Women’s Centre a Story of Triumph – Minister Grange

Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Hon. Olivia Grange, says the programme of the Women’s Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF) is a story of “triumph”, enabling girls who drop out of school on account of pregnancy to continue their education.

“Through the work of the WCJF, over 47,000 adolescent mothers have triumphed over their circumstances,” she said.

The Minister’s remarks were delivered by Executive Director of the WCJF, Dr. Zoe Simpson, during a recent ceremony at the entity’s Trafalgar Road headquarters in St. Andrew to hand over 10 copies of a book titled ‘Triumphs’ to the girls.

The book, written by journalist Garfield Angus, is a gift from law firm Lex Caribbean Jamaica. It is a collection of short stories about personal struggles and victories.

Minister Grange said she is happy for the donation at a time when the Centre celebrates its 40th anniversary. The WCJF was established in 1978 as a response to the high rate of adolescent pregnancies in Jamaica.

Dr. Simpson, in her own remarks, said that the inspirational stories contained in the book will help to foster a spirit of resilience and motivate the reader to push on to success.

“The adolescent mothers are faced with challenges of their own. I am, therefore, delighted that the girls will be able to benefit from the publication that will motivate them to overcome their challenges,” she noted.

She added that the stories are positive reminders that “just like Martin in the ‘Hard Road to Success’, Jamaicans do not succumb to adverse situations, but, instead, just like Antoinette in ‘Life without Dependency’, we work hard and remain determined to live out our dreams”.

Dr. Simpson thanked the author of the book and Lex Caribbean for making the donation possible.

“We all need inspiration in our lives to help us understand and maximise our full potential,” she said.