JSIF to Fund 135 Projects In Poor Communities

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) has pledged to fund some 135 projects in poor communities in Kingston, St. Thomas, St Catherine and St Mary over the next six months.
This was revealed by Social Development Commission (SDC) Field Services Manager in St Thomas, Luther Cummings while speaking at an Awards Banquet held on Saturday (May 1) at Morant Villa Hotel in St Thomas. Guest speaker was Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sports, Portia Simpson Miller.
The event was organised by the St. Thomas Association of Community Development Committees (STACDC) to honour nine community workers of the Morant Bay and Yallahs Development Area Committees and the STACDC for their contribution to community development.
Three awardees, Annie Smith, Flo Pottinger and Elaine Dixon received plaques and had citations read to them, while the other awardees received certificates.Mr. Cummings said that SDC officers were “working round the clock” to facilitate the development and submission of project proposals. He noted that for March and April, a total of 15 proposals for St Thomas were prepared and submitted at a cost of between $2 million and $14 million.
“Our target is to submit a minimum of 30 projects and if approved and on the assumption of an average of $5 million per project, it would translate into $150 million of grant funding channelled through our community organisations to enhance development and improve the quality of life for citizens in our community,” Mr. Cummings said. He noted that St Thomas was classified by the JSIF as being poor because of its high unemployment statistics and the frequency of natural disasters.
The Field Services Manager congratulated members of the DAC and the STACDC for making a significant contribution to the development of communities. “This is the time to unite and be proud. Do not give up. It is when things seemed at its worst that we must never quit. Success may be just around the corner,” he added.
Mr. Cummings called on members of the organisations to play a more active role in the building of “social capital and economic development” in the parish, thus helping to reduce the burden on government and the private sector.