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Sitting in a wheelchair is an uncomfortable experience if it isn’t adjusted for you, or you are not sitting properly, says Bridgette Johnson-Beckett.
“The Portmore Self-Help Disability Organisation (PSDO) Mobility Resource Centre was developed to help individuals tackle such problems,” Johnson-Beckett states. The manager of the Portmore-based centre adds that it also repairs mobility aids, and provides consultations on the adaptation of public and private spaces to the physically disabled.
“People who sit in wheelchairs for hours can get injured if they are not comfortable,” Johnson-Beckett said. “There is need for the users to be educated.”
There are optimum adjustments for backrests, footrests and armrests for each individual, with adequate cushioning also playing a vital role, she said. The PSDO offers training in the proper use of such devices and also provides a home service for customers, primarily in the Kingston Metropolitan Area and St Catherine.
Expertise in tackling such issues emerged through the original Portmore Self-Help Disability Organisation advocacy group, which she started 15 years ago after she was robbed on her way home in Greater Portmore one night. Then a telephone operator at The Gleaner, Johnson, who lost a leg in a childhood accident, was trapped in an open grating on a canal bridge, at which point a passer-by stole her handbag.
“After that incident, I looked around in my housing scheme to determine if there were other persons with special needs,” she said. “And we got together to advocate for improvements in the layout of the houses and our environment.”
While the group failed to achieve its goal, its advocacy ensured that subsequent developments would include units designed to accommodate the needs of the disabled. And Johnson-Beckett formalised her role, becoming the full-time manager of the group after receiving training at the University of the West Indies.
“We now offer consultation on the reformatting of private and public spaces to accommodate the physically disabled,” she said. Support from the JN Foundation and USAID, through the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) project team, has also expanded the PSDO income-earning options.
The advocacy group, which began meeting regularly at the Portmore HEART Academy, expanded its scope to include persons with a broader range of disabilities, such as the elderly and stroke victims, and soon realised that one common need within their community was the requirement for access to mobility aids.
“That was when we started to repair wheelchairs, crutches, walkers, and canes,” she said. “We secured land in Gregory Park in Portmore and established a permanent home, where the repair and maintenance work could be done.”
… Watch out for the prototype wheelchair on April 20
It was at the point of establishing its own home that engineer Harold Buchanan became involved with the development of the PSDO Mobility Resource Centre.
“I started working with the group five years ago, providing support in repairs to wheelchairs, and other devices such as rollators,” he said. “This work, which is carried out by PSDO members, not only saves money, but also extends the life of the devices.”
Buchanan is particularly pleased with a prototype wheelchair under construction at the centre. He said, “We plan to have it on display at our first open day on April 20 at the PSDO Centre in Watson Grove, Gregory Park, and we are inviting the public to come and see them.”
Opal Whyte, project manager for SEBI (www.sebijm.com), pointed out that “the PSDO Mobility Resource Centre is an outstanding example of a social enterprise. It started out filling a need in the community, and is now developing a business which serves to further its social aims.
“This is one of more than 20 such enterprises which we are working with to develop their capacity to become self-sustaining,” Whyte stated. “At SEBI, we are leaders in the social enterprise field, in which Jamaica is the most advanced country in the entire Caribbean.”
As a project of the JN Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development, SEBI aims to mobilise resources for community development, Whyte stated. “The PSDO has many admirable traits, and they are making a positive difference in the lives of people around them.”

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Neisha Grant Lawrence, teacher at the Crescent Primary School in St. Catherine is the Mathematics Teacher of the Year.

She was presented with her award by Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, during the launch of Mathematics Week at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona Visitors’ Lodge on March 6.

Her prizes include a one-year membership to the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics (NCTM), which is the world’s largest organisation concerned with mathematics education, as well as a trip to San Antonio for the NCTM 2017 Conference. She also received an Apple iPad.

Mrs. Grant Lawrence said she was grateful to God, humbled and filled with joy to be the recipient of the coveted award.

“I would like to register my gratitude to the Ministry of Education, more specifically the National Mathematics Team, for implementing such a competition, giving me this great opportunity to demonstrate my mathematics skills outside the walls of my school,” she said.

She said her journey started when the Ministry implemented a programme for the training of School-based Mathematics Teachers (SBMT) at the primary level to improve the performance of students in the subject.

“My principal thought I was the best person for the task, despite my unwillingness, and like many, I feared mathematics from childhood. My principal, seeing the great potential in me, persisted, and I went ahead teary eyed, still reluctant; but look at me now,” Mrs. Grant Lawrence noted.

“Students at my school are understanding mathematics and are having fun while learning. It is my will to see… mathematics (become) the top-performing subject in both primary and high school.

