Newly elected President of the Women in Maritime Association Caribbean (WiMAC), Dr. Evette Smith Johnson, believes in creating a safe environment for women in the maritime industry where they can share, air their concerns and be given room to grow. This, she tells JIS News, should be done in tandem with the umbrella vision that the International Maritime Organization (IMO)...

Twenty phenomenal women who have made significant contributions to the field of agricultural education were awarded by the Jamaica Agricultural Society (JAS), on Wednesday (June 14). The presentations were made at the entity’s ‘Women in Agriculture’ Conference, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in Kingston, under the theme ‘From Boots to Heels’. Minister of Education and Youth, Hon. Fayval...

When she’s not out in the field tending to her animals or in front of a classroom full of eager students, National Farm Queen for 2022, Sutanya Ellington, can be found advocating for the equitable advancement of women in agriculture. Since taking the coveted crown last summer at the Denbigh Agricultural Industrial Food Show, the Manchester native has built a...

Several key government agencies are collaborating with international bodies to deliver improved services to victims and survivors of gender-based violence (GBV). Through the Intersectoral and Interagency Referral and Protocol and Standard Procedures for Continuum Care for Survivors of GBV, the Bureau of Gender Affairs is leading the cooperation to ensure that the service delivery efforts for women and girls is...

When Andreen Rose-Cephas got pregnant at age 16 while attending a prominent high school in Kingston in 1987, she was devastated. “I didn’t know what to do, where to turn and a lot of things kept going through my mind initially when I found out,” she recalls in an interview with JIS News. Mrs. Rose-Cephas, who is the youngest of...

Executive Director of the Scientific Research Council (SRC), Dr. Charah Watson, is on a mission to get more women in science recognised for their work. Although she has stumbled across many limitations, she remains resolute in her efforts to bring about change. “My motivation is intrinsic. I am very goal oriented. I set goals, both professional and personal, which are...

Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a sensitive topic in society, despite the devastating effects on the lives of victims. This stirred the creative response of young communication practitioner at the Jamaica Information Service (JIS), Twila Wheelan, who won a Press Association of Jamaica (PAJ) Award for her efforts in raising awareness on the issue. Miss Wheelan, working on the national ‘No...

Denese Austin did not see how a certified practical nurse could move from a profession of caring for sick patients to fixing leaks and laying pipes. However, she would soon realise that sometimes the situation persons find themselves in will take them down an entirely new path. Miss Austin, who is a certified practical nurse, had been unemployed for almost...

For more than 40 years, the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) has been a ray of hope for teen mothers across the length and breadth of Jamaica. Through the Programme for Adolescent Mothers, offered at the WCJF’s main office in St. Andrew, and through outreach stations across the island, the young women benefit from academic instruction in a number...