Persons and Agencies Awarded for Contributions to ZOSO in Mount Salem

Several residents of Mount Salem, St. James, and government agencies were recognised at the community’s recent Day of Excellence Awards ceremony, for their contributions to the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO), implemented in the area for the past five years.

The event was hosted by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and the Mount Salem Community Development Committee (CDC) Benevolent Society.

Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay, Councillor Richard Vernon, lauded the ZOSO, calling it the single most effective, inclusive and impactful developmental tool in Jamaica’s history to have been implemented to arrest the concentrated scourge of crime, and drive social, economic, environment and infrastructure transformation.

“The relevant actors are equipped to take the necessary actions and the government continues to enable their efficacy through the creation of appropriate facilities, technology and resources,” he said.

Councillor Vernon underscored that the ZOSOs form an effective part of the Government’s crime plan.

For her part, Member of Parliament for St. James West Central, Hon. Marlene Malahoo Forte, reflected on the condition of the community prior to the implementation of the ZOSO, noting that the area has been completely transformed.

Mrs. Malahoo Forte also commended the agencies and individuals who have been instrumental in the success of the ZOSO in the community.

Among the projects undertaken since the ZOSO’s implementation are the rehabilitation of the Mount Salem Police Station, distribution of birth certificates, improved access to road network and integrated infrastructure, parent training, zinc fence removal,

rehabilitation of the Mount Salem Primary School, and the construction of two green spaces at the Mount Salem community centre, and the Mount Salem sport field in the Cornwall Gardens section of the community.

General Manager of Corporate Services at JSIF, Rhonda Lumsden Lee, who brought remarks on behalf of Managing Director, Omar Sweeney, said it was good to see how well the community was doing under the ZOSO.

As part of the ceremony, JSIF handed over the green space located in the Cornwall Gardens section of Mount Salem.

A grant cheque for over $1 million was also handed over to young entrepreneurs in the community as part of JSIF’s Enterprise Youth Development Programme.

The grant is given to operators of microenterprises in targeted communities under JSIF’s Integrated Community Development Project (ICDP II).