To celebrate her 39th birthday in April, Denise Stewart, a Jamaican living in the United States (US),   decided that she wanted to do something that would be impactful. After some thought, she came up with the idea of donating 39 tablets to needy students in her native parish of St. Elizabeth and neighbouring Manchester. Earlier this year, she had provided...

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has brought pain and suffering for people everywhere, particularly the most vulnerable,  but it has also shown that an abundance of kindness exists among persons at all levels of society, including children. One such kind soul is 13-year-old student of Denbigh High School in Clarendon, Rhianna Minott, who, since the onset of the pandemic, has taken...

Wards at the Mt. Olivet Boys’ Home in Walderston, Manchester, are to move into their newly constructed and modern dormitory in June, sponsored by Yohan Blake’s YB Afraid Foundation, in collaboration with a team of contributors and established corporations across the world. “This is going to revolutionise the way we care for boys at Mt. Olivet and in Jamaica on...

A vegetable garden is a gift, wards of the state living at the Nest Children’s Home in Kingston say, they have wanted for a while now. On National Children’s Day, which was observed on May 21, they received that gift from the Government, through the Backyard Vegetable Gardens in Residential Childcare Facilities (RCCFs) initiative. The Home received the first set...

Children in Jamaica have a right to be protected from abuse and harm, and those rights are safeguarded in the Child Care and Protection Act (CCPA), which came into effect in 2004. The legislation promotes the safety and well-being of children across the country. Children’s Officer at the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA), Carolyn Beckford, said that the...

When Sasha Hill noticed her three-year-old daughter, Dejanae Gayle’s diminishing vocabulary, her maternal instinct told her there was a problem. She said among the noticeable factors indicating there was an issue was the fact that after birth, she was not hitting her milestones as the “normal” child would. “What was significant was that she started to hit her milestones at...

With the massive spike in the use of information and communications technology (ICT) to interact, maintain family contacts, participate in online school and play games, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, parents and guardians are being encouraged to protect children from online perils. Regional Director for the Western Region with the Child Protection and Family Services...

To spread the message and emphasise the importance of protecting children, the Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) staged a drive-through in St. Ann recently, making stops in Breadnut Hill, Colgate and Golden Grove. During the drive-through of the communities, representatives from the CPFSA spoke to residents about the importance of child protection and urged them to report suspected...

Jadon Simpson was happy to return to face-to-face classes at Dunoon Park Technical High School on Monday (May 10). The grade-11 student, who will be sitting Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) exams in June/July, believes that the physical classroom setting will enhance her preparations. “For me, it’s better than the online classes because I learn more and I get to...