When the coronavirus (COVID-19) began its dreadful spread across the United Kingdom, Michael Forrester and his elderly mother wanted to return to their home country, Jamaica. However, with Jamaican borders closed on March 24 in an effort to control the local spread of COVID-19, they thought there was no hope of returning home. With plea calls coming from stranded ship...

As the world grapples with the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Government recently engaged children and youth in a special digital town hall meeting to address their questions and concerns. To support their participation in the event, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) solicited questions through its social messaging tool, ‘U-Report’, which is used to learn more about the views...

The American Caribbean Maritime Foundation (ACMF) is supporting the growth of the region’s maritime industry through donation of funds for infrastructure development and the education and training of students at the Palisados Park-based Caribbean Maritime University (CMU). “We have committed over $30 million (US$220,000) in scholarships and building funds and have 13 scholarship recipients to date from Jamaica, The Bahamas,...

Many Jamaicans in the Diaspora hold positions of prominence and use this to advance the country’s development. One such individual is Wayne Messam, Mayor of Miramar, Florida, in the United States. Mr. Messam is a first generation American. His parents and siblings, who were all born in Manchester, migrated to the United States many years ago in pursuit of the...

In an effort to expose children to inspirational and motivational expressions from an early age, co-authors, Robert Elliot and Danielle Jeffrey-Elliot, have written a book titled ‘Zuri and Xavi Little Learners: A to Z - An Inspirational Alphabet Book’. The couple says the idea for the book came after not finding sufficient positive content within the diaspora to which their...

Sixty-eight-year-old stone craftsman, Egbert Hamilton, is making international connections through exposure from the Eighth Biennial Jamaica Diaspora Conference, which was held at the Jamaica Conference Centre from June 16 to 20. Mr. Hamilton, who is the founder and sole proprietor of Alabaster Stone Craft, learned of the Jamaica Diaspora Conference through the Social Development Commission (SDC) Local Economic Initiative Support...

Jamaican-born Global Swede Awardee for 2019, Sanjay Thompson, is hoping to use his background in criminology, to make an impact in reducing the levels of crime in the society. Mr. Thompson, who hails from the parish of St. Catherine, was awarded a scholarship to pursue a Master’s Degree in Criminology at Malmö University, Sweden, in 2017. He successfully completed his...

The six-year-old Jamaica Diaspora Education Taskforce (JDETF) is providing invaluable support in advancing education in Jamaica. The entity, made up of Jamaicans living overseas, is dedicated to the continued improvement of the country’s education system through the provision of resources and expertise. Over the years, hundreds of local teachers have benefitted from interventions to facilitate professional development. Since its inception...

Government entities will be offering fast-tracked services to delegates attending the Eighth Biennial Diaspora Conference, slated for June 16 to 20 at the Jamaica Conference Centre in downtown Kingston. Approximately 10 State agencies are already confirmed for these engagements, dubbed ‘Government at Your Service’, which were offered during the 2017 Conference. They include: the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA);...