Child Month – A Jamaican Legacy Spanning Nearly 70 Years

Jamaica is the sole country globally that dedicates an entire month -May- to activities focusing on children.

The concept was actively promoted by Jamaican paediatrician, Dr. Cecily Williams (December 2, 1893 to July 13, 1992), who was globally noted for her discovery of and research into kwashiorkor, a condition of advanced malnutrition, and campaign against the use of sweetened condensed milk and other artificial baby formulas as substitutes for human breast milk.

However, it was Lady Sylvia Foot, wife of Governor of Jamaica between 1951 and 1957, Sir Hugh Mackintosh Foot (Baron Caradon), who spearheaded the amalgamation of three agencies that would figure prominently in the welfare of the country’s children, and for which she would serve as founding Chair.

These were the Child Welfare Association and Jamaica Children’s Service Society, which merged to form the Voluntary Organization for the Upliftment of Children (VOUCH), and the Jamaica Save the Children’s Fund with which those entities were amalgamated in 1953 to establish the National Child Month Committee (NCMC).

Historical data indicates that Marion Ballysingh organised the inaugural Child Month Programme in 1953 and continued to work with the NCMC to fulfil its mandate during the early years.

Since then, the Committee has been spearheading annual celebrations of Child Month.

Over the NCMC’s 69-years of existence, the organisation has grown exponentially to now comprise some 30 volunteers representing several government and non-governmental organisations, all working tirelessly in the interest of Jamaica’s children.

Retired educator, Dr. Pauline Mullings, who currently chairs the Committee, has occupied that position for over 20 years.

She has been a member since January 1986, and also served as Assistant Secretary and Deputy Chair over the years.

According to Dr. Mullings, the NCMC’s longevity is due to the continued commitment of its members the over past six decades.

She points out that some of the current members decided to continue serving, even after they retire from organisations they were employed to when they joined.

There are currently five members who have given a combined 90 years of sterling service.

“My decision to be a part of this Child Month Committee for 36 years, and counting, is driven by my passion for children. I’m passionate about caring for them, their rights, and their responsibility. I’m passionate about the fact that they need to be protected; I’m passionate about their need for guidance; I’m passionate that, as adults, we play a very important role in the lives our children”, Dr. Mullings explains.

She maintains that “our mission is to use the month of May, recognised nationally as Child Month, to educate the public about the needs of children and articulate what each of us can do to help; as our Motto states ‘Children Need Our Love and Protection’.”

Some of the themes that the NCMC has used to guide national celebrations of Child Month are ‘Healthy Children Build a Stronger Nation’, ‘Unplug Negativity, Connect Positivity…Think!’; ‘Listen Up! Children’s Voices Matter’; ‘I Strive to Overcome Adversities with Resilience (I-SOAR)’; ‘Encourage, Enable, Include Me’; ‘A.F.F.I.R.M Me’; ‘Take Action! Break the Chain of Abuse Against Our Children’.

The highlight of Child Month is National Children’s Day, which is observed on the third Friday in May.

On this day, the public is asked to wear sunshine yellow and treat the children extra specially, similar to what obtains for Mothers’ and Fathers’ Day.

The last Wednesday in the Month is National Day of Prayer for the nation’s children

“As a committee, we are able to do what we do on an annual basis through sustained sponsorships,” Dr Mullings points out.

An ardent supporter and sponsor of Child Month is GraceKennedy (GK), which has been on board since the inception of the commemorative activities.

Records indicate that, over the years, GraceKennedy’s incumbent Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Chairman serves as Patron of Month.

Currently, retired CEO and Chairman, Hon. Douglas Orane, still serves in this position, which he has occupied since the late 1990s.

“All the activities undertaken by the NCMC for Child Month are made possible through sponsorships, and the magnitude of GK’s support over the years cannot be quantified,” Dr. Mullings states.

Mr. Orane tells JIS News that GK operates under an ethical framework pivoted on the mantra – ‘Grace, We Care’.

“This is not only a slogan for marketing but is also the ethos by which all of us within the company operates; we have to care for each other and our customers,” he points out.

According Mr. Orane, former GK Chairman, the late Hon. Carlton Alexander, maintained that “whatever is good for Jamaica, we need to make it good for GraceKennedy as well”.

“What is good for Jamaica is the development of our children, and this is why it is so central to our activities to support Child Month,”, Mr Orane underscores.

Over the years, several other sponsors have supported Child Month by providing wide-ranging resources.

They include the National Baking Company Foundation, who has been a sponsor for 10 years, Jamaica Broilers, Jamaica Producers, Kingston Bookshop Limited, Caribbean Broilers, RJR-Gleaner Communications Group, and the Scotia Jamaica Foundation.

Some of the NCMC’s objectives in executing activities for Child Month are helping to improve the health, educational, economic and social conditions of children; assisting with the acquisition of educational material and equipment for schools and learning institutions; highlighting issues facing children in Jamaica, providing them with opportunities to share their concerns and recommendations, and channelling these inform policy development; heightening public awareness of the varying issues and challenges negatively affecting children; and soliciting and utilising contributions to advance the development of the nation’ children.

“Anything that improves the prospects for children, improves the prospects for the world. Each of our member agencies on the National Child Month Committee works every day to improve the prospects of the children in our care. Our efforts during Child Month only serve to highlight our shared vision for the children of Jamaica, Land We Love,” Dr. Mullings says.

Organisations comprising the NCMC are the Boys’ Brigade; Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA); Community Based Rehabilitation Jamaica (CBRJ); Early Childhood Commission (ECC); Emmanuel Apostolic Church (Portmore); Girls’ Brigade; GraceKennedy Limited; Institute of Jamaica (IOJ) Programme Coordination Division; Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD); Jamaica Child Evangelism Fellowship (JCEF); Jamaica Information Service (JIS); Ministry of Education, and Youth; Nathan Ebanks Foundation; National Centre for Youth Development (NCYD) Newland Foursquare Church; Office of the Children’s Advocate (OCA) Paediatric Association of Jamaica; Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired Children; Wilbert Stewart Basic School; and the Wolmer’s Trust High School for Girls.