Category: News

Audrey Marks Appointed to the Senate of Jamaica

Jean Lowrie- Chin

Audrey Marks

First, let me reflect on last Friday’s swearing in of Audrey Marks as a Government senator at Gordon House. Our friend for decades has just ended her tour of duty — nine brilliant years — as Jamaica’s first woman ambassador to the US.

She is succeeded by another excellent Jamaican, former commissioner of police and former chief of staff of the Jamaica Defence Force Major General Antony Anderson, who has been appointed as Jamaica’s ambassador-designate to the US.

One thing is sure, whether she continues as a Government or Opposition senator, Senator Marks will make her mark. Those ubiquitous Paymaster outlets, now owned by Digicel, were the brainchild of Marks. She created Paymaster two years before Max Levchin, Peter Thiel, and Luke Nosek created PayPal, but as a then fledgling entrepreneur, she did not patent her technical breakthrough. So efficient was her system that in about two years billions of dollars were being processed by Paymaster for leading corporations.As US Ambassador, Senator Marks forged strong links with members of the Jamaican Diaspora and celebrated their achievements. Her ‘Jamaica Connect’ series featured celebrated Jamaican Americans who were giving back to their homeland. The embassy shared Jamaican cultural events and worthy fund-raisers, widening the Diaspora network.

She has been a passionate advocate for investment in Jamaica, hosting events where successful investors in Jamaica could share their experiences with prospective US corporations. One memorable occasion was her introduction of a senior executive of Marriott Corporation to then Digicel Chair Denis O’Brien. Within a few years, two Marriott hotels were built in Kingston, Jamaica, and one in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.Marks has served as president of the Jamaican American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) and continues to mentor young entrepreneurs. I remember her encouraging others to do likewise, saying, “Remember, a rising tide lifts all boats.” In acknowledgement of her invaluable support of her country, she was conferred with the Order of Jamaica last year.

Marks noted at her swearing-in ceremony that, like many of us, her heart leapt as her flight gave a view of our lush island, knowing that she would once more have her feet on Jamaican soil while working for the country’s advancement. She was warmly welcomed by all, including Senate Speaker Tom Tavares-Finson, senators Kamina Johnson Smith, Dr Dana Morris Dixon, Aubyn Hill, Kavan Gayle, and Opposition Senator Peter Bunting.

Keep rising Senator Marks, you will be an activist for your people because you have never stopped believing in our promise.

CCRP pledges to collaborate for improved fire safety among seniors

A firefighter boards a service vehicle to respond to a fire. (File photo)

The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) is saddened on hearing of the tragic death of 94-year-old Olganese Taylor of Spanish Town, St. Catherine, who perished in a fire on Saturday, March 8. This heartbreaking incident highlights the urgent need for enhanced safety measures to protect our senior citizens. In light of this, CCRP’s Parish Representatives will be working closely with other advocacy groups, including the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC), the Ministers’ Fraternal, and Neighbourhood Watch, to develop and implement comprehensive safety initiatives for the elderly.
CCRP acknowledges the valuable role that churches play in regularly checking on
infirmaries and senior shut-ins. Together we will collaborate with The Jamaica Fire
Brigade to conduct routine inspections of seniors’ residences to ensure that fire safety
standards are in place. The CCRP remains committed to advocating for the welfare and safety of senior citizens and will continue to address the critical issues affecting this vulnerable group in our Jamaican society.

Source: LOOP News

Digicel Foundation opens St Elizabeth’s first smart lab

Deputy head boy of Santa Cruz Primary School Kemar Smith (right) explores the possibilities of the new smart lab, a cutting-edge space designed to enhance digital literacy as his teacher Kamala McKnight guides him.

THE Digicel Foundation has officially opened a state-of-the-art smart lab at Santa Cruz Primary School in St Elizabeth.

This innovative learning space is designed to bridge the digital divide and expose students to 21st-century skills and job opportunities.Charmaine Daniels, CEO of the Digicel Foundation, shared that while Santa Cruz Primary is the first school in St Elizabeth to receive a smart lab, it will not be the last.

“In a few days from now we will be right down the road at the Black River Primary School opening another smart lab and ensuring that even more students in St Elizabeth have access to cutting-edge technology and digital learning tools,” said Daniels.She shared that the lab will also serve as a hub for the foundation’s recently launched Safer Internet Together (SIT) programme, which aims to promote online safety and digital citizenship.

“As we introduce advanced digital technology in schools, it’s essential that we also educate our youths on how to use it safely and responsibly. That’s why we’ve proudly launched our SIT programme, a year-long initiative which will empower students, parents, and educators to navigate the online world confidently,” added Daniels.Senior education officer in the Ministry of Education, Youth, Skills and Information’s Region 5, Nevadeene Gallimore Miller, urged parents to continue learning beyond the smart lab.

