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JN Foundation is teaming up with two multinational organisations to have Jamaicans install low-flush toilets as a means of saving water to improve the country’s resilience to climate change events.

Water adaptation expert and project manager for the Water Project Dr Kwame Emmanuel explained that more than 70 per cent of the water used by a typical Jamaican household is for bathroom activities. Some 32 per cent is used at the bathroom sink and in the shower, while 40 per cent goes to flushing toilets.

He said further that low-flush toilets have a flow rate of less than or equal to 1.28 gallons per flush, while the standard toilets range from approximately 1.6 to 4.5 gallons per flush.

“If we really want to make a difference we need to look at our toilets and what we are doing in our bathrooms,” he told the Rotary Club of Trafalgar New Heights in a recent presentation in keeping with Rotary’s recognition of March as Water and Sanitation Month.

The Water Project is being implemented by the Jamaica National Group with funding from the Climate Investment Funds through its Pilot Program for Climate Resilience and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), through the Multilateral Investment Fund.

The project will feature education programmes, loans to housing developers and householders from JN Bank for the installation of water adaptation devices in households, climate change adaptation support, and positive behaviour changes in household water management.

Dr Emmanuel, who is also an associate lecturer in water resources management at The University of the West Indies, Mona, said the project will facilitate the take up of a range of devices, which include showerheads and toilets; aerators and washing machines; as well as rainwater harvesting and greywater recycling.

“By doing that we hope to enhance water security and increase the climate- resilient housing stock in Jamaica,” he said.

He continued: “By doing that we won’t only protect ourselves from too little water, but too much water,” noting that the effects of climate change have not only resulted in extreme drought, but an increase in excessive flooding. Jamaica and the wider Caribbean region has been experiencing both forms of climatic extremities with greater frequency over the past decade.

The JN Foundation project manager noted that JN’s championing of the Water Project is natural, given its investment in the housing sector and role in the development of communities.

Dr Emmanuel said education and training under the project will cater to different target groups, including engineers, planners and architects. Vocational training for the installation of rainwater-harvesting systems will be conducted through the HEART Trust/National Training Agency.

“We will also be working in collaboration with suppliers to provide the technology, and there will also be general sessions with the public about water efficiency,” Dr Emmanuel revealed.

The training will incorporate the development of a water adaptation guide for specialists and a homeowners’ guide for householders. However, beyond education and training, Dr Emmanuel said that a pilot study will be conducted to test the reduction in water consumption and savings householders will receive from the new devices.

“We will also be asking young entrepreneurs and innovators to come up with some novel ideas in terms of technologies and how we will address the water inefficiency issues in Jamaica,” he said.

The innovations will be showcased at an expo to be held in the fourth and final year of the project.

Although the Water Project does not include an advocacy component, Dr Emmanuel said that as part of the initiative, it is hoped that water efficiency standards and policies will be developed to ensure future housing stocks are built with water adaptation specifications.

“Currently there are no water efficiency standards. Therefore, while we are telling people to use this number gallons per flush and so on, there are no standards to say this is what water efficiency is about and this is what persons should implement,” he maintained.

Water conseravtion was also on the global agenda this month with the annual observance of World Water Day on March 22.

