Latest News

It’s Monday afternoon at Jamaica College (JC) and the integrated science lab is buzzing with life, despite a downpour outside.

It’s not class as usual at JC, one of 12 high schools participating in the JN Foundation’s Science Genius Jamaica project. The others are Glenmuir, Clan Carthy, Westwood, Spot Valley, Cedric Titus, Maud Mcleod, May Day, Holy Trinity, Godfrey Stewart and Clarendon College.

The boys’ attention is fixed on their peers performing lyrics about ‘Healthy Lifestyle’, ensuring they smoothly ‘ride’ the dancehall track being played by their teacher and facilitator, Georgia Rudolph Blake, from her laptop. A young man deejays:

“Vitamins in a di lettuce and tomato,

Carbohydrates from the yam and potato,

A no meat alone gi u protein you can check cheese

Calcium build strong bones and teeth

Proteins mek yuh abs tough like concrete…,”

Blake desperately tries to contain the eruption of ‘forwards’ – mimicked blank shots in the air. “What you hear makes you think, ‘but I haven’t taught that area yet?'” says Blake. The boys put their lyrics together in 10 to 15 minutes after the teacher completes a topic.

“This is a new experience for me; and I believe it’s something we can incorporate in other subjects,” Blake said.

MUSIC INFECTIOUS

“Music is so infectious,” says dancehall DJ and mentor to the JN Foundation’s Science Genius Jamaica project, Tifa. “We simply want teachers to be open-minded,” she urged at the launch of the project in February.

Science Genius Project co-ordinator, the JN Foundation’s Chevanese Peters, said, “Our teachers are discovering the approach and they believe that dancehall and pop culture can in fact facilitate learning … . Some teachers may not be sure about the lyrics and beats and so on, but they are ready to meet the students where they are.

“What we are experiencing is a ripple effect, in which students are teaching themselves and teaching others; and they are being influenced to do the research.”

The project’s mentors, dancehall artistes Tifa and Wayne Marshall, are also assisting students to place what they are learning in a serious context, Peters explained.

“We really want to ensure that students are grasping and understanding the scientific concepts that are being taught,” she said.

In June, Science Genius Jamaica will move into its competition phase, as the schools engage in lyrical clashes in a series of BATTLES (Bringing Attention to Transforming Teaching, Learning and Engagement in Science).

See the original article here!

Scores of employees of the Jamaica National Group and dozens of volunteers in the JN Foundation’s ACTION Jamaica Volunteer Corps, laboured to enhance police stations, lock-ups and schools in 14 communities across the country, on Tuesday.

Among the main entities which received the attention of employees and volunteers was one of two national projects — the Central Police Station, downtown Kingston’s main police facility.
More than 60 JN Foundation ACT!ON volunteers and employees of the JN Group joined people from other corporate entities and government, to give a needed facelift to the nearly 100-year-old police station.

See the original article here!

Bresheh Enterprises will become a major employer of Jamaicans with disabilities, if brothers Randy and Davian McLaren continue to pursue the right development strategies to fulfil their dream.

If you have seen any of these stunning bags -knapsacks, tote bags, laptop sleeves or pencil pouches – you will remember Bresheh Enterprises for its beautiful products. However, what makes the small East Kingston company truly stand out, is the fact that their eight-member staff, includes two persons with disabilities.

“We believe that for our country’s economy to grow, more persons in marginalised communities, such as inner-city youth and persons living with disabilities must be empowered. And, ‘decent work’ is one of the ways for them to be empowered,” Randy McLaren said. “That is why we have established our business to be a source of empowerment for marginalised persons.”

Randy and Davian founded Bresheh in 2015 on the veranda of their home off Windward Road. They wanted to offer high-quality local alternatives to imported bags and to provide jobs for residents in their community.

Increased Demand

Within a year, the brothers relocated to a larger location at the Alpha Institute on South Camp Road, in East Kingston, based on increased demand for their bags.

“The opportunity emerged because they understood our vision as a social enterprise. It was centrally located and they were willing to accommodate us,” McLaren stated.

In addition to their own efforts, they employed staff members through the HEART Trust/NTA and disabilities’ organisations. “We grew up in Whitehall, St Thomas, and understood what it felt like not to have opportunities,” noted McLaren. “Therefore, in expanding our operation, we provided opportunities to persons who would not be traditionally considered for employment,” he added.

