Fostering community development through integrated approaches is part of the mandate of the Social Development Commission (SDC). Through its Local Economic Development Support Programme (LEDSP), the SDC has helped countless community groups and individuals turn their passions and ideas into productive grassroots businesses that sustain livelihoods and contribute to economic development and employment. One such grassroots venture is Fiona’s Fashion,...

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has presented challenges for the education system, resulting in many schools closing their doors and thousands of students forced to access learning online. One of the challenges is the availability of devices (tablets, laptops) by some students to access online learning. The National Education Trust (NET), through its ‘One Laptop/Tablet per child Initiative’, is seeking to...

Joan Martin did not set out to become a foster parent. She tells JIS News that she was unexpectedly thrust into the role when she agreed to provide temporary lodgings to a little boy whose mother was unable to care for him. “The mother was having problems and she wanted somebody who could provide a safe environment for her son,”...

Two local scientists have won the prestigious International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) 2020 awards, making Jamaica the first country to take home prizes in the organisation’s two award categories in any one year. They are Director of Research at the National Commission on Science and Technology (NCST), Dr. Judith Mendes, who received a Knowledge Associate grant, and internationally...

While the coronavirus (COVID-19) has brought much of the tourism sector to a screeching halt, owner of the Double V Multi-Purpose Complex in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, Colin Mills, remains undeterred in going forward with expansion plans. Mr. Mills, who gave JIS News a recent tour of his property, said he has every confidence that tourism will make a triumphant...

The National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC) maintains a high level of quality assurance as it continues to oversee the building of Highway 2000, providing oversight for the rigorous certification process in the construction of tolled highways. Senior Manager for Technical Services at NROCC, George Nicholson, tells JIS News that this is a part of the mechanism that the...

The Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF) will, over the next three years, upgrade 10 beaches across the island as part of its Beach Development Programme, which is aimed at enhancing the facilities at public beaches for greater enjoyment. They are Watson Taylor Park in Hanover; Success, St. James; Priory, St. Ann; Rio Nuevo, St. Mary; Murdock Beach, St. Mary; Winnifred Beach,...

In the last four years, Vanesia Reid repeatedly walked to her community’s St. Andrew South Constituency Office to ask for assistance in getting a house, which she was in dire need of. Her persistence paid off, as on February 11, she received the keys to her new two-bedroom house, which was constructed under the National Social Housing Programme (NSHP), at...

Volunteers in the recently established COVID-19 Mental Health Response Programme say the training they have received will enable them to assist persons facing mental challenges to get some relief. The programme has commenced with 30 community volunteers, and will shorty expand to 150 persons trained by the Jamaica Red Cross and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), to reach persons,...