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Once listed as the poorest parish in Jamaica, a recent release of a documented story of the parish of St Mary has revealed its rich history.
Bordered by St Ann to the west, Portland to the east, and St Catherine and St Andrew to the south, St Mary boasts rich architecture of buildings that were built across its 610.44 square kilometres. Among these edifices are the Annotto Bay Baptist Church, the first Baptist Church to be constructed in St Mary in 1824, which is still standing.
According to the Parish Histories of Jamaica website, the church was among those destroyed by supporters of the Colonial Church Union during the Sam Sharpe uprising for freedom known as the Christmas Rebellion of 1831.
However, the church, which stands on the seaward side of the main road leading from Annotto Bay to Port Antonio, was rebuilt in 1835 with funds collected by William Knibb and Thomas Buxton, who were renowned abolitionists.
The building was designed in a single rectangular format with a pitch roof. The classical architecture of the doors and windows include pilasters and architraves and surrounds were executed in plaster, in which decorative motifs were mounted.
But for Rev Oral Campbell, pastor of the Emmanuel Baptist Church, the jewel among them is the Emmanuel Baptist Church, which was erected in 1828, ten years before emancipation. Located in Port Maria, it was the second Baptist Church to be established in St Mary, and this year, will celebrate its 190th anniversary.
“The historical significance of the Emmanuel Baptist Church is the fact that it was founded in a time to assist the slaves when Baptist missionaries came to Jamaica to carry out missionary work among them,” he said.
He said that over the decades, the church evolved to address the social needs of community members by building an educational centre and basic school to serve a population of some 60 students. The foundation of the education centre was laid by former Pastor and Editor-in-chief of The Gleaner the Rev Dr Dudley Stokes, who served as pastor from 1967 to 1974.
“The community embraces the value of the church because of the social ministries that it carries out and the lives of the persons whom we touch and impact,” the pastor said.
But for 79-year-old Ralston Isaachs of Preston Hill, the Georgian architecture structures of the buildings in St Mary such as the Port Maria Courthouse are the most outstanding features of the parish.

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The JN Foundation, in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) and international motor sports foundation, the FIA Foundation, will be implementing a project that will make the areas around Jamaican schools safer.

The project, X Marks the Spot – School Crosswalk Safety Campaign, will be rolled out over the next three months and will entail improving the zones around selected schools so as to make them safer.

Onyka Barrett Scott, partnership and development manager at the JN Foundation, said: “This is a pilot project and the intention is to work with at least two schools where we can do some very tangible and impactful improvements to the road environment in the immediate vicinity. It is important to us that our children feel we are collectively doing our best to keep them safe when using the roadways,” she informed.

The improvements will include upgrading of the infrastructure around the schools to make them safer for children to commute and will entail the erection of signage for bus lay-bys, pedestrian gates, widening and paving of sidewalks.

In preparation for the implementation of the project, a three-day workshop was held from February 5-8 at the Road Safety Hub on Elleston Road in Kingston with the key partners that make up the project committee.

Amend, a non-governmental organisation which develops, implements and evaluates evidence-based programmes to reduce the incidence of road traffic injury in Africa, and the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), the umbrella programme for Road Assess-ment Programmes worldwide, conducted the training.

“The objective of the workshop was to guide our steering committee, and other key partners who will be assisting the JN Foundation to implement the project, on the various technicalities involved. The workshop assisted us in identifying the risk factors to be considered, site selection and identifying a menu of options in terms of infrastructural improvements,” she explained.

Simon Kalolo, senior project officer at Amend, said their experiences and methodologies in delivering safe schools in Africa were shared in the workshop.

“Our approach in successfully implementing safe schools projects in Africa was shared at the workshop so that the stakeholders can have the technical capacity to replicate and use our methodology, our tools and approach in improving safe schools in Kingston and the rest of Jamaica,” he said.

Representatives of the National Works Agency, the Road Safety Unit, Mona Geoinformatics, the Ministry of Education, the National Road Safety Council, and Jamaica Constabulary Force participated in the workshop.

With Christmas now behind Jamaicans, better financial management is one of the resolutions that many have made for 2018 to improve their financial status.

However, managing one’s financial affairs must start with the most basic financial tool – a budget – maintains Rose Miller, grants manager at the JN Foundation, who also leads the organisation’s financial empowerment programme.

Creating a budget, in itself, is also a process, she advises; therefore, crafting one must be a thoughtful exercise. She recommends the following:

Understand Your Finances

“Identify all the sources from which you earn your income. Many persons believe that their salary is their only source of income, although they also have passive income.”

Miller says that all wages, dividends, rental income, remittances, interest payments, and other earnings received are regarded as income and should be treated as such.

Keeping track of one’s money is also critical to understanding one’s finances she says.

“Everyone should maintain a record of all the money they receive and spend over a given period,” Miller underscores, “as it helps to determine the total sum received during a given period, not only from salary; but, also from other sources of income they may receive.”