New employee, Georgia Williams, who is hearing-impaired, said she previously worked in the craft industry, but found it difficult to acquire a permanent job.

“Frequently, when I seek employment, I am told that it would be difficult for other persons to communicate with me,” Williams said, via a written response. “This usually meant that I did not get the job. Now, I have been with Bresheh Enterprises for the past three months, and I am hoping to grow with the company.”

Learning sign language to better facilitate employees with disability
Randy McLaren noted that the two employees with disabilities were hearing-impaired, while the other workers were from “at risk” and rural communities.

“The communication barrier for the hearing-impaired staff was eliminated by getting them to write their requests,” McLaren explained. “At the same time, we are learning sign language to make this process smoother.”

He noted that this will ensure that quality standards can be maintained by the entire team. “We receive orders from around the globe, as far away as Scotland and Switzerland, in addition to our local customers,” he added.

Recently, Bresheh Enterprises placed second in the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) Pitch for Purpose Competition. The contest allowed five social enterprises to pitch their business concepts and highlight their purpose and the company’s potential to use the development funds, to a panel of judges.

As part of their prize, JN Small Business Loans (JNSBL) will provide coaching, assistance in strengthening their business plan and strategy, as well as identify financing options.

“In addition to the Bresheh pitch in the competition, we were also impressed with the quality of their bags; and their focus on employing persons with disabilities,” explained Thelma Yong, deputy general manager, JNSBL.

“The feedback about the quality of their bags has been excellent, and more persons, particularly teens and young adults, are gravitating towards the trendy items. We are pleased with the quality work they have achieved and look forward to working with them to become a household name,” explained Yong.

Bresheh Enterprises purchases all the raw material needed for their bags from local companies, who import the textiles. Their dream is to use only items that are locally produced. “We are currently researching how to make organic cloth, and, in the future, we will be expanding into that area; as well as, making all new types of bags,” Randy McLaren said, declaring, “I feel good about the future.”

See the original article here!

It was an extraordinary day for Jonathan Henry on Friday as, for the first time in his life, he was able to hear animals.The 16-year-old lost his hearing at age two after what his father suspects was a case of negligence at birth.

“What happened was that he was born and diagnosed with jaundice and, apparently, the doctors or the nurses didn’t detect it until we took him home and noticed that he was looking pale and we take him back to the hospital,” Wayon Henry, Jonathan’s father told the Jamaica Observer.

“They had to do a blood transfusion and he caught a cold, so they had to treat him with antibiotics. We didn’t get a doctor to spit it out to us like this, but a doctor that check him up over by Bustamante Hospital said to me that what happened was that it seems as if he had gotten a double dose of antibiotics and that is what push out and burst the inner ear,” he continued.

He noted that after this incident, the parents “would see fluids coming out of the ear” whenever Jonathan lay on his side. His son, he said, would also cry that his ears were hurting.

According to Wayon, a doctor at another institution told him that the fluids he saw were “supposed to collect the sounds, and told us we should think about getting him to a sign language school”.

Jonathan’s hearing gradually depleted and at age two it was at its worse. With one other child to care for, the family were not able to get Jonathan hearing aids at the time.

But last year — roughly 12 years after he lost his hearing — the Henrys saw a glimmer of hope when the Jamaica National Foundation learnt of Jonathan’s story and purchased two hearing aids that he needed.
“It’s a wonderful experience. It is so amazing to know that after going through all these struggles with him and now…to know that he has been granted the hearing aid. I can speak to him verbally instead of making signs; it’s really good. I’m just giving God thanks; it’s just such an awesome feeling,” Wayon told the Observer with a broad grin.

On Friday Jonathan tested his new devices at the Hope Zoo in St Andrew. The thrill of the experience could be easily observed as Jonathan heard, saw, and interacted with the animals he would only see on the television and in books.

Carried around the location by various employees, Jonathan’s exclusive tour mainly focused on various birds — the most vocal animals. His most memorable part of his tour was his time feeding the Budgies.

“I look at the different kinds of birds and I saw the different colour birds, and they have different voices and I heard their voices. When I got the food, they were called, and they would come down,” Jonathan told the Observer through his interpreter and teacher, Dorothy Williams.

He attested to learning much more than he had known about animals, one of such lessons being that birds communicate with each other through different “voices and callings”.