“We want parents to assist us in ensuring that ICT [information and communication technology] penetration does not stop at the school gate. We want when your children come home with the information and the ideas that they would have been engaged in at school, that you support them,” said Gallimore Miller.

By the end of March 2025 there will be 21 smart labs established by Digicel Foundation.

Each lab costs approximately US$70,000 and is equipped with 12 laptops, 12 tablets, a printer, a smart door lock, and an interactive mimio-compatible smart board.

Since inception, Digicel Foundation has spent over US$2.5 million on projects in St Elizabeth. In 2023 the foundation opened the Santa Cruz Special Education Centre, a space dedicated to providing quality education and support for students with special needs in the parish.

Deborah Broomfield, construction project manager at the Digicel
Foundation, engages with students at Santa Cruz Primary School
inside their newly opened smart lab, which is set to transform
learning experiences, equipping students with essential digital skills
for the future.

CCRP Promotes Early Retirement Planning at STATIN Wellness Fair

CATCHING UP! Angela Patterson, CCRP Development Consultant (left) greeting CCRP member Roy Higgins at the Wellness Fair hosted by the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) on Friday, February 28, 2025 in Kingston. (Photo: Contributed)

The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP) underscored the importance of early retirement planning at the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN) Wellness Fair on Friday, February 28. Held on the grounds of the Institute in Kingston, the event aimed to promote health and well-being among approximately 200 employees.
While the Wellness Fair primarily focused on physical, mental, financial and nutritional
health, CCRP highlighted the significance of social engagement after retirement.
Employees were encouraged to join the organization, which was initially developed for
seniors but has since lowered its membership age requirement to 40, allowing more
individuals to access its wide range of benefits.
As a leading advocate for senior citizens, CCRP continues to champion early retirement
preparation. By introducing its offerings to STATIN employees, the organization
reinforced its commitment to empowering individuals to plan for a fulfilling post-
retirement life.
Senior Information and Research Officer at STATIN, Sasha-Gaye Fraser, emphasized
the strategic importance of CCRP’s participation in the event. “Having CCRP at the
launch of our Wellness Fair was a strategic decision for STATIN because we want all
members of staff to learn about available support, social opportunities and lifestyle
changes to adapt to prepare effectively for retirement,” she stated.
CCRP provides members with opportunities for social interaction, educational
discussions, and activities that foster community engagement. The organization
remains dedicated to ensuring that Jamaican seniors enjoy a high quality of life through
continuous support and advocacy.

Source: Our Today

IGT hosts 4th Coding and Robotics Rock! camp

Students from Mustard Seed Communities Mary’s Child (in white) learn about the fundamentals of robots in a coding session with Darren Fletcher, Technical Project Coordinator at Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) while Luke Buchanan (left), MGI Executive Director, Debbie Green (centre), IGT General Manager and Kevin Johnson (right), MGI Software Developer watch attentively. This year’s staging of the Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp is hosted by IGT in collaboration with MGI. The virtual camp ran from July 15 – 26 with 72 participants from five Caribbean countries: Jamaica, Barbados, St. Kitts and Nevis, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Maarten. This is the fourth edition of the annual camp. (Photo: Contributed)

International Game Technology (IGT), a global leader in gaming technology and innovation, is pleased to announce the successful completion of its fourth annual IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp for Caribbean youth, held July 15-26.

IGT partnered with the Mona Geoinformatics Institute (MGI) to host the virtual camp, under the theme “Climate Action.”

The camp serves as an extension of IGT’s global After School Advantage programme.

Debbie Green, general manager of IGT Jamaica, delivered remarks at the start of the camp, underscoring IGT’s commitment to digital learning and community empowerment.

“As part of IGT’s Sustainable Play programme, our After School Advantage initiative is devoted to providing youth with access to technology and promoting digital learning opportunities in the communities where IGToperates. This camp is a shining example of our commitment to these goals,” said Green.

Since its inception in 2021, this regional tech learning camp has seen remarkable growth. What began as a pilot programme for 36 participants across five countries has flourished into a signature IGT ASA project, significantly impacting our communities.

In 2022, the camp expanded to include a Level II component, increasing the cohort to 72 students at both the Introductory (Level I) and Intermediate (Level II) levels. Hundreds of Caribbean youth have gained valuable knowledge in coding and robotics through this camp. 

This year, students participated from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, St. Kitts and Nevis, Barbados, and St.Maarten.

Jamaican participants hailed from Mustard Seed Communities – Matthew 25:40, Mary’s Child, and Jerusalem; Spring Village Development Foundation; and the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation in Mandeville and Savanna-la-mar. Barbados participants were from The Learning Centre and the Rupert I. Maynard Youth Community Centre;  St. Maarten –  St. Maarten Youth Council; Trinidad and Tobago – Sophia House, Cotton Tree Foundation, Amica House and Credo Boys; and St Kitts and Nevis – Maude Crosse Preparatory School. 

