their debt, but to threaten someone who is not hiding and who is doing their best to honour their responsibility is unacceptable.

Digicel Foundation recently treated nearly 250 hearing-impaired students to a viewing of the acclaimed musical, Mary Poppins, at the Phillip Sherlock Centre for the Performing Arts in St Andrew.

“The point of it is to bring them together so that they can experience theatre, something outside their normal realm. This showing is our way of bringing them out to experience something new, widening the scope and just allowing them to get involved in the arts,” Digicel Foundation CEO Charmaine Daniels told Loop News during last Sunday’s viewing.

The participating students were from five schools for the deaf across the island – two of the institutions having benefited from the installation of literacy labs (used to improve the students’ ability to communicate with individuals who can hear) courtesy of the Digicel Foundation.

A production of the Jamaica Music Theatre Company, Mary Poppins features two mischievous children being attended to by a supernatural nanny, who eventually transforms their lives and that of their family.

There were continuous cheers throughout by the students in the audience, who were aided by interpreter Antoinette Aiken’s narration of the dialogue.

“We can’t put a dollar value on the experience because it is one that they can never forget,” Daniels said.

“There are very few shows that specifically cater to their needs and so it’s an opportunity that they would normally not have,” the Digicel Foundation CEO continued.

“Part of what the foundation tries to do is raise the awareness and we are hoping that by doing this, there will be other partners that will come on board and try to offer more events and more performances for the special needs community,” she said.

Special needs is one of three core pillars for Digicel Foundation, with the others being community development and education; according to Daniels, special needs ties all three pillars together.

 

See more photos in the slider below.

 

Based on the preliminary performance results to date through end-November 2019, the GOJ is on track to meet the Quantitative Performance Targets for the GOJ ERP for end-December 2019, with the exception of the inflation target.

Selected Quantitative Performance Targets and Policy Actions Status Updates

TARGETS	STATUS	COMMENTS
FISCAL INDICATORS
Tax Revenues		Continues to exceed target
Primary Balance/Surplus		Continues to exceed target
Central Government Spending on Social Programmes		On track
MONETARY INDICATORS
Non-Borrowed Reserves		Continues to exceed target
Inflation		6.2% outside of BOJ’s target range of 4-6%. Temporary jump, projected to fall back within the target range
JAMAICA’S PRIORITY ACTIONS
Priority GOJ Actions (Oct-Dec 2019)		3 Met Target 4 Delayed but in Progress
Economic Reform Programme  (ERP)		GOJ ERP on Track

EPOC’s OUTLOOK

Economic Growth

The World Economic Outlook (WEO) is projecting global growth to rise from an estimated 2.9% in 2019 to 3.3% in 2020 while growth in the Latin American and Caribbean region is expected to rebound to 1.6% in 2020. The Planning Institute of Jamaica projects Jamaica’s real GDP growth for the fiscal year 2019/20 to fall within the range of 0.0%–1.0%.

EPOC concurs with the view of the PIOJ that growth will be low for the remainder of the fiscal year 2019/20. However, EPOC expects that going forward through 2020-2022, as the impact of the fallout from mining is behind us, growth should begin to get back to the 2% growth levels.

Monetary Performance

While point-to-point inflation of 6.2% as at December 2019 was outside of the BOJ target range, it is expected to be temporary and the BOJ will maintain its accommodative monetary stance. The most recent survey of business expectations by BOJ expects inflation for the next 12 months ending November 2020 to be 5.0 percent owing largely to inflationary trends and exchange rate.

Credit Growth

This accommodative stance continues to spur Credit growth from the Deposit taking Institutions as credit to businesses and households increased by 15.5% between September 2018 to September 2019.

 International Reserves

As at December 31, Jamaica’s net international reserves are healthy at US$3.16B, non-borrowed reserves at US$2.821B exceed the target of US$2.343B. Gross international reserves continue to exceed programme targets and exceed the international adequacy benchmark.

Fiscal Performance

The fiscal performance continues to be strong as tax revenues as December 31 came in at J$414.7B continue to outperform budget and the first supplementary budget targets of J$407.1B which led to a second supplementary budget being tabled in parliament for Fiscal year 2019/20.