“I look at the different colour birds, I said how come they have different colours. so I watched them and I said wow, there were big birds too. I saw the ostrich and I looked at the ostrich, and I was thinking that they can run fast. if I had one like that and stole his egg and ran, what would they do to me? they would run fast; that would be like in a movie,” he said with a snicker.

He noted his fascination with the snake, the zebra, the deer, and monkeys.

“I saw the goat with the big horn. I saw the woman goat and I saw the man goat. They were just looking so cute and I just looked at them,” an elated Jonathan stated.

The day’s events were also exciting for JN Foundation’s General Manager Saffrey Brown who, along with zoo employees, worked to ensure Jonathan’s comfort.

“What we wanted to do was really kind of expose him to all the wonderful sounds out there, and we felt that Hope Zoo — which is such a beautiful space now with the really incredible animals — is a really good space to do that. So we brought Jonathan here today (Friday) to listen to the animals, for him to hear all the different sounds, to hear the different pitches. It’s really an absolutely wonderful day,” she said.

Now a member of the JN Foundation family, Jonathan will be monitor and benefit from speech therapy.

“We’re making sure that Jonathan is okay. He is now at the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf; we’re trying to make sure that he gets proper access to employment programmes. We do a lot of work with Deaf Can!, which is again about employment for young deaf communities. so we’re going to make sure that Jonathan gets access to that kind of programming and that kind of opportunity to live an extremely independent life,” she noted.

“Over the next year or two we’re going to work with him in terms of a speech therapist to try to make sure that as his hearing returns so too does his ability to communicate effectively verbally. Truth is, he is part of the family now and families stay together.”

See the original article here!

Each year, Mother’s Day is celebrated globally on the second Sunday in May to honour the important role that mothers play in the home, the community and in professional spaces. It recognizes the seminal role of mothers in the life of every citizen and zeroes in on her role as part of an immediate family.

Digicel Foundation, as part of its mandate to help build stronger communities, treated mothers in non-traditional jobs who may well be overlooked by the public, to a pre-Mother’s Day Brunch in collaboration with our partners at the Jamaica National Foundation, Grace Kennedy, Early Childhood Commission and the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.

Each partner identified one mother on staff who they believe deserves a “Mothers’ Day Off” from work. The mothers were treated to brunch and gifts courtesy of Café Neita and Deaf Can! Coffee on Friday May 12 at Pheonix Central on Pheonix Avenue in Kingston.

They were also serenaded by the 2016 Digicel Rising Star winner,  Elton Earlington.

See the original article!

A few years ago I made my young daughter and nephew – about four and five – make me a promise. Never again would they use the words “I can’t” in our home.
What was meant to put an end to my nephew’s apparent love for the phrase, caught on in a way I never quite expected.

One Sunday while fixing dinner, my nephew began shouting frantically. “Aunty, she said the word! She said the word!”

As I rushed to the living room where the two were playing, my nephew yelled again pointing to his oblivious offender.

“She said the word, Aunty!  She said the bad word. She said ‘I can’t’”.

‘‘I can!” Those powerful words were my replacement for what I considered one of the most negative utterances ever – the type that can set you back tremendously.

My recent encounter with a dynamic group of young men at an entrepreneurship session got me thinking back to that moment and the power of words.

Deaf Can! Coffee. That’s the name the group of entrepreneurs has given their coffee-making business. The four-member team on hand – all males – and deaf, except for Blake Widmer, (an American NGO worker who is married to a deaf Jamaican), is testament to what is possible when we tell ourselves ‘I can!’

A social enterprise that germinated in the fields of a deaf farmer in St. Elizabeth – a rural parish known to many as Jamaica’s Bread Basket – Deaf Can! Coffee is empowering deaf Jamaican youths in a way not felt before.  The deaf youths now have skills they can use to earn an income as baristas while identifying as part of a community. Importantly, too, Deaf Can! Coffee is bridging the communication gap between hearing persons and the deaf community.

The session brought me face to face with the realities of the disabled community yet again. Only a few short years ago, paraplegic Earl Thomas, himself an entrepreneur, told me of the struggles the disabled community face in pinning down jobs so they could take care of themselves and their families: “People tend to equate your ability with yourdisability,” http://jamaicagleaner.com/gleaner/20120629/social/social8.html  the managing director of Prestigious Bindery & Printery painfully told me then.

Today Deaf Can! Coffee creates a world of coffee-indulging experiences through their range of cappuchinos, expressos, frappes, freshly brewed coffee, coffee beverages and an assortment of coffee-induced sweet treats.