She says this is especially important during the initial stages of creating one’s budget, as it will confirm exactly how much one is earning; and how much is being spent and on what.

In order to properly track spending, storing receipts relating to purchases is important, she says.

“Keeping your receipts help you to track all of your purchases and payments including: utility bills, grocery receipts, credit card and other loan payments. That process allows you to have a clear idea of all the expenses you cover over a particular period; and highlights any outstanding payments you may have,” she explains.

She notes that people may choose to store the physical receipts or scan and store them digitally.

Identify Your Needs Vs Wants

In order to design a successful budget, one needs to differentiate between needs and wants, Miller advises, and one should plan to take care of needs before wants.

“Design your budget in such a manner that your needs become your priority. Take care of basic services and items, such as utilities, basic food items and transportation, before purchasing non-essential items,” she points out.

Identify Unnecessary Expenditures

During the budgeting process, one must ensure that expenditure never exceeds income, Miller advises.

To mitigate this, she encourages persons to add their monthly income and tally their monthly expenditure and then subtract total expenditures from total income. If there is a negative balance, then it means that one’s expenses are more than one’s income; and one will need to eliminate or reduce some expenditures. “However, if there is a surplus, then, clearly, they are one the right track,” Miller maintains.

Identify Ways To Improve Your Income

Miller points out that there are ways to supplement one’s income. Some means could include getting a better paying job; using your skills or a hobby to earn; or obtain a part-time job.

Save

The JN Foundation financial literacy expert notes that savings must form an integral part of one’s budget.

She encourages everyone to develop the habit of saving a minimum of 10 per cent of their income, by treating it as part of their expenditure. It’s a good idea to try and live on a portion of your income. So don’t seek to spend all that you earn.

“Saving isn’t easy for some persons; however, no matter how small your current income is, if you plan a budget and manage it wisely, you can indeed save and from this saving, invest and begin your journey to financial freedom,” she says.With Christmas now behind Jamaicans, better financial management is one of the resolutions that many have made for 2018 to improve their financial status.

However, managing one’s financial affairs must start with the most basic financial tool – a budget – maintains Rose Miller, grants manager at the JN Foundation, who also leads the organisation’s financial empowerment programme.

Creating a budget, in itself, is also a process, she advises; therefore, crafting one must be a thoughtful exercise. She recommends the following:

Understand Your Finances

“Identify all the sources from which you earn your income. Many persons believe that their salary is their only source of income, although they also have passive income.”

Miller says that all wages, dividends, rental income, remittances, interest payments, and other earnings received are regarded as income and should be treated as such.

Keeping track of one’s money is also critical to understanding one’s finances she says.

“Everyone should maintain a record of all the money they receive and spend over a given period,” Miller underscores, “as it helps to determine the total sum received during a given period, not only from salary; but, also from other sources of income they may receive.”

She says this is especially important during the initial stages of creating one’s budget, as it will confirm exactly how much one is earning; and how much is being spent and on what.

In order to properly track spending, storing receipts relating to purchases is important, she says.

“Keeping your receipts help you to track all of your purchases and payments including: utility bills, grocery receipts, credit card and other loan payments. That process allows you to have a clear idea of all the expenses you cover over a particular period; and highlights any outstanding payments you may have,” she explains.

She notes that people may choose to store the physical receipts or scan and store them digitally.

Identify Your Needs Vs Wants

In order to design a successful budget, one needs to differentiate between needs and wants, Miller advises, and one should plan to take care of needs before wants.

“Design your budget in such a manner that your needs become your priority. Take care of basic services and items, such as utilities, basic food items and transportation, before purchasing non-essential items,” she points out.

Identify Unnecessary Expenditures

During the budgeting process, one must ensure that expenditure never exceeds income, Miller advises.

To mitigate this, she encourages persons to add their monthly income and tally their monthly expenditure and then subtract total expenditures from total income. If there is a negative balance, then it means that one’s expenses are more than one’s income; and one will need to eliminate or reduce some expenditures. “However, if there is a surplus, then, clearly, they are one the right track,” Miller maintains.

