More than 350 care packages and school supplies were distributed in three areas in St. Elizabeth on January 22, to assist with recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year. This was done through a partnership between the Coconut Industry Board (CIB) and Croydon Black Minority Ethnic (BME) Forum. Community members of Middle Quarters...

As Jamaica rebuilds in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, which devastated the western end of the island in October 2025, the Save our Boys and Girls Foundation has taken aim at reducing learning loss in severely affected communities, with the launch of a programme dubbed, ‘School in a Box’. The humanitarian assistance project, which is being delivered in collaboration with...

Munro College in St. Elizabeth has weathered many storms in its nearly 170-year history, but the last two years have tested the school like never before. After struggling to recover from the devastation of Hurricane Beryl in July 2024, the all-boys institution, nestled in the cool Santa Cruz Mountains, was once again battered by a category-five monster, Hurricane Melissa, on...

As Jamaica marks Earthquake Month in January, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security is assuring citizens that it is prepared to provide relief, welfare and recovery assistance in the event of a disaster. As chair of the Humanitarian Assistance Committee, the Ministry fulfils its social protection mandate through shelter management, the provision of relief supplies, and the disbursement of...

Paris Guthrie was three years old when she began her educational journey at the Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD) in Knockpatrick, Manchester. “I was born deaf. I also grew up in a deaf home because my mom and my dad are also deaf,” she tells JIS News through CCCD interpreter and educator, Talia Shaw. Over the years, Ms....

Since 2017, the National Library of Jamaica (NLJ) has hosted the Poet Laureate of Jamaica Prizes for Poetry competition, inviting poets from across the country to submit their work for recognition at the national level. For 2026, the competition continues its tradition of celebrating and highlighting Jamaican literary talent and cultural expression, under the leadership of Poet Laureate of Jamaica...

Turning 100 years old has not dimmed Joyce Dixon’s rhythm or love for life. The beloved resident of Albion, St. Thomas, who was born on January 3, 1926, `shocked many at her recent birthday celebration when she rose to her feet and skillfully danced along to Stevie Wonder’s 1980 hit, ‘Happy Birthday’. “I’m a good dancer,” the centenarian, affectionately called...

When the first batch of Jamaicans departed the island on January 6 for Canada, under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Programme (SAWP), among them was first-time participant Andre Hollinzed from Clarendon. The 24-year-old, who spoke to JIS News at a farewell event at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security’s Overseas Employment Centre in Kingston, said he was aiming to make...