As I took in the group’s presentation, I couldn’t help but think of the many lessons from the Deaf Can! Coffee experience.

Like the rest of us who’ve got all our mental faculties intact and inherently desire to fulfill our potential, the Deaf Can! do anything.  My other take-away was quite simple. People just need opportunities to create something meaningful for themselves and their community.

The Deaf Can! Coffee youths have attracted support from local and overseas partners since their arrival on the scene some two years ago.   Partners have included Digicel Foundation, USAID and a number of other visionary organizations.  In February, the confident group of young men beat out the competition pitching their business venture in the JN Foundation Social Enterprise Boost Initiative, ‘Pitch for Purpose’, to walk away with one million dollars in funding for their business.

Deaf Can! Coffee is definitely brewing something special! I had my steaming cup of Deaf Can! Coffee and the flavour and taste were great!  The achievements of this enterprise, which now not only employs about 30 deaf youths but is empowering scores of others, is proof that, disability or not, Deaf Can!

See the original article here!

The Government has reiterated its commitment to undertake the Downtown Kingston Redevelopment Project.

“The groundwork has commenced, as widespread and substantive meetings with stakeholders have been held and the project document, which outlines its rationale, framework and road map, has been developed,” Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz, has said.

He was making his contribution to the 2017/18 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on April 25.

Mr. Vaz said the Downtown Kingston Redevelopment Project is one of the most innovative, exciting, growth and job-creating, and socially just projects to be embarked on in modern Jamaica.

He said proposed developments under the Downtown Kingston Redevelopment Project include the Musson’s West Kingston Business Park; Coronation Market; Kingston Lifestyles Plaza; Railway Station Museum projects; Micro-brewery, Restaurant and Beer Garden; B&D Trawling Seafood Market, Processing Centre and the Major Water-Front Entertainment Park; the Culture Hub Social Enterprise in Trench Town; and Pan-Jam Boutique Hotel and Business Centre.

Mr. Vaz noted that the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) will serve as coordinator for the project.

He said the stakeholders who have already made commitments include the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC), which will provide keen oversight to the project; the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) and Jamaica National (JN), which will collaborate on business discovery, mentoring and early stage business development.

“This five-year project has the potential to be a real game changer in the economic life of downtown Kingston and Jamaica. The Downtown Kingston Redevelopment Project has the capability to be replicated in other towns and help provide Jamaicans with a bright and prosperous future,” Mr. Vaz argued.

He said the project is almost totally funded by the private sector, with three private-sector companies already incorporated under a Public-Private Partnership arrangement which will impact the Coronation Market and Lifestyle Centre.

“This will lead our beloved country to the broad-based inclusive economic growth, job creation, wealth and prosperity we crave in downtown Kingston,” the Minister said.

See the full article here!

Eighteen-year-old college student Toni-Kay Foster is happy to have access to a cyber cafe with printing facilities that is only a stone’s throw away from her home.

“I don’t own a computer or have access to the Internet at home, therefore, it benefits me to be able to go to the Source Centre, in easy walking distance, because I always have school assignments to complete and print,” she shared.

Foster was commending the availability of The Kairos Network Source in August Town – a social enterprise franchise established a decade ago to address basic social needs in her community – for providing Internet access, being a homework centre and meeting space, as well as providing special projects for young people and adults.

Foster added, “It is central, convenient, and benefits the community as anyone can come here and use it. And it is accessible, with affordable services.”

Established by the JN Foundation, the social arm of The Jamaica National Group, in 2007, The Source was designed to connect community members to innovative services and to resolve social challenges.

Saffrey Brown, general manager of the JN Foundation, said: “We are proud that after 10 years, The Source is still operative, and the community continues to benefit from its expanding services.”

“This is evidence that community transformation takes time and proper management. You need to implement sustainable programmes and facilities such as The Source,” she noted, pointing out that there are four other centres, located in Maverley, St Andrew; Ocho Rios, St Ann; Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth; and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

The Source was subsequently named “The UWI Source” in August 2011 and operated in concert with the UWI Township Project. Later in 2015, it was handed over to the community, and it is now being managed by the faith-based organisation, The Kairos Network Source.

George Scott, current manager of The Source, said that it offers critical services such as an Internet cafe and photocopying services; an after-school homework centre; Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) Top-up (where commuters can top up their JUTC cards); the sale of telephone cards; assistance with letter writing for businesses; research services; and is a meeting space for rental.

