UNESCO Supports Jeffrey Town Multi-Media Centre
June 3, 2008The Full Story
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Advisor for Communication and Information in the Caribbean, Isidro Fernandez-Aballi has commended the commitment and resourcefulness of the Jeffery Town Farmers Association (JTFA) for the establishment of a multi-media centre in that community.
The JTFA recently launched a community radio – JET FM 88.7- which is the culmination of a project that saw to the establishment of a multi-media centre in the community.
“The launch of a project like this has taken on heightened significance particularly because of the looming world food crisis. Indeed many are now turning back to the soil, back to the all important agriculture sector,” Mr. Fernadez-Aballi said at the official launch of JET FM 88.7 last week.
He stated that access to new technologies was fundamental to social advancement and that UNESCO was happy to play a role in the advancement of the Jeffery Town community.
“When combined, computers and the Internet, community radio, television and newspaper can be a powerful agent of change. It is UNESCO’s firm belief that the centre we are here to launch today has the potential to facilitate access to information for the farming community in Jeffery Town and the surrounding areas that could transform how they go about their farming activities,” he said.
He expressed gratitude to the stake holders of the project, pledging the continued support of UNESCO in working with the JTFA in moving forward to strengthen programming for JET FM.
“We encourage other partners, particularly those working in the field of agriculture to come on board and support this important project,” he said.
JET FM 88.7 operates from the JTFA building, at Top Road in Jeffery Town. It is being managed by the Jeffery Town Farmers Association Limited and stakeholders include organisations such as UNESCO, ICT4D Jamaica, the International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD); and the European Union Banana Support Programme (EUBSP).