The Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association (JHTA) is spearheading an action in response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, through its COVID-19 Ambassador Programme. The initiative is taking the everyday worker in the tourism sector and transforming them into national ambassadors, tasked with public education and promotion of COVID-19 safety protocols at the community level. This is done by training these...

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has put together a number of initiatives geared towards the control of diabetes in Jamaica. In an interview with JIS News, Director of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) at the Ministry, Dr. Nicola Skyers, says that one of the main activities is to increase publicity around the prevention and management of the disease and, in a...

Just days before the celebration of Christmas on December 25, the National Export-Import Bank of Jamaica (EXIM Bank) extended its philanthropic arm, donating a total of $510,000 to three institutions that cater to children. They include the Salvation Army School for the Blind and Visually Impaired; Best Care Special Education School and the Wareika Hill Basic School. Managing Director of...

More than 3,000, three-dimensional (3-D) face shields have been donated to the public healthcare sector since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Jamaica, through PreeLabs Limited, an automated solutions and product development company headed by young entrepreneur, Yekini Wallen-Bryan. In a bid to aid Jamaica in tackling the crisis, the 26-year-old Chief Executive Officer (CEO), along with four other...

Eighteen-year-old Tyrone Darby is determined to fulfil his dream of becoming a software engineer, despite the challenges that come with living with multiple disabilities. “My journey into this world has always been one that is filled with many obstacles,” the Knox Community College student tells JIS News. The Manchester-born teenager was diagnosed with cerebral palsy shortly after birth, after his...

Records and information management (RIM) across government is being streamlined under a special RIM programme being implemented by the Jamaica Archives and Records Department (JARD), an agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information, in collaboration with the Cabinet Office. All ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) are being targeted under the initiative, which was officially launched in October 2018,...

The Jamaica 4-H Clubs will be introducing new initiatives and programmes in 2021 to engage more young Jamaicans in the business of agriculture. Executive Director of the organisation, Dr. Ronald Blake, tells JIS News that the first quarter of the New Year, between January and March, will be spent training 500 youth farmers and providing them with agricultural inputs. In...

The Government has partnered with two international firms to deliver digital marketing solutions and e-commerce opportunities to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The first partnership got under way in August 2019 with one entity, Kalou, a Google-affiliated small business online marketing solution. This initiative has resulted in increased online presence and access to resources that MSMEs would not normally...

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) South East Region is undertaking an initiative aimed at empowering boys in the childcare system. Dubbed ‘Saving Our Boys’, the one-year programme, launched on July 25, is in response to the increasing number of boys in State care who are exhibiting deviant behaviours. It involves partnership with the Kiwanis Club of Young...