This young man shared his progress from the day’s coding and robotics activity with Hilary Nembhard of SOS Children’s Village Jamaica’s Stony Hill location during the 2023 Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp. (Photo: Contributed)

The Level I course introduced students to the fascinating world of computer science, providing a foundational understanding of coding and computing, exploring careers in the industry, and developing essential skills such as website development and robotics.

Specifically, the Level I course aimed to:

  • Build awareness of coding and its applications.
  • Inform about potential careers for developers.
  • Develop basic computing and development literacy.
  • Teach the basics of computer programming.
  • Introduce website development.
  • Explore robotics.
  • Enhance problem-solving skills

For returning students in Level II, this year’s programme built upon the knowledge gained last summer, with afocus on more complex web development, including HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, and an introduction to artificial intelligence.

The Level II course aimed to:

  • Provide a refresher on last year’s content.
  • Improve website development skills with advanced techniques.
  • Introduce the principles of artificial intelligence.
  • Further develop problem-solving skills.

An exciting new feature of this year’s camp was the provision for the intermediate robotics class to develop hands-on robot creation.

Green encouraged students to embrace this learning adventure with enthusiasm and curiosity.

“The skills you acquire here will not only open doors to exciting career opportunities but also equip you to become innovators and problem-solvers in our ever-evolving digital world,” she said.

Green also extended heartfelt thanks to partners at MGI and the UWI team for their unwavering support and collaboration in making this camp a success.

“Your dedication to nurturing young minds and fostering technological skills is truly commendable,” she added.

Source: Our Today

Prof Louis Grant: A hero for health

Jean Lowrie- Chin

Professor Louis Grant

Last Friday we gathered at the former Foundation for International Self-Help Jamaica Limited (FISH) Clinic to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the renamed Louis Grant Medical Centre in honour of its founder, Professor Grant. The beloved professor created the clinic in 1975 at 19 Gordon Town Road, near Papine, to serve less fortunate Jamaicans.

In her tribute at the event, his daughter, Bette Grant Otunla, traced the humble beginnings of this son of Mitchell Town, Clarendon, whose love of learning gained him the Vere Trust Scholarship to Jamaica College at a time when the College was a school for the privileged. The outstanding student was recommended by his headmaster, William Cowper, to take up a position at the government laboratory. This involved working visits to the Kingston Public Hospital where young Grant became interested in medicine, and with his savings and assistance from his family, enrolled at University of Edinburgh.

“He graduated in 1939 with his medical degree, three months before World War II started, and returned to the government laboratory in Jamaica,” shared his daughter. Soon after “he was awarded a Rockefeller Foundation scholarship to do a master’s in public health at the University of Michigan in the USA, which then had one of the best public health programmes in the world … [He] set up an excellent system of laboratory services in Jamaica on his return,” she said. This continues to be a linchpin of Jamaica’s health system.

Professor Grant was one of the first members of staff at the newly established The University College of the West Indies (UCWI) and was awarded a scholarship to study bacteriology at London School of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. Thus armed, he set up the Department of Bacteriology at The UCWI. His research on tropical diseases led him to appeal to the World Health Organization and UNICEF to provide vaccines for an islandwide immunisation operation. We can thank the goodly professor for the eradication of tuberculosis in Jamaica.

Further, he noted the suffering of patients with leptospirosis and embarked on a public education campaign so Jamaicans would learn to protect themselves from rats, which carried this often-fatal disease. When equine encephalitis became widespread among horses, Professor Grant set up an area for animals near the Mona Post Office where he could test and treat them.

The professor used his knowledge to help protect Jamaica’s livestock. One of his colleagues at the Department of Bacteriology, Dr Owen James, recalled, “Outside of the department in nearby communities like August Town or further afield in St Thomas, chickens or goats or horses or other animals would be kept in certain areas and checked from time to time. This could signal a warning of an imminent outbreak of a particular disease, based on the findings from these ‘Sentinel stations’.”

Source: Jamaica Observer

Commissioner Blake’s Response

All well-thinking Jamaicans welcomed the creation of Independent Commission of Investigations (Indecom), which ensures that the security forces remain professional and ethical. In every organisation you will find the few who ‘let down the side’, and it is important that they be brought to justice.

I must, therefore, quote at length Police Commissioner Dr Kevin Blake’s response as shared by Jamaica Observer Editor-at-Large Arthur Hall in a report headlined ‘No Apology — Police commissioner slams JFJ; says criminals to be blamed for 50 fatal shootings in 50 days by security forces’.

Commissioner Blake is reported to have said that “….while he supports the view that the number of fatal shootings by the security forces is too high, the focus should be on the criminals who make the decision to challenge members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force [JCF], ‘which is a far more superior force’.”