Identify Ways To Improve Your Income

Miller points out that there are ways to supplement one’s income. Some means could include getting a better paying job; using your skills or a hobby to earn; or obtain a part-time job.

Save

The JN Foundation financial literacy expert notes that savings must form an integral part of one’s budget.

She encourages everyone to develop the habit of saving a minimum of 10 per cent of their income, by treating it as part of their expenditure. It’s a good idea to try and live on a portion of your income. So don’t seek to spend all that you earn.

“Saving isn’t easy for some persons; however, no matter how small your current income is, if you plan a budget and manage it wisely, you can indeed save and from this saving, invest and begin your journey to financial freedom,” she says.

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Of all the gifts that Leighton Whyte received for special occasions as a child from his father and found to be the most meaningful was a savings passbook.

He was then a 12-year-old student, already in third form at Calabar High, having passed the Common Entrance Examination at nine years old. He said that nothing could have compared to the pride he had, knowing that he owned a savings account at the Jamaica National Building Society, now JN Bank.

“Having my own passbook gave me a sense of accomplishment and motivated me to save,” Whyte, the acting senior project manager at the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) related. “I recall always looking forward to going to the JN branch in New Kingston with my parents, especially during the holidays, to lodge the savings that I had accumulated at home.”

Whyte’s father, Luther, a plumbing contractor, explained that he opened a savings account for both of his sons so that they could learn to make responsible financial decisions and to cultivate the habit of saving.

“I believe in education and giving children an early start to set the foundation for their development,” Luther Whyte pointed out. “When I was a youngster, my father would encourage me to save from my lunch money, but I never got a passbook,” he added.

In addition to saving from his lunch money, Leighton supplemented his savings with income received from his parents for regular household chores, such as washing the car, sweeping the yard and cutting the hedge. Later, when he enrolled in a two-year construction technology programme at the EXED Community College, he was able to earn additional income from architectural drawings done for family and friends.

He matriculated to the University of Technology, Jamaica (UTech), studying construction technology and architecture, and excelled academically. He also gained employment at Marvin Goodman and Associates, as an architectural intern, while still a student. Following the completion of his studies, he was employed by the same architectural firm. With the habit of saving now firmly entrenched, Leighton established a standing order at work to facilitate automatic withdrawal of his savings, which was sent directly to his account at the building society.

By the time he was 24, Leighton had accumulated enough money to purchase his first car, a gleaming 2003 Toyota Altezza.

“That was another great achievement, knowing that it was all possible as a result of a saving habit that was inculcated in me as a child.”

Today, Leighton still embraces the good money-management principles he practised as a youngster.

“I still have a standing order arrangement for funds from my salary to go into my savings account each month. It is always good to save because it provides financial stability during an emergency, and it comes in handy when you need to make a purchase. I do not own a credit card, because I prefer to save towards whatever I want to acquire,” he said.

Rose Miller, grants manager and leader of the Financial Empowerment programme at the JN Foundation, pointed out that parents should endeavour to encourage their children to save.

“One is never too young to save. Good habits should be introduced to children from an early age and the discipline to save should be one of them,” she emphasised.

Miller pointed out that JN Bank encourages young people to develop the habit of thrift by facilitating a vibrant JN School Savers’ Programme since 2001. The programme is currently in more than 180 primary and high schools in every parish across the island.

Saving is a priority
Rose Miller, grants manager and leader of the Financial Empowerment programme at the JN Foundation, is encouraging everyone to make saving a priority and to establish an amount to be saved monthly. By doing so, saving will be a welcomed task.

“Instead of making ad hoc allocations to your account, determine an amount to save each month and include this amount as part of your monthly expense in your budget. It is recommended that at least 10 per cent of (one’s) income is saved every month,” she advised.

“To ensure that your savings plan stays on target, and that you are not tempted to overlook your monthly savings, you need to work out the simplest way to get money into your account every month. An automatic deduction from your salary, sent directly to your bank account, is highly recommended. A disciplined approach is fundamental in your quest to achieve your financial goals,” he said.

