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Rose Town block-making project gets boost
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
THE Rose Town Benevolent Society says it will soon kick-start its income-generating block-making project in the Kingston inner-city community after it received a cash injection yesterday from the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada.
An elated president of the Benevolent Society, Michael Black said the block-making machine has been sitting idle for the past two years and so the C$1,000 (approx J$69,000) donation will go a far way in starting up the business. This, he said, will help to generate employment for many of the community's youths.
Michael Black (right), president of the Rose Town Benevolent Society, is all smiles as he poses with the cheque received from the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada to assist with community development projects. Also participating in the handing over of the cheque at the society's headquarters in Rose Town, Kingston are (from left) Claudette Cameron-Stewart of the Diaspora in Canada, Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, president of the Diaspora, Sheldon Henry, youth representative of the society and Nora Blake, a member of the society. (Photo: Garfield Robinson)
Additionally, he said the start-up of the block-making project could make the Rose Town Benevolent Society next in line to be considered for the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) programme to remove zinc fences in some inner-city communities and replace them with concrete walls.
"With the block-making machine up and running it will be a step towards having that project here to replace the zinc fences with walls," Black told the Observer yesterday.
He said they were also hoping to have some computers repaired, as well as a building in the northern end of the community refurbished to accommodate children living in that area.
The society has played an essential role in education within the community, and Black explained that it has collaborated with the University of the West Indies, from where scholars visit the community each Saturday to teach high school students who are preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) exams.
Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, president of the Diaspora in Canada, said yesterday's donation was just the initial portion as further assistance, both in cash and kind, would be given.
"It will not only be money but we will be bringing people down here to assist with development of skills and exchange of our talents," she said.
She said the funds were raised when they brought Olympic gold medallist Melaine Walker to Canada to a fund-raising event to garner financial support for the efforts of the society.
The group said Melaine addressed an audience of more than 400 Jamaicans who came out on the coldest night to support the fund-raiser.
The event, which took the form of a concert, had a dramatisation which was centred around the life of the Olympian and her journey from the inner-city community to fame on the track.
Ffolkes Abrahams said Rose Town was chosen because the Diaspora was impressed with the strides the community had already made.
Claudette Cameron-Stewart, a member of the Diaspora in Canada, said the group would not be stipulating what projects the funds should be used for.
"We respect the ideals of the Benevolent Fund and so it will be entirely up to them to decide what projects they want to use the funds for," she said.
Sheldon Henry, the youth representative of the society and president of the Rose Town Community Development Committee (CDC), said they were grateful for the assistance.
"We really do appreciate this because we love the 'action people' and not just those who talk and do nothing," Henry said.
Nora Blake, a Rose Town resident and member of the Benevolent Society, said they would like to see the Rose Town Diaspora also becoming involved in the development of the community.
"We want to see those persons who used to live in Rose Town come and give back to the community and be a part of what is happening here," she said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Diaspora group said it also had a programme in the Central Kingston community of Southside, as it sought to make some of Kingston's inner-city communities self-sufficient in governance, education, skills training and jobs.
The group has also worked with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to raise more than $3 million to reconfigure a beach in Rocky Point, Clarendon and for the building of a market. This year they intend to collaborate with larger agencies to raise even more money to give back to Jamaica.
Cameron-Stewart said that while the recession had posed a challenge to giving, many persons were still contributing whatever they could.
"Once people realise the issue is humane and that it could be them in a similar situation they are so willing to open up and give and each $2 adds up," she said.
Nora Blake still nice!
BY INGRID BROWN Observer senior reporter browni@jamaicaobserver.com
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
THE Rose Town Benevolent Society says it will soon kick-start its income-generating block-making project in the Kingston inner-city community after it received a cash injection yesterday from the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada.
An elated president of the Benevolent Society, Michael Black said the block-making machine has been sitting idle for the past two years and so the C$1,000 (approx J$69,000) donation will go a far way in starting up the business. This, he said, will help to generate employment for many of the community's youths.
Michael Black (right), president of the Rose Town Benevolent Society, is all smiles as he poses with the cheque received from the Jamaican Diaspora in Canada to assist with community development projects. Also participating in the handing over of the cheque at the society's headquarters in Rose Town, Kingston are (from left) Claudette Cameron-Stewart of the Diaspora in Canada, Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, president of the Diaspora, Sheldon Henry, youth representative of the society and Nora Blake, a member of the society. (Photo: Garfield Robinson) Additionally, he said the start-up of the block-making project could make the Rose Town Benevolent Society next in line to be considered for the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) programme to remove zinc fences in some inner-city communities and replace them with concrete walls.
"With the block-making machine up and running it will be a step towards having that project here to replace the zinc fences with walls," Black told the Observer yesterday.
He said they were also hoping to have some computers repaired, as well as a building in the northern end of the community refurbished to accommodate children living in that area.
The society has played an essential role in education within the community, and Black explained that it has collaborated with the University of the West Indies, from where scholars visit the community each Saturday to teach high school students who are preparing to sit the Caribbean Secondary Examination Certificate (CSEC) exams.
Sharon Ffolkes Abrahams, president of the Diaspora in Canada, said yesterday's donation was just the initial portion as further assistance, both in cash and kind, would be given.
"It will not only be money but we will be bringing people down here to assist with development of skills and exchange of our talents," she said.
She said the funds were raised when they brought Olympic gold medallist Melaine Walker to Canada to a fund-raising event to garner financial support for