Hall reported: “He charged that a call for the JCF to be held more accountable is a slap in the face of Indecom, which has a single most important mandate of investigating actions against civilians by members of the security forces.”

Here are excerpts from the commissioner’s response, as quoted by Hall:

“And so, let me encourage Jamaicans for Justice to be more responsible in their public pronouncements, especially when the nation is aware of its members’ proven ability to comprehend the most basic and fundamental principles of security.

“To suggest that fatal shootings numbers can be reduced by anything other than the unwillingness of persons being apprehended to engage in deadly confrontations with members of the security forces is irresponsible, or at best advocating for us to relent in our pursuit,” added Blake.

“He declared that criminals who are intent on killing and maiming will not be left free to hold communities at ransom and in constant fear,” wrote Hall.

Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation – Mandeville

Robot Construction: Supervisor at the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation – Mandeville, Vastine Henry (left) assists two students to assemble a simple robot on the third day of the IGT Coding and Robotics Rock! Camp. IGT in its fourth consecutive year of the virtual camp welcomed 72 participants from five Caribbean countries.  This year’s camp recently took place under the theme Climate Action: Think It! Code It! Solve It!  Students were introduced to careers in the computer science industry while receiving training in computer science, including the basics of computing and coding.

The thankless and dangerous job of the JCF

Jean Lowrie-Chin

Dr Kevin Blake, Police Commissioner

That Savanna-la-Mar earthquake in the late 1950s was a frightening one for me as a small child. I was in the house behind the shop run by our widowed mother. As I felt the place shaking, I ran out into the dark street. A light flashed on red-seamed trousers. Because the police always cast a protective eye on our shop, I knew I would be safe if I grabbed on to that red-seamed trousers leg. The police officer picked me up, took a look, and recognised me as “Mrs Singh’s little girl”. He walked swiftly to the shop and handed me to my mother.

Many years later, on assignment at Caymanas Park in the 80s, I would have long conversations with officers Williams and Whitney. They would always arrive impeccably dressed and were thoroughly professional. Some mornings they would share that they had been in operations the night before, dodging bullets.

In the 90s I collaborated with Lasco to create the Police Officer of the Year Award and met some of the most inspiring officers. Some of the organisers were Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Neville Wheatle, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) LK Simpson, and a young constable who is now Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Natalie Palmer-Mair. Interestingly, the first Police Officer of the Year was retired Assistant Commissioner of Police Steve McGregor, who is now a politician.

After the 2002 General Election, which had been monitored by representatives of the Carter Centre, they reported that the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), led by then Commissioner Francis Forbes, had been exemplary in its work, as were the Electoral Office of Jamaica (EOJ) personnel. They declared that there would be no reason for them to monitor any further elections in Jamaica.

In other projects, I have seen the courage of SSP Ionie Ramsey Nelson, the brilliance of retired DCP Novelette Grant, SSP Stephanie Lindsay, and the compassion of Sergeant Jerr Johnson-Heron who has assisted with distributing care packages for the elderly on behalf of our seniors advocacy organisation. Indeed, the police youth club is the largest youth club in Jamaica and the Law Enforcement Torch Run has earned millions of dollars over several decades for Jamaica’s Special Olympians.

It is, therefore, deeply concerning that our outstanding JCF appears to be under unrelenting attack by the organisation Jamaicans for Justice (JFJ). I am confounded that the current head of the JFJ seems to be unaware of the dangers our police face in their crime-fighting efforts.

Source: Jamaica Observer

Farewell Archbishop Clarke

Jean Lowrie-Chin

The late Archbishop Emeritus Edgerton Clarke (centre) with fellow chairmen of Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections the late Dr Alfred Sangster (left) and constitutional lawyer Lloyd Barnett.
 

We are mourning the passing of one of Jamaica’s most beloved sons: the humble, eloquent Archbishop Emeritus Edgerton Clarke.

Archbishop’s homilies were special — gently delivered but with the fire of the Holy Spirit igniting our spiritual aspirations. In his pastoral work he inspired our youth and showed his caring heart to the elderly. He shared his wisdom on boards of government and civil society organisations and was a past chairman of Citizens Action for Free and Fair Elections (CAFFE).

Archbishop Emeritus Clarke passed away peacefully on February 13, one day before his 96th birthday. He served as bishop of Montego Bay for 27 years before being installed as Archbishop of Kingston on November 23, 1994. He retired on February 14, 2004.

The vigil for Archbishop Emeritus Clarke will take place at Holy Cross Catholic Church on Sunday, March 2, and the mass of thanksgiving on Monday, March 3 at Holy Trinity Cathedral will begin with tributes at 1:45 pm.

Source: Jamaica Observer