More Communities to Benefit from JSIF Health and Wellness Fairs

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) will be taking its series of health, wellness and information fairs to communities in St. James, St. Ann and the Corporate Area over the next two months.

The events, which got underway in June 2016, are part of several social intervention initiatives under the Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP), which is being funded through a US$42 million loan from the World Bank.

Already, fairs have been held in Russia, Westmoreland; Rose Town, St. Andrew;

Wilton Gardens, Kingston; and York Town, Treadlight and Canaan Heights in Clarendon, where residents have received free health checks and social services.

Speaking with JIS News, Programme Officer of the ICDP, Dawn Allison, informed that through the staging of the fairs, community members are able to access services that they otherwise would not have been able to afford.

Various financial and educational institutions, healthcare and service providers and social intervention groups are participating in the events.

“Persons are able to sign up for their birth certificates, internship opportunities and their food handler’s permit. They can do dental checks, eye screenings, HIV testing, Pap smear, blood pressure and blood sugar checks, and these services are all free of cost,” Mrs. Allison said.

She informed that persons, ages 17 to 29, can also sign up to do various skills training programmes offered by University of Technology (UTech), University of the West Indies (UWI), Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), and the HEART Trust/NTA. JSIF pays for these courses and offers the participants a stipend.

In addition, entities such as COK Credit Union, Jamaica National, and LASCO Financial Services are on hand to offer loans and advice on how to start and operate a business, and practise good money management.

Other partners and sponsors include Lions Club of Kingston, Jamaica AIDS Support for Life, Ministry of Health, Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), Social Development Commission (SDC), Energy Partners of Jamaica, Restorative Justice Unit, Dispute Resolution Foundation, Jamaica Public Service (JPS) and the parish councils.

“The fairs are shedding a positive light on the overall project because people are saying thanks to JSIF as they are now able to smile better, they have now been eased of their toothache, they are able to learn a skill and are now legally registered. They can look to getting their Tax Registration Number (TRN) and passport because they now have a birth certificate,” Mrs. Allison said.

Upcoming fairs will be held at the Anchovy Primary School in St. James on July 13; Steer Town Primary School, St. Ann, July 20; Girl’s Town, 89 Maxfield Park Road, St. Andrew, July 28; and Tivoli Gardens High School, Kingston, on August 19; and at the Denham Town Community Centre at a date to be announced.

ICDP is aimed at promoting public safety and transformation in 18 underserved communities across the island through the delivery of basic infrastructure development and social services.