I know all the participants in this competition and other mathematics teachers will see to that,” she said.

She also expressed appreciation to her students, Principal, Iris Lewis and family members, who, she noted, were a constant source of motivation and encouragement.

Other finalists in the competition were Leesan Salmon of the Aabuthnott Gallimore High School; Tarique Tomlinson, from the Godfrey Stewart High School; AnnMarie Plummer Wright of the Bethabara Primary School; and Rosemarie McFarlane Morris of St. Catherine High School.

The contestants were observed teaching mathematics lessons by members of the regional and national mathematics teams as well as education officers. They were also interviewed by a panel of judges on mathematics teaching and learning.

Participants were also tasked to prepare an action plan that they would share with their principal to treat five of the issues identified in the National Education Inspectorate Report in respect to mathematics. Individuals were scored based on these interactions.

The Mathematics Teacher of the Year Award is in its fourth year and is sponsored by Jamaica National (JN).

Senator Reid extended special thanks to the financial institution for its support of the competition since its inception in 2013.

For his part, Permanent Secretary within the Ministry, Dean-Roy Bernard, congratulated the 2017 Mathematics Teacher of the Year.

“I say thank you for your continued good service to the people of Jamaica,” Mr. Bernard said.

The Ministry is observing March 5 to 10 as National Mathematics Week under the theme ‘Math Counts’.

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USAID Mission Director Maura Barry Boyle points to a feature on this computer in Alpha Institute’s recording studio, while thirdyear Alpha Institute student Sajay Watson, JN Foundation General Manager Saffrey Brown (standing centre) and Alpha Institute Administrator Margaret Little Watson look on last Friday. The Apple iMAC for the commercial processing of live recordings was recently presented to the institute by the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative, a joint JN Foundation, USAID project.

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Founder of the US$10-m Global Soap Project in Atlanta and a CNN Hero, Derreck Kayongo, has committed to investing in local social enterprise company EducaTours, as the organisation prepares to launch its crowdfunding programme.

The Global Soap Project recycles partially used and discarded bars of soap from thousands of hotels and redistributes them to disadvantaged populations in 90 countries, where close to two million people die each year due to the lack of proper hygiene.

Kayongo, who is a refugee of Uganda but now resides in the USA, made the announcement during his call for Jamaicans to support the social sector.

He was the keynote speaker at the recent Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) 2nd National Summit held over two days at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston. Five hundred representatives of Government, social enterprises, social entrepreneurs, private sector, and academia attended.

Kadeem Pet-Grave, co-founder and CEO of EducaTours, explained that the social enterprise is an innovative educational tour company which combines gamification with exploration through field trips to bring classroom lessons to life and engage the students.

EducaTours, which was launched two years ago, works in collaboration with teachers at the various primary and secondary schools to take students on guided field trips. However, Pet-Grave said his company needs capital to develop its own mobile app and create content. Therefore, he will be using Jamaica National Foundation’s iSupport platform to launch a crowdfunding campaign to capitalise the company.

“The funds raised will also allow us to take up pending partnerships with the various heritage sites in Jamaica and enable us to sign on more schools. Our revenue stream and user base would also increase,” he said.

Pet-Grave noted that specially created games are loaded onto tablets which students use to execute activities while travelling to the site. The games also tell stories relevant to the classroom lessons, which bring the subject to life. The stories are written by a team of creative writers relevant to each site visited. In under two years, EducaTours has taken more than 1,200 students on such field trips.

“Statistics show that about 5 to 15 per cent of students will retain lessons taught from a chalkboard, but those who learn by doing usually have a retention of 85 per cent,” the CEO said.

He said the vision of the company is to be the world leader in educational tours using technology and innovation.

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It was a record year for the employees at the Jamalco Refinery who volunteered on various company-organised community development projects. In total, the volunteers gave approximately 10,800 hours of service to communities in 2016.

Manager of corporate services at Jamalco, DonnaMarie Brooks-Gordon, congratulated the volunteers for giving of their time and energy, which led to a record year for the number of employees participating in community-based projects.

As a result of their efforts, 20 schools and community-based institutions received grants totalling J$4.7 million from the Noble Foundation and Jamalco at the launch of its 2017 volunteer programme, held at the company’s refinery recently. The projects were successfully undertaken by 149 Jamalco volunteers who had to give a minimum of 50 hours of service to qualify for the US$250 grant each. Twelve educational institutions, a children’s home, a past students’ association, a church outreach programme, a youth club and a community service organisation for youth were among the recipients. The majority of projects undertaken involved construction and refurbishing, painting and beautification.

AGENTS OF CHANGE

Guest speaker Saffrey Brown, general manager of the JN Foundation, said volunteerism is about persons who refuse to stand by while society unravels. Brown commended the volunteers for their selflessness and for being agents of change. “Volunteerism is not always going to be easy, but it is always going to be worth it,” she said.

