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The Ananda Alert System has been strengthened with an allocation of $9 million, as part of efforts to bolster its response and recovery mechanism. The Ananda Alert is a nationwide system, designed to ensure a speedy and safe recovery of a child in the unfortunate event that he/she is missing or abducted. Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna,...

In its continued bid to foster the development of the micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) sector, the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) will host its sixth annual one-day small business exposition on Tuesday, May 21, at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. Dubbed ‘Taking Business to the Next Level: From Self-Employment to Entrepreneurship’, the event will feature an interesting...

South Africa, which has long been a friend of Jamaica, is looking to further collaborations with the island under the Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Arts and Culture. The agreement, which dates back to 2009, is aimed at encouraging co-operation, as well as facilitating the exchange of knowledge, experience and achievements between both countries in the fields of...

Children’s Advocate, Diahann Gordon Harrison, is calling for effective partnerships by all stakeholders, in addressing the issues affecting the nation’s children. “The state of our nation’s children demands that it’s all hands on deck... There is no simple solution. There is no one individual or organization that is the repository of all the answers,” she said. “There must be a...

Government will be restarting the Inner City Renewal Programme, beginning next financial year. Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Portia Simpson Miller, said the programme, which was suspended under the previous administration, has been reassessed and will restart in the 2014/2015 fiscal year. Mrs. Simpson Miller made the announcement during her 2013/14 Budget Debate Presentation in the House of Representatives, on...

The revised National Youth Policy should be tabled in the House of Representatives in July. Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, made the disclosure during a rap session with youth leaders from Portland on April 26, at the Portland Youth Information Centre. “The consultants and the oversight committee are in place and we will be tabling the Green Paper...

Youth and Culture Minister, Hon. Lisa Hanna, says allocations to the National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) from the 2013/14 Budget have increased by over $30 million.  Making the announcement while addressing youth leaders at the Portland Youth Information Centre in Port Antonio on Friday (April 26), Ms. Hanna, who welcomed the increase, assured that, despite the prevailing financial constraints,...

Approximately $10 million has been set aside this fiscal year to undertake repairs at the Muirton Boys’ Home in Manchioneal, Portland. This was disclosed by Minister of Youth and Culture, Hon. Lisa Hanna, during a visit to the home on Friday (April 26), where she met with residents and staff of the facility. Miss Hanna informed that sections of the...

Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Child Development Agency (CDA), Carla Francis Edie, says the audit being undertaken of the island’s child care facilities is almost complete. “The audit is nearing completion and we are keen to see the results to begin the process of recommending and making the much needed improvements as appropriate,” she stated. Ms. Francis Edie was speaking at...

Students of the Family Court Attendance Centre in Kingston showed off their newly acquired skills in social etiquette and dining, as they participated in an Evening of Excellence, hosted by the institution for their benefit. The students had previously benefitted from training in these areas and were on Wednesday, April 24, placed in the spotlight to shine in front of...

Parents and guardians are being encouraged to show children love and care during the entire month of May, being observed as Child Month. Chairperson, National Child Month Committee (NCMC), Dr. Pauline Mullings said the Committee has created a May calendar (May 1-31) with 31 ways in which citizens can show the nation’s children that “we care”. She was speaking at...

The Caribbean Maritime Institute (CMI) and Youth Upliftment Through Employment (YUTE) Programme have renewed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), which should deepen their partnership, by facilitating additional provisions targeting young people from marginalized communities, deemed “at-risk”. The new MoU was signed by CMI Executive Director, Dr. Fritz Pinnock, and YUTE Chairman, Joseph M. Matalon, at the institution’s campus at Palisadoes...