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he St. Elizabeth Parish Council is to receive an additional $3 million to assist in the distribution of water to drought stricken areas in the parish. This was announced by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, at a meeting of the Council on March 21. With sections of the island suffering from drought conditions, concern was...

The Kingston and St. Andrew office of the Social Development Commission (SDC) has achieved more than 80 per cent of its targets for the financial year April 2012 to March 2013. “We know that there’s a lot of room for improvement, but we are proud of the work we have done. Overall, we had an achievement rate somewhere in the...

Approximately 95 children in the Waterhouse community are benefiting from a new school building, which was handed over to the Maranatha Christian Church by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), on March 15. The Maranatha Ministries Basic School was constructed at a cost of $44.5 million, with financial support from the Basic Needs Trust Fund (BNTF), a project of the...

How many plastic bottles do you use each week? A 2006 study out of the University of the West Indies (UWI), estimates that Jamaicans use over a million plastic bottles in any given week and many of these are discarded in gullies or by the roadside, as Jamaicans do not have strong recycling habits. One parish is on a mission...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) is expressing satisfaction with the public response to its series of Participatory, Accountability and Responsibility (PAR) parish sessions. According to Executive Director of the SDC, Dr. Dwayne Vernon, the feedback has been positive to date, with citizens voicing approval for the agency’s work and how the various activities have impacted their lives. “What has come...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, says that all options will be explored to ensure efficiency in the collection and disposal of solid waste islandwide during the 2013/2014 financial year. He said that a submission is being prepared for Cabinet’s approval in this regard. “I, however, want the country to understand that there is a correlation...

Political representatives have been urged to make space for community leaders to identify development needs in their area, and to work with them to ensure they are achieved, by Mayor of Black River, Councillor Everton Fisher. Addressing a parish forum on March 11, at the St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS), in Santa Cruz, Mr. Fisher argued that while the...

Residents of New Day in St. Elizabeth are being urged to play their part by contributing to the construction of a modern and more spacious basic school to serve the area. The appeal came from Chairman of the institution, Sharon Dasman, at the official contract signing ceremony held recently at the United Pentecostal Church in the community. The school is...

A renewed attempt is being made by the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation (KSAC) to address, in a more sustained way, living conditions of persons deemed homeless in the Corporate Area. A meeting was held at the KSAC headquarters in downtown Kingston, on February 27, between the Parish Homeless Committee and stakeholder partners from several key organisations, to come up...

The country could soon see the entrenchment of local government in the Jamaican Constitution far advanced, as the Government focuses on passing key pieces of legislation in Parliament. Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Noel Arscott, made the announcement as he addressed residents at a Social Development Commission Parish Forum at the St. Mary High School on Thursday,...

Public Awareness Campaign Being Strengthened The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) is among several agencies and departments, which are now intensifying the streamlining of their operations, to ensure greater levels of efficiency, as part of the Government's overall thrust to increase fiscal prudence. Head of the fire service, Commissioner Laurie Williams says the department is adjusting its 2013/2014 operations to this...

Residents of Port Maria and surrounding areas in St. Mary are to benefit from the construction of a new market in the town, valued at approximately $40 million. Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Portia Simpson Miller announced on Thursday night, February 21 that the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), has allocated $30 million towards the construction cost. The Prime Minister...