Foreign Exchange Market

There continues to be market apprehension and a heightened uncertainty around the volatility of the exchange rate, the BOJ continues to consult with the market in an effort to reduce volatility and smooth out demand and supply imbalances. The BOJ recently introduced a FX Swap Arrangement and is encouraging authorized dealers and cambios to further deepen the market through the introduction of forward contracts while looking to implement the electronic trading platform in early 2020 which will provide greater transparency and price discovery for market players.

EPOC acknowledges BOJ’s efforts to deepen the FX market and notes the ongoing consultations with the Jamaica Bankers Association and other key stakeholders in the market.

EPOC is hopeful that as the reforms in the FX market take hold, volatility levels and the swings in the currency could be reduced. However, Jamaica is only a very small player in the global FX market and will always be exposed to and not insulated from volatility and movements in the international FX market.

 EPOC Post IMF

Following the completion of the three-year Precautionary Stand-By Arrangement (PSBA) with the IMF as at November 2019, EPOC continues to serve under a new Memorandum of Understanding. Under this agreement, EPOCs extended period of service will be aligned with the establishment of the Fiscal Council and completion of activities related to the Central Bank achieving Independent status.

GOJ Commitments 2019-2021

EPOC welcomes and lauds the GOJ for the delivery of the GOJ Quantitative Performance Targets and Priority Actions Matrix for 2019/20 and 2020/2021; these were outlined at the completion of the sixth review. These commitments will form the basis for the monitoring of the GOJ Economic Reform Programme (ERP) following the expiry of the SBA (IMF Standby Agreement).

Fiscal Performance

As Jamaica forges ahead without the oversight of the IMF, the country’s fiscal performance continues to be strong with healthy Tax Revenues, growing at higher rates than inflation year over year.  The GOJ Primary and Fiscal balances continue to exceed targets, keeping Jamaica’s debt trajectory on a downward path projected to end the 2019/2020 Fiscal year at 93.5% of GDP.

Bank of Jamaica Gross Reserves and Foreign Exchange Market

Jamaica’s Gross reserves continue to exceed the Reserve adequacy metrics, providing a buffer against external shocks. The FX market experienced excess volatility due to imbalances in demand and supply in October and November 2019, which saw the BOJ executing flash auctions under B-FXITT of US$140m. EPOC is hopeful that the introduction of the FX trading platform and the further development of the FX forward market will bring increased transparency to the market, which could lead to reduced volatility and reduce the need for the sale of US$ through B-FXITT flash auctions as we go forward.

Inflation

Inflation is low and stable albeit below target at 3.3% in October 2019, but core inflation has increased to 2.9% in September and October 2019, which could lead to inflation moving back into the target range of 4-6%.

Growth 

Growth remains fairly low, projected by the PIOJ at 0.3 % for June to September 2019, but positive, in spite of the temporary closure of Alpart and unfavourable weather conditions, which impact agricultural output.

Supply Side Challenges

Jamaica continues to grapple with supply side challenges in crime and access to finance issues for SMEs and agriculture. EPOC notes the efforts around developing a national consensus on crime and the initiatives by the public and private sectors to address the access to finance impediments.

Global Uncertainty but Domestic Confidence remains high

While the global and regional outlook for growth is skewed to the downside, business and consumer confidence remain high in Jamaica along with the accommodative monetary stance maintained by the BoJ, which could see the continued growth in credit to the private sector and strong domestic demand.

Inclusive Growth

While we all would like to see greater inclusive growth, the GOJ and the BOJ by all indications are on a sustainable path which should see Jamaica’s growth levels increasing to GOJ projected 2% growth levels by 2021/2022.

 

There was fun. There were games. There was music, and much more. There were also gifts and delicious treats for the young children of the Little Angels Learning Centre (LALC) run by Mustard Seed Communities Sophie’s Place recently as IGT Jamaica celebrated the Christmas season with children, teachers and staff at the Centre. Besides the usual cakes and ice cream, IGT also donated educational toys for the students.

“We are so thankful for the toys,” said Elsa Simmonds, Principal of the
Little Angels Learning Centre.  “In our last inspection by the Early Childhood Commission we got NI (Needs Improvement) grading, indicating that we did not have adequate toys to stimulate the children’s learning experience. This donation is going to make a great improvement in this regard.  We thank you so much IGT for making what seemed impossible a reality.  We will always remember this event.  The children enjoyed every moment of this wonderful treat.”

