The Universal Service Fund (USF) is employing a hybrid approach, utilising both traditional as well as satellite and solar technology solutions, to restore community and public Wi-Fi sites that were damaged or destroyed during Hurricane Melissa. Chief Executive Officer of the USF, Charlton McFarlane, tells JIS News that the objective is to make the USF’s Wi-Fi infrastructure more resilient to...

When 42-year-old Kayanne Cole decided to go into farming, she did not know how to properly use a machete. She had never cleared land, never planted a crop and never imagined herself operating a farm. “I knew absolutely nothing about farming,” Miss Cole tells JIS News. Just over two years later, the financial advisor and mother of two is cultivating...

The Restorative Justice (RJ) Programme under the Ministry of Justice and Constitutional Affairs has maintained a minimum 80 per cent success rate in resolving conflicts, reflecting growing national confidence in the programme. Through thousands of conferences annually, the programme has successfully repaired relationships, with agreements signed in the majority of cases accepted, Acting Director of the RJ Branch, Sheron Betancourt,...

Jamaicans are encouraged to use the celebration of Black History Month in February to strengthen traditions that build children’s confidence, pride and emotional resilience, while letting go of practices that undermine their development and sense of worth. Senior Clinical Psychologist at the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA), Georgia Rose, in making the call, tells JIS News that traditions play a...

The Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) has partnered with several international organisations to advance the rights and development of persons with disabilities, post Hurricane Melissa. To this end, Executive Director Dr. Christine Hendricks, tells JIS News that the JCPD is working with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to develop a framework for inclusive disaster...

The chatter of children filled the newly refurbished Children’s Computer Lab at the St. James Parish Library, as grade-five students from Chetwood Memorial Primary School, became the first to explore the space since its reopening. The computer lab had suffered extensive damage during the passage of Hurricane Melissa on October 28, 2025. The Jamaica Library Service (JLS), in partnership with...

The Border Rest Stop and Eatery in St. Elizabeth is back in business after it was officially reopened recently, following the devastation by Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year. Its restoration, led by the Ministry of Industry, Investment and Commerce, is being heralded as a turning point for the island’s southern coast, where tourism fortunes have long turned on...

In the bustle of Ocho Rios, St. Ann, where cruise ships drift in and out of the harbour and hotel lobbies buzz with the day’s plans, a quiet public space sits in the heart of town – Turtle River Park. A three-hectare green oasis that was once a central bus park, it has long served as a tranquil counterpoint to...

Gratitude filled the air in Beeston Spring, Westmoreland, on Saturday (January 31) as scores of residents received food, clothing and other essential supplies during an outreach activity hosted by New York-based charity Pollyanna Project. The grounds of the Beeston Spring Apostolic Church of God buzzed with activity as families moved from table to table selecting items with the assistance of...