First-time Good Deeds volunteer Nichelle Mighten told Rural Xpress that she decided to volunteer with the New Harbour II Citizens’ Association. “I had just completed my exams and had some free time and energy, and I wanted to make use of it in a positive way. The funds will help the association to purchase well-needed playground equipment, assist with organising its upcoming Health Fiesta and other upcoming projects.”

One of the beneficiaries, Monica Smiley, principal of Race Course Primary and Infant School, said she is eternally grateful to Jamalco for selecting her school. “I also want to thank the volunteer wholeheartedly, because there has been no other individual who has taken an interest in assisting our school in such an outstanding way, and you can be sure that this donation will go a far way in helping to upgrade our school,” said the principal.

rural@gleanerjm.com

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Deep rural St Mary school, Camberwell Primary, has received an upgrade to its bathrooms with replacement of the pit latrines with flushable toilets.

The upgraded facilities were made possible through a donation from the JN Foundation and Food For the Poor, under the Flush For Life Programme, which is geared to eradicate pit latrines in schools. The bathrooms were officially handed over to the school on March 14. Stephanie Thomas-Christie, acting principal of Camberwell Primary School, commended JN Foundation and Food for the Poor for their donation.

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The Government has endorsed a $738.7-million (US$5.75-million) water adaptation project being initiated by the Jamaica National (JN) Group, with loan funding support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The initiative will facilitate on-lending of the funds, through JN Bank, to real estate developers to finance housing projects incorporating water-efficiency technologies that yield conservation, particularly within households, through the utilisation of key inputs.

These include rainwater harvesting systems, water-efficient taps and showers, low-flush toilets, and efficient irrigation systems.

This activity forms part of the IDB’s undertaking to promote heightened climate-change resilience in the housing sector by providing improved reliable water supplies and reducing demand for the commodity.

The loan agreement was signed by IDB Caribbean Country Manager, Therese Turner-Jones and JN Group General Manager, Earl Jarrett, at the JN Financial Centre in New Kingston on Friday, March 10.

The event was attended by Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang.

Dr. Chang, who has responsibility for water, welcomed the project and lauded the partnership between the implementing entities.

He noted that the IDB has been pivotal in funding enterprising engagements, such as the adaptation project, in Jamaica’s water sector.

“It (project) exemplifies the IDB’s attempt to provide innovative financing… that will help to make Jamaica more adaptable to climate change and certainly improve our capacity in terms of drought resilience,” the Minister said.

Dr. Chang also highlighted Jamaica National’s longstanding history of innovation and contribution to the local housing sector.

He said the partnership reflects a new approach for consideration and pursuit in enabling the provision of adequate water across Jamaica.

For her part, Mrs. Turner-Jones noted the “clear and present danger” posed by climate change, particularly in relation to the provision of water, adding that the focus on this area is “critical”.

“The impact of climate change is becoming more and more evident (and soon) we are going to start to feel those effects in Jamaica and in this region with even more regularity. So, anything we can do to mitigate the impact… is really important,” she said.

In his remarks, Mr. Jarrett said the importance of water has long been disregarded, with some persons treating it as “an unending stream”.

“So, part of the objective of this project is to bring a greater level of awareness to what is not an unending supply, but actually a scarce resource that we need to respect and use carefully,” he added.

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The government is being urged to reduce the import duties on technologies and equipment that enhance the efficient use and conservation of water.

Earl Jarrett, CEO of the Jamaica National Group, argued that reducing import duties on such technologies and equipment would promote conservation and efficient water use, while assisting the country to be resilient against the effects of climate change.

Jarrett was speaking at the signing of an agreement on Friday with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), which is providing US$5.75 million in loan funding for on-lending by JN Bank to housing developers that incorporate water efficient technologies in their developments.

“When you look at the low flush toilets and the difference in volumes used in comparison to a high volume toilet, you’re talking about up to four gallons of water as the savings that you’d have,” explained Onika Miller, managing director of MCS – a subsidiary of the JN Group.

“When we examine the public policy dimensions, there is a lot more that we can do to promote water adaptation and water conservation,” she said further to support Jarrett’s call for a reduction in the import duties on water conservation technologies and equipment.

In response, Dr Horace Chang, minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for water and housing, who was present at the signing said the suggestion would complement the government’s push for more private sector leadership in development initiatives.

“I’ll be having discussions with my colleagues to see what policy shifts we can make to encourage these kinds of activities and ensure they succeed,” said Chang.

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IDB, JN Bank Partner on Water Adaptation Project for Housing

KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has made funds available through JN Bank to finance housing projects in Jamaica, which integrate water efficiency technologies to promote water adaptation and conservation.