Debbie Green, General Manager of IGT Jamaica, said she felt uplifted. “It was a truly heart-warming event,” she said. “We were so happy to visit, to bring the gift of Christmas joy to these Little Angels and importantly, reinforce our commitment of continued partnership. IGT Jamaica feels particularly gratified that we were able to enhance the little ones’ learning through the expansion of our sponsorship by increasing the number of computers donated and creating a computer lab at the Centre. I’m also sure that the educational gifts that we have provided at this Christmas Treat will stimulate an exciting and interactive learning experience for these precious little ones.”

The Mustard Seed Communities, Sophie’s Place, is one of five Mustard Seed Centres adopted by IGT under its flagship After School Advantage programme.  Sophie’s Place operates a home for children with special disabilities and provides early childhood education via The Little Angels Learning Centre (LALC), an initiative of the Mustard Seed Communities.  The Centre is one of IGT’s 15 After School Advantage Centres across Jamaica.

The community-based Little Angels Learning Centre (LALC) provides holistic early childhood education to approximately 60 children aged three to six years from low-income families within the community.

The IGT After School Advantage Programme is the major philanthropic initiative for IGT (formerly GTECH), which has been the lottery technology provider to Supreme Ventures Limited since it began selling online draw games in 2001.

Students at several institutions across the island are making strides in their studies and exploring new horizons thanks to IGT Jamaica’s After School Advantage (ASA) Centres.

A number of these sites, including four Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) sites have benefited from recent improvements. Additionally, members of staff from the Company’s technology department visited another ASA Centre, at SOS Stony Hill Children’s Village, to assess the computers previously donated by IGT Jamaica.  These upgrades provide opportunities for staff to interact with students and share information on a range of technology-related topics.

Mary’s Child, operated by Mustard Seed Communities, has also received additional supplies this year and is moving ahead with Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) training in January 2020.

“The ASA Centre is a springboard to greater things for our girls,” says Sheron Williams, Acting Centre Manager of theWCJF in Spanish Town. With a new computer teacher and a new cohort of students this term, she noted that all the younger students passed their grade nine achievement test and have been placed in high and technical high schools, mostly at the grade nine level. The new students also received a special National Heroes assignment. The results were excellent, after the girls researched online. The Centre also acknowledged students with small tokens after they conducted research for a “National Motivation and Affirmation Day” at the ASA Centre.

At the Savanna-la-Mar Women’s Centre, Mellissa Boothe-Anderson reported that “the students have benefited tremendously” from the ASA Centre since the introduction of the Virtual Delivery Interface (VDI) programme for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) students,who are now the primary users of the ASA Centre. The students also rely on the computers for research, resulting in the successful completion of the school-based assessments (SBAs). A printer donated to the lab is used to produce resource materials and SBAs. “The majority of the passes have been 50% and above,” added Boothe-Anderson. “One of our students is currently in her second year of Teachers’ College working toward a Bachelor’s degree in Mathematics. The computers are also used for the practical area of Computer Studies classes for the lower school.”

At the Women’s Centre in Mandeville, Director Dahlia Johnson was enthusiastic about the impact of the ASA Centre. It is used mainly for research for school assignments, and for IT classes. She also noted that every term, a trainer from the Frederick Douglass Centre visits the ASA Centre to train students in the Microsoft Digital Literacy Program. To date, 27 students have received certification, which will lead to greater employment opportunities.

The young women at Mary’s Child, operated by the Mustard Seed Communities, normally stay for short periods with their babies before moving back to their families and continuing their education. Nevertheless, the ASA Centre has made a big difference in their lives, noted Centre Director Nadia Williams. Around 30 students successfully completed a pilot training project for entry-level Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) operators at the end of August. Beginning in January 2020, classes of 25 students will receive six months of BPO training in the ASA Centre, in partnership with Avasant Foundation Jamaica and trainers from the Alorica call centre. Meanwhile, students use the computers on a continuous basis for homework assignments and research for SBAs.

IGT has been the online lottery technology provider to Supreme Ventures Limited since 2001. All IGT After School Advantage locations, including the 14 Centres established in Jamaica to date, are supported by upgrades and maintenance.