Govt Receives Funding for Keep Jamaica Clean Campaign

The Government has received $30 million from the CHASE Fund to finance the  Keep Jamaica Clean: Jamaica 50th public education campaign, which is slated to begin next week.

Minister with responsibility for Information, Senator the Hon Sandrea Falconer, who made the announcement at yesterday’s (June 13) Jamaica House press briefing, said the programme has also received some $7 million, which will go towards a baiting project for vector control.

The comprehensive one-year programme, which commenced in April 2012, and concludes in March 2013, is aimed at beautifying the entire country.

Emphasis is being placed on removing garbage and other debris and implementing proper baiting procedures.  Through the public education campaign, Jamaicans will be sensistised about the importance of maintaining a clean environment.

“If we keep our surroundings clean, we will keep the environment healthy for our families and we will ensure that Jamaica is also beautiful in the process,” Ms. Falconer stated.

Chair of the working committee for the Keep Jamaica Clean campaign, Dr. Marion Bullock Ducasse, noted that the clean-up programme is being implemented in three phases.

The first phase, which began in April and culminated on Labour Day 2012

May 23, 2012 saw a variety of clean-up projects being undertaken in communities across the island. The second segment, now underway, will end in August; while the third phase will start in September 2012 and end in March 2013.

Dr. Ducasse also pointed out that the working committee has been divided into three groups – communications, implementation and technical – each charged with carrying out different aspects of the project.

The communications group, she informed, has developed a comprehensive public education programme that will be launched during the second phase of the campaign, which will focus on community education.  

She said the technical team has been instrumental in developing a draft information package to guide the implementation of the overall campaign, which would not only ensure an “immediate cleanup… but also to ensure a healthy environment, and, certainly, to ensure that we would be reducing disease transmission.”

Dr. Ducasse also noted that the implementation group has been working consistently to identify priority communities based on surveys conducted by the public health departments. The surveys will be used to guide the implementation of baiting measures as well as community clean-up.

“Keep Jamaica Clean: Jamaica 50th”is an initiative out of the Office of the Prime Minister.

By Toni-Ann Russell, JIS PRO