Residents of the Buckfield community in Ocho Rios, St. Ann, say their newly renovated basketball and multipurpose playing courts are a welcome reprieve from the daily stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic. Speaking to JIS News during a recent visit to the community, residents added that they were also grateful to the Sandals Foundation for the approximately US$50,000 investment, noting that...

As their reign comes to an end, the 2019/20 Civil Servants of the Year now feel an even greater sense of accomplishment and pride in being able to give back to those in need in tangible ways, through their community outreach projects. The phenomenal trio of Acting Director for the Research, Print and Production Division at the Jamaica Information Service...

Charity Organisation, The United Way of Jamaica, will be hosting a live virtual art auction show on November 8, to raise money for its outreach programmes. Since its inception in 1985, the non-profit group has raised more than $2 billion from donations and charity events such as its scheduled inaugural art auction, ‘State of the Art’, slated for November 8. “COVID-19...

Entrepreneurs from six communities across the island are set to benefit from the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) Enterprise Development Grant initiative. The grant funding will provide support to eligible micro and small business operators in Salt Spring and Anchovy in St. James; Treadlight in Clarendon; and August Town, Greenwich Town and Denham Town in Kingston and St. Andrew. The...

The overwhelming sense of satisfaction that trade unionist Clifton Grant gets from helping aggrieved workers and advocating for their rights is what keeps him motivated. “My involvement in the trade union movement… puts me in a position to help someone else. When somebody comes to you in trying times and you can help that person through that process and allow...

The Social Development Commission (SDC) has been using research, data sharing and community mobilisation to support the Government’s response to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The agency has also been heavily involved in sensitising the public about the risks of the disease and how persons can protect themselves from contracting it. In an interview with JIS News, Executive Director of the...

The community of Clifton in St. Catherine has established a farm on more than seven acres of land donated by the Sugar Company of Jamaica Holdings Limited (SCJH). Residents of the area, mainly females, are cultivating okra, corn, tomato, lettuce and other crops. They will use earnings from the venture to help young single mothers, train young males, and beautify...

The Kiwanis Club of Montego Bay in St. James continues to be a champion of early-childhood development in St. James, through a raft of projects implemented at five basic schools across the parish. This is in line with its international mandate to “serve the children of the world” and a strong track record of assisting children in underserved communities by...

The Social Development Commission (SDC), through its Local Economic Development Support Programme (LEDSP) is promoting sustainable economic development through the growth of community microenterprises. The programme builds on a range of existing micro, small and medium-sized enterprise (MSME) support programmes being undertaken by the Government to spur economic growth at the community level. It provides assistance in the areas of...