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The Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI), a project of the JN Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has issued a call for applications from social enterprises and social entrepreneurs, to participate in its new eight-month Accelerator Programme.

Saffrey Brown, general manager of JN Foundation, said that the project, jointly funded by the JN Foundation and USAID, has moved to another phase in which established entrepreneurs will be targeted to further enhance their social businesses.

“SEBI has received an additional 12-month extension from the USAID to continue to support high-impact social enterprises which are poised to upscale their operations, improve governance and leadership, build business, linkages and partnerships, as well as explore new business opportunities,” Brown said.

“During the next eight months, SEBI will build on the solid foundation of these social enterprises and strengthen the capacity of approximately 12 social enterprises and entrepreneurs across the country to position them to make greater social impact,” she said.

Brown explained that social enterprises or entrepreneurs who have been trading for at least 12 months, have products or services that are already on the market, and are poised to expand may apply.

Interested persons are invited to visit the SEBI website at: www.sebijm.com where they can complete and submit the application form. The deadline for applications is Monday, February 5, 2018.

For the past five years, SEBI, through the JN Foundation and USAID, has mobilised investment, enterprise development, employment, and revenue, particularly in underserved communities across the country.

SEBI has trained managers and employees to achieve efficiency and growth in their social enterprises by improving their core business competences including management and marketing skills.

To date, some 24 social enterprises have benefited directly from SEBI, either through training or participating in its incubator.

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THE histories of four Jamaican parishes have been completed and electronically published on the Parish Histories of Jamaica website at:www.http://historyjamaica.org.

An initiative of the JN Foundation in partnership with the Department of History and Archaeology at The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, the Parish Histories of Jamaica Project documents their rich and diverse stories. They have unearthed the unique spirit, culture and interesting developmental phases of the parishes from their inception.

Professor of Caribbean History and chair of the Department of History and Archaeology at UWI, Professor Matthew J Smith, said the project, which commenced in 2015, has progressed with the completion of the histories of Westmoreland, St Thomas, Trelawny and St Mary.

“What we really want is for new generations of Jamaicans to be able to have these online documents as their first base from which they glean the history of their country; and eventually, they will be able to access information about Trelawny, St Catherine, or any other parish, when they go to the Parish Histories of Jamaica website where they will find a wealth of information,” he said.

Professor Smith stated that the body of work is one way to dispel myths and also explain events and situations that we believe we already know or take for granted.

He further pointed out that the parish history project is the first of its kind undertaken by the UWI, with the repository of information being made electronically for wider public consumption locally and overseas.

“There is so much about Jamaica that we don’t realise or that we take for granted,” said Professor Smith.

“When you get to the point of taking things for granted, the challenge is that you become vulnerable to allowing other things to come into that space without questioning it. And what history does is that it compels you to question the knowledge that you have and what you take for granted,” he added, while underscoring the value of the project to all Jamaicans.

He explained that the history project involved very detailed investigations into the histories of various parishes; exploring how parish boundaries were established and highlighting leaders from each parish.

Sabrina Brown, project officer for the Parish Histories of Jamaica initiative, explained that it is being produced in two main formats, focusing on the written and oral aspects. The written elements are being developed by the UWI, and the oral segments by the JN Foundation.

“Another major aspect of the project is that of community engagement, based on two sets of interviews that were conducted in all parishes. The first is a vox pop which is light, fun and engaging. Residents were asked historical questions about their parishes. The second is a more detailed recollection of life in the parish in which older residents speak about their work and lifestyles back then,” she explained.

Under the project an interview was conducted with the late Violet Mosse-Brown, the oldest woman in the world at the time the document was written. Affectionately known as ‘Aunt V’, she was 117 years old and hailed from Trelawny. Aunt V became the world’s oldest human being on April 15, 2017, after the passing of Italian Emma Morano, who was born in 1899. However, Mosse-Brown died five months after being declared the oldest person alive in the world.

The project officer said that the project also extends its engagement to young people via social media, with its own Instagram account.

Rich historical content and fun facts will be mounted regularly on the site to engage young people to follow new information, as well as to create general awareness about the project.

“The Parish Histories of Jamaica will strengthen social connectedness which falls under the JN Foundation’s strategic theme of social empowerment. Under that theme, the project will also strengthen cultural vitality. It will increase community involvement through a variety of activities designed to engage citizens to discuss their history and to pass on the legacy which will be celebrated for generations to come,” Brown said.

Completion of the project is scheduled for 2019, with full coverage of all 14 parishes. As it develops, people can access the website at http://historyjamaica.org and learn more about the island’s remarkable history.

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Caribbean countries that were devastated by hurricanes Irma and Maria during the recent hurricane season will benefit from donations received through the JN Foundation’s ‘Help Our Caribbean Neighbours’ campaign, which was mounted on its ISupport Jamaica funding site.

The campaign, launched in October, resulted in members of the public and employees of companies and organisations in the Jamaica National Group donating to the cause.

Rose Miller, grants manager at JN Foundation, who officially handed over the contributions to United Way of Jamaica on Thursday, December 21 at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St Andrew, commended persons who responded to the campaign.

“We are grateful to those who contributed, having seen the need to reach out to our Caribbean neighbours. We are always seeking opportunities to help others.The Jamaica National Group plays an integral role regionally, therefore, we endeavour to reach out when there is a need,” Miller said.

BENEFITING FAMILIES

Winsome Wilkins, chief executive officer of United Way of Jamaica, expressed gratitude to the JN Foundation and members of the public who supported the campaign.

“Our thanks to JN Foundation, which is a serious partner with us in the voluntary sector. We value their support,” she said, explaining that the funds will be merged with a larger pool of funds to be used in the rehabilitation and restoration process and help families in those islands to pursue economic activities.

“There is a pool of funds that will be allocated to the Salvation Army and to the Adventist Development and Relief Agency, which are already on the ground doing work, and identifying the families that would benefit,” she said.

Wilkins said that the campaign, organised by United Way across Jamaica, has already received some $3 million in contributions to the hurricane relief effort. This, she said, was in addition to in-kind contributions.

“The campaign was successful, and of course, for us at United Way, rehabilitation and restoration are areas which we focus on in times of disaster,” she said.

Several islands were affected by the hurricanes, which moved across the northern Caribbean leaving a trail of death and destruction. Some of the countries to benefit from the contributions from Jamaica, are Turks and Caicos, Puerto Rico, Dominica, and Haiti.

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“Moneybags… he loves Christmas! Moneybags… that’s for sure! Moneybags… he loves Christmas, Christmas he adores!”

Tens of children hummed the new jazzy ‘carol’ as they exited the Dennis Scott Studio Theatre at the Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts after viewing A Carol for Moneybags, recently.

A Jamaicanised revue of Charles Dickens’ classic novel A Christmas Carol, also known simply as Scrooge for its popular protagonist/antagonist, A Carol for Moneybags presents a delightful Jamaican adaptation of the old, miserly businessman, who castigates his employees and others for spreading holiday cheer and kindness.

However, similar to Ebenezer Scrooge in the classic tale, old Egbert Moneybags discovers the true meaning of Christmas, and becomes a reformed man after meeting four ‘Chrismusduppies’, visions, which are suggested to be triggered by an undigested meal of stewed peas.

The spirits that visit him include his former business partner, ‘Interest’, who has received a second chance at life as a dreadlocked small farmer and has returned to warn Moneybags to repent; and interestingly, not the Grim Reaper himself, standing ghastly with his sickle, but the media, which is positioned as the ‘Ghost of Christmas Future’, enlightening Moneybags, via a newscast, about the lonely, miserable death that awaits him if he fails to repent.

The audience of youngsters, and even adults, heartily shared in Moneybags’ repentance by the end of the musical.

“Give him a second chance,” one boy pleaded, as the live television cameras focused on him for an opinion on the fate of old Moneybags.

However, not everyone was forgiving. “Him too mean and miserable,” another child murmured.

Whatever they thought about old Moneybags, the lesson was clear: Christmas is about giving and sharing, just as Christ was born to give his life to save the human race.

… Moneybags brings music back to season
The close to 100 children, parents, and teachers attending the performance from the George Headley and Harbour View primary schools in St Andrew laughed excitedly, as the Grinch-like Moneybags hissed and huffed, and shouted and shoved, even when his frail old body seemed unable to do the job.

“The children enjoyed it thoroughly. It was funny, and it certainly brought back the music in Christmas!” commented Arlene Lewis, a teacher of the George Headley Primary School in Duhaney Park, St Andrew.

She added that the A Christmas Carol adaptation, A Carol for Moneybags, made the classic story more relatable to the children, and that it was a good way to continue exposing them to theatre and the performing arts.

“Thanks to JN Bank for inviting us and for also including the teachers and coaches of our quiz team,” she concluded. “Even up until now, the children are running around the school singing Moneybags.”

George Headley are the 2017 champions of Television Jamaica Junior Schools’ Challenge Quiz competition.

Chevanese Peters, project officer at the JN Foundation, explained that the performance was sponsored through the JN Bank Member Advisory Councils from the Half-Way Tree, Duke Street, and downtown Kingston branches of the bank.

“They simply wanted to do something for children that would not simply fete them for the Christmas, but provide them with ideas and concepts to underscore the meaning of Christmas,” Peters said.

The advisory councils include employees of JN Bank branches and community members, who identify and implement projects to benefit youngsters and adults in the communities where JN Bank branches are located across the country.

“A Carol for Moneybags provided a fun and meaningful way to achieve our objective,” Peters said. “It certainly raised the spirits of the youngsters,” she quipped. “From their comments, it was clear that many of them got the message.”

A Carol for Moneybags showcases a cast of students currently studying at the Edna College of the Visual and Performing Arts, and is the second production of the School of Drama for the academic year. It is written by renowned playwright and journalist Barbara Gloudon and is directed by dramaturge and director of the School of Drama, Pierre Lemaire. It also features original songs by Conroy Cooper and choreography by Patrick Earle.

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Avi Silverman, deputy director of the Federation Internationale de L’Automobile (FIA) Foundation, commended the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica National Group for the establishment of a new state-of-the-art Road Safety Hub at the Elletson Road Police Station in Kingston.

Silverman, who was in Jamaica for the Child Health Initiative /NRSC Safety Policy Forum, toured the Road Safety Hub earlier this month.

“What is amazing in Jamaica is the level of collaborations among the police, the National Works Agency, the Mona Geoinformatics Institute, and the private sector. It is incredible,” said, as he observed the real-time road crash and network data, which is available to the Traffic and Highway Division of the JCF.

Head of the Traffic Division senior superintendent Calvin Allen said that through these partnerships, the new facility has provided information which helps the Division to train its personnel and to better strategise.

“This is live information as to traffic flow at certain points in the Corporate Area. While this will be used as a teaching point, we also use it as a means of re-deploying our officers if we need to. So by monitoring, we can see whether there is a collision at a point, whether congestion exists, and we would use this information to redeploy our resources if necessary,” he said.

The Road Safety Hub was made possible through a public-private partnership with the JN General Insurance Company Limited (JNGI), the Jamaica Automobile Association (JAA), the JN Foundation, and the FIA Foundation.

“We believe in partnership, and we have partnered with several companies, but the JN Foundation is out front, like a Usain Bolt, to make this Road Safety Hub a reality. Thanks to the JN Foundation, (which) has come on board and did all the lobbying for us to establish this facility,” he added.

Onyka Barrett-Scott, partnership and development manager at the JN Foundation, commended the FIA for its support to the initiatives of the JN Foundation.

“We are really grateful to the FIA Foundation for this continued partnership with the JAA and, as a result, we were able to deepen our collaboration with the JCF and other partners based on your support,” she said.

The Road Safety Hub was opened last month by Prime Minister Andrew Holness. It also serves as a community resource centre for residents in the proximity of the Hub.

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