JN Bank and the IDB, along with the JN Foundation, signed the loan agreement, on Friday, March 10, at a breakfast meeting at JN Financial Services Centre, 2 Belmont Road in New Kingston.

The financing will be provided through a US$5.75 million loan to JN Bank, which will on-lend the funds to housing developers at single digit mortgage rates.

The loan is predicated to promote climate change resilience in the housing sector, by reducing water demand and improving water reliability. The financing is the first of its kind for the IDB.

“The objective of the loan is to facilitate the uptake of water efficiency measures in the housing sector across the country,” says Saffrey Brown, general manager of the JN Foundation, which will be managing the technical implementation of the project.

That includes the use of rain water harvesting systems, water efficient taps and showers, low-flush toilets, efficient irrigation systems, grey-water recycling facilities, among other resourceful water measures.

The technical component of the project will be implemented in five phases.

In phase one, the focus will centre on developing awareness about the financing available to developers; and to conduct a pilot project to underscore the cost savings from the implementation of water adaptation measures.

In phase two, JN Bank will on-lend funds to developers and construction companies; and in phase three JN, through the JN Foundation, will assist to build the technical capacity of developers to integrate water adaptation technologies into their housing projects.

A fourth component of the project will be to increase the number of medium and small enterprises dealing in the supply of climate resilient products to support water adaptation.

And, the final phase of the project will centre on disseminating the lessons learned during the project; as well as, to underscore the need for additional water adaptation measures in housing development.

“This project is timely, given the continued experience and effects of climate change across the country,” Miss Brown commented, pointing to the impact of recent drought conditions. “And, we expect that it will, over time, yield significant cost savings for homeowners; improve conservation; while increasing the reliability of water supplies.”

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JN Group, through its bank and foundation, will be financing water projects from a $800 million pool of funds that are meant to make the commodity more accessible.

Under an agreement signed Friday with the Inter-American Development Bank, JN Bank Limited will start issuing water loans from a $736 million cache to developers whose water projects include sustainable conservation measures.

JN, which is paying IDB five per cent for the credit pool, says it will on-lend the funds for around 8.5 per cent.

The agreement also includes a grant component valued at $88 million to be managed by JN Foundation.

Overall, the Water Adaptation Financing agreement spanning seven years is valued at $824 million.

The programme, which will include a pilot project lasting four years, will target developers for the uptake of the loan facility, and professionals in the construction sector for skills upgrades in techniques identified under the project.

The skills training will be done through state-run agency HEART Trust/NTA.

JN Foundation Saffrey Brown says the four-year pilot is meant to foster a culture of water conservation and innovation in water management.

“The objective of the loan is to facilitate the uptake of water efficiency measures in the housing sector across the country,” Brown said.

“This is also available to small scale developers, so if for example a homeowner has two or three properties and they may want to build for rental, and so on, they will also have access to this facility,” Brown said.

Water adaptation techniques include the use of rainwater harvesting systems, water-efficient taps and showers, low-flush toilets, efficient irrigation systems, grey-water recycling facilities, among other measures.

AVENUE TO DO GOOD FOR JA

JN Group CEO Earl Jarrett says apart from the prospect of increased business, JN sees the agreement as avenue to “do good for Jamaica”, in a way that will foster development and better standards of living.

He also called for policy support by way of differential tax rates or other measures that would support the acquisition of water saving devices such as low-flush toilets, guttering and low-flow taps and shower heads.

The signing of the agreement was held at the offices of the JN Financial Centre in Kingston, with representatives from the IDB, JN and the Jamaican government.

Horace Chang, Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister with responsibility for Growth, Water and Development, said he will be exploring measures at the level of Cabinet, which will support water conservation and projects such as the one being rolled out under the JN/IDB partnership.

The technical component of the water adaptation project will be implemented in five phases.

In phase one, JN will focus on developing awareness about the financing available to developers and conduct the pilot project to underscore the cost savings from the implementation of water adaptation measures. Brown says JN Foundation will be focusing on implementation of the pilot over the next six months.

In phase two, JN Bank will on-lend funds to developers and construction companies; and in phase three, JN Foundation will assist with the technical capacity of developers to integrate water adaptation technologies into their housing projects.

The fourth component aims to increase the number of medium and small enterprises supplying climate resilient products that support water adaptation; while the fifth will centre on disseminating the lessons learnt during the project through seminars, expos and other means.

“This project is timely, given the continued experience and effects of climate change across the country,” Brown told Gleaner Business. “And, we expect that it will, over time, yield significant cost savings for homeowners; improve conservation; while increasing the reliability of water supplies,” she said.

neville.graham@gleanerjm.com

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