Welcome to Impacting Jamaica
SHARING THE LOVE: NSU Education Foundation
Five-minute feature on acts of kindness by local or overseas based non-government individuals and organisations that have benefitted Jamaicans.
Written and produced by the Radio Department of the Jamaica Information Service
News for Week of October 2, 2022
We are here to inspire, motivate and uplift.
Scotiabank celebrates small business achievers
Top performers in the 2022 Scotiabank Vision Achiever Programme, Kiddist Cowans of Jesse’s Gifts and Decor; Nastasia Morrison of HomeMaid; and Rushane Somas of Somas Furnishings, have been rewarded.
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The entrepreneurs each received a $250,000 grant from the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ); $250,000 towards digital online marketing from Trend Media; and $200,000 gift vouchers from Ashley Furniture.
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The People’s Choice award went to Jesse’s Gifts and Decor, followed by EFFIT, and Davene Jonas Styles in second and third place, respectively. They received vouchers valued $250,000 in social media advertising from Scotia Bank, and a plaque.
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Other categories included the Transformation Award, which went to Somas Furnishings, with a plaque and $150,000 from Scotiabank, and the Top Female Entrepreneur Award to HomeMaid, which received a $250,000 grant from the DBJ.
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Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce Senator Aubyn Hill commended the Scotiabank Group for its ongoing support of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). They were drawn from various sectors, among them – manufacturing, healthcare, education, retail, creative industries, and tourism.
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Registrar General’s back on track with free printing
The Registrar General’s Department (RGD) has resumed the printing of free birth certificates, following the replenishment of its security paper stock. Recently, agency suspended the printing of the first free birth certificate and limited the maximum number of copies for which persons could apply and pay.
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This was due to supply chain logistical challenges sparked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which affected the production and shipment of the security paper used to print the certificates.
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The RGD’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Charlton McFarlane, told the Jamaica Information Service that “we have replenished our stock of security paper, and starting today we will be resuming our standard service levels for customers”.
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“Up to the time of arrival of the paper on Tuesday, we had paper left in our vaults. We would have made projections for two weeks and the paper we had would have lasted for the suspension period,” Mr. McFarlane said. “The only real inconvenience was that they were not able to get the number of copies they needed at the time of application.”
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Water entity gets boost to improve emergency service
The National Water Commission (NWC) has received seven trucks, valued approximately $92.6 million, which will significantly bolster the entity’s service delivery capability.
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The trucks, which were supplied by the Tank-Weld Group, have a capacity of approximately 5,000 gallons of water, and are equipped with front and rear watering, overhead spray, and side pipe features.
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Prime Minister Holness said that with the addition of the trucks to the NWC’s fleet, the entity is now able to provide emergency water supply to critical institutions, including hospitals, health centres, police stations, and schools.
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He noted that the acquisitions are consistent with the Government’s mandate to build the resilience of Jamaica’s critical services.
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“The NWC must always have the capacity to deliver water if there is a break in service, whether it is a mechanical break or systems break or, as we are experiencing now in some areas, drought, or turbidity. We expect that, going forward, the NWC must maintain the capacity to deliver water if there is a break in regular service,” the Prime Minister said.
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Sandy Bay gets free Wi-Fi under special programme
The community of Sandy Bay in Hanover now has free WI-FI service, thanks to the Universal Service Fund (USF). It has been provided as part of the USF’s Community Wi-Fi Programme, which aims to increase access to the Internet across Jamaica’s 63 constituencies. This access will allow for greater digital inclusion.
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The service in Sandy Bay can provide Internet access for up to 500 concurrent users. Deputy Mayor of Lucea Councillor Andria Dehaney-Dinham thanked the USF for the facility.
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“I know that at a time when Internet access is very important, the USF has found it fitting to ensure that the Sandy Bay community has WI-FI, and so I want to say thank you to USF. I know that the USF’s mandate is to ensure that our people, especially the most vulnerable, are connected to the world,” she said.
Preparing for the next global catastrophe
By José Manuel Barroso
GENEVA – After two and a half years of lockdowns, quarantines, and mask mandates, billions of people around the world have returned to their normal lives. But in many ways, this newfound sense of post-pandemic normalcy is misleading. Beating COVID-19 will not mark the end of our current age of global instability, but rather the end of the beginning.
Of course, it is important to remember that the battle against COVID-19 is still far from over. More people have been infected in 2022 than in the previous two years combined, and while vaccines have brought down death rates, more than a million people worldwide have died this year after contracting the virus. And as governments begin to roll out updated booster shots, the world must brace itself for a major fall surge and the possible emergence of dangerous new variants.