“The Source pulls in approximately 150 persons per week. Many persons use its JUTC Top-up service on a daily basis,” he pointed out.

If centre closes, impact will be felt
Helen Ann Brown, senior pastor of the Kairos Group of Churches, said that The Source is an indispensable part of August Town.

“It is part of the social economic fabric of our community. People expect it to be here. Therefore, if the centre closed today, residents would feel the impact as it is now a permanent part of August Town,” she stated, noting that it is a proud element of the community.

Brown pointed out that while The Source was an income-generating enterprise, it also had a social role to play, which it has been doing through its homework assistance, reading competitions, and mentorship programmes.

“To maximise its use, you need to bring the mindset of the community to another level as well,” she pointed out. “We, therefore, have a mentorship programme in which boys between ages 10 and 14 years are taught the principles of the Bible. And, there are sports activities such as football.

“The male role model in our society today needs attention, therefore, this programme comes at an opportune time. It is positive and has been doing extremely well,” said Brown, who indicated that similar programmes were set up throughout the community.

Future Expansion Plans

Brown said that the management team has plans to build on the social enterprise of The Source and upgrade the conference room to a state-of-the-art facility so that additional training programmes can be offered to community members.

She pointed out that The Universal Service Fund (USF) has come on board. The USF is an agency under the Ministry of Energy, Science and Technology mandated to ensure access to information and communication tools to facilitate development. “They will be assisting us to upgrade our computers and provide solar energy for the centre. Within a few months, we will have an upgraded computerised system and solarise them because solarisation will allow us to be more sustainable,” she said.

There are also plans to offer other services to the community such as bill payment and digital services, to design and print magazines and business cards.

“We believe if we can become competitive, we can attract businesses from outside,” said Scott.

Both Scott and Brown hope to take The Kairos Network Source to another level of operation so that it becomes a catalyst for other communities.

In commending the Jamaica National Group for initiating The Source, Brown said: “JN initiated an oasis and gave us a spring board to move forward. If they had not taken the initiative to set it up, it would be difficult to initiate it; therefore, we are striving to continue it,” she said, urging members of the business community to implement similar initiatives.

See the full article here!

MONTEGO BAY, St James – The Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI), the joint JN Foundation and United States Agency for International Development (USAID) venture, in conjunction with the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) will today host a panel discussion at the University of the West Indies, Western Jamaica Campus, on the effective use of social enterprise to create safer and more sustainable communities.The discussion, which is scheduled to start at 6:00 pm, will share with attendees, lessons learnt thus far by both implementing partners and local practitioners.
At this session, leaders and representatives from communities such as Flanker, Norwood, Salt Spring, Canterbury, Mount Salem and Rose Heights, will be introduced to the social enterprise business model with a view to learning how the hybrid model can create safer and sustainable communities.
Locally, social enterprise is already changing the face of several vulnerable communities such as that of the deaf, blind, physical and mentally challenged through the creation of jobs and new opportunities.
Panellists include: Saffrey Brown, general manager JN Foundation, Charmaine Brimm, technical specialist, Planning Institute of Jamaica and Clover Gordon, Bunker’s Hill Cultural Xperience, Social Enterprise Practitioner and SEBI Incubator member.
“The successes of Jamaica’s burgeoning social enterprise community over the last four years have proven that the model is effective in addressing some of Jamaica’s most pressing challenges,” said Brown.
“Not only has it been beneficial in increasing productivity within some of our most underserved communities, but it has allowed people who were largely outside of the productive sector to gainfully contribute to Jamaica’s GDP (gross domestic product).”

See the full article here!

The Watson Grove community in Gregory Park, Portmore, welcomed the Portmore Self-Help Disability Organisation Mobility Centre (PSDO), a service centre that specialises in the repairs and customisation of wheel chairs and other mobility aids for members of the physically disabled community.
The PSDO Mobility Centre was formally introduced to the community at an Open Day recently.
Mayor of Portmore, Councillor Leon Thomas, commended the partners who supported the centre, which was initiated by the United States Agency for International Development and the JN Foundation through its Social Enterprise Boost Initiative.
George Thorney of the Combined Disability Association, said the facility was a worthwhile and needed centre.
“An initiative such as this, advances wholesome development for persons with disabilities,” he said, “The services being offered are timely and should be supported by a wide cross section of Jamaicans.”

See the full article here!