IBI and Correctional Centres get Computers

The I Believe Initiative (IBI) WIFI Centres as well as the Rio Cobre Correctional centre, in St. Catherine,  are to benefit from the donation of 10 computers and two Tablets from the Chinese Government.

The equipment was handed over to Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen by the Chinese Ambassador to Jamaica, His Excellency Dong Xiaojun, during a ceremony at King’s House, on September 29.

Under the programme, the 10 computers and two Tablets will be distributed to the IBI endorsed Back 2 Life Project, operated by the Kingston Rotary Club at the Rio Cobre Correctional Centre, and the IBI WIFI centres in Albert Town, Trelawny and Petersfield in Westmoreland. A basic school in Portland will also benefit from the initiative.

Speaking at the handing over ceremony, the Governor-General expressed gratitude to the Chinese Government for the donation, noting that it will go a far way in assisting the youth to increase their access to knowledge and to build their skills.

“It is my pleasure to hand them over to the clubs, so that you can continue the work you are undertaking in reaching our young people, in mentoring them, in supporting them, in guiding them to developing their potential, so that in turn, they can contribute successfully to the building of the nation,” he said.

The Governor-General added that the donation will assist in building the confidence of the young people and build their capacity, in order that they can contribute to Jamaica’s development.

For his part, Mr. Xiaojun informed that this donation was the second to the I Believe Initiative, with the first made in August 2013.

“It is our hope that these computers will help Jamaican young people know the world better,” he said.

The IBI is a values-based initiative developed on the concept that “there is nothing wrong with Jamaica that cannot be fixed with what is right with Jamaica.”

The initiative was born out of the inaugural speech given by the Governor-General at the swearing-in ceremony on February 26, 2009.

Following two years of broad-based consultations, the IBI was developed and was officially launched in May 2011 at King’s House.