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Canada donates $151 million to four Jamaican projects
Troy-André Harding, Observer writer editorial@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, July 25, 2008
(From left) Deputy director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Richard Thompson; Moira Morgan, director of Griffin Trust; Canadian High Commissioner Denis Kingsley; Dr Winston Davidson of the Boy's Town Foundation; and Godfrey Lothian, president of the Kingston and St Andrew Action Forum, exchange pleasantries after the handing over of the cheques on Wednesday. (Photo: Michael Gordon)
THE Canadian High Commission in Kingston on Wednesday donated J$151 million to four local organisations, as part of its efforts to impact the challenges of illegal guns, youth marginalisation and natural disasters in Jamaica.
"We have four organisations here that came up with good plans, good projects, and so it would be hard for us not to be of assistance," Canadian High Commissioner Denis Kingsley said at the handing-over ceremony.
The contributions to the four organisations - the Boy's Town Foundation, Kingston and St Andrew Action Forum (KSAAF), Griffin Trust, and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management - were made available through Canada's Democracy and Governance Fund. The funding will go towards the projects of each of the organisations.
"We're talking about projects that are going to help. The minister of education was saying that 30,000 youths are leaving the school system every year and they are no longer associated with anything. They're not employed. They're not in school. So here you've got projects that are going to come and work on that," said Kingsley.
The president of the KSAAF, Godfrey Lothian, who was there to accept one of the four cheques being handed out to each of the organisations, was grateful for the assistance.
"I think it will help significantly. Presently, there are over 900 murders since the start of the year. We want social intervention and this is one of the interventions at the community level," Lothian told the Observer.
He said the KSAAF's biggest problem was a lack of resources. Though they work in 72 communities, the resources needed to properly run the programmes are simply not there, he said.
Now with help from the Canadian Government, the KSAAF, which is a voluntary group, as well as the other three organisations are ready to evoke change through their projects.
Lothian said that in 2005 some 1,574 people were murdered in Jamaica, and it was because of that high rate of crime why the Democracy and Governance Project was so vital for the KSAAF and the inner-city communities, that falls under our umbrella.
He told the Observer that the KSAAF's project, in particular, should prepare persons in rough communities to be marketable globally.
"Some of the youths will be trained at the HEART Trust/NTA, certifying them as masons and carpenters so they can go anywhere in the world and apply for work," Lothian said.
Some of the projects being funded by Canada are the Youth Development Project from the Boys' Town Foundation, and the 'Hush the Guns Project' from Griffin Trust.
"Canada is pleased to play a key role in the wider efforts to build a more just democratic region that improves the lives of citizens throughout the Americas. But while we think regionally and globally, we must start acting locally," said the Canadian high commissioner.
Trevor Spence, co-ordinator of Boys' Town, an agency that aims to transform at-risk inner-city children into valuable citizens, expressed a wealth of gratitude for Canada's contribution.
The objective of their Youth Development Project is to give skills training to youths between the ages of 15 and 18 years. These are the ages, said Spence, which boys tend to drift toward the street corners and get involved in crime.
"We thank your government," he said to Kingsley, "and the people of Canada for their support at this time when our nation needs a hundred Boy's Towns to influence our youth."
Troy-André Harding, Observer writer editorial@jamaicaobserver.com
Friday, July 25, 2008
(From left) Deputy director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, Richard Thompson; Moira Morgan, director of Griffin Trust; Canadian High Commissioner Denis Kingsley; Dr Winston Davidson of the Boy's Town Foundation; and Godfrey Lothian, president of the Kingston and St Andrew Action Forum, exchange pleasantries after the handing over of the cheques on Wednesday. (Photo: Michael Gordon)THE Canadian High Commission in Kingston on Wednesday donated J$151 million to four local organisations, as part of its efforts to impact the challenges of illegal guns, youth marginalisation and natural disasters in Jamaica.
"We have four organisations here that came up with good plans, good projects, and so it would be hard for us not to be of assistance," Canadian High Commissioner Denis Kingsley said at the handing-over ceremony.
The contributions to the four organisations - the Boy's Town Foundation, Kingston and St Andrew Action Forum (KSAAF), Griffin Trust, and the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management - were made available through Canada's Democracy and Governance Fund. The funding will go towards the projects of each of the organisations.
"We're talking about projects that are going to help. The minister of education was saying that 30,000 youths are leaving the school system every year and they are no longer associated with anything. They're not employed. They're not in school. So here you've got projects that are going to come and work on that," said Kingsley.
The president of the KSAAF, Godfrey Lothian, who was there to accept one of the four cheques being handed out to each of the organisations, was grateful for the assistance.
"I think it will help significantly. Presently, there are over 900 murders since the start of the year. We want social intervention and this is one of the interventions at the community level," Lothian told the Observer.
He said the KSAAF's biggest problem was a lack of resources. Though they work in 72 communities, the resources needed to properly run the programmes are simply not there, he said.
Now with help from the Canadian Government, the KSAAF, which is a voluntary group, as well as the other three organisations are ready to evoke change through their projects.
Lothian said that in 2005 some 1,574 people were murdered in Jamaica, and it was because of that high rate of crime why the Democracy and Governance Project was so vital for the KSAAF and the inner-city communities, that falls under our umbrella.
He told the Observer that the KSAAF's project, in particular, should prepare persons in rough communities to be marketable globally.
"Some of the youths will be trained at the HEART Trust/NTA, certifying them as masons and carpenters so they can go anywhere in the world and apply for work," Lothian said.
Some of the projects being funded by Canada are the Youth Development Project from the Boys' Town Foundation, and the 'Hush the Guns Project' from Griffin Trust.
"Canada is pleased to play a key role in the wider efforts to build a more just democratic region that improves the lives of citizens throughout the Americas. But while we think regionally and globally, we must start acting locally," said the Canadian high commissioner.
Trevor Spence, co-ordinator of Boys' Town, an agency that aims to transform at-risk inner-city children into valuable citizens, expressed a wealth of gratitude for Canada's contribution.
The objective of their Youth Development Project is to give skills training to youths between the ages of 15 and 18 years. These are the ages, said Spence, which boys tend to drift toward the street corners and get involved in crime.
"We thank your government," he said to Kingsley, "and the people of Canada for their support at this time when our nation needs a hundred Boy's Towns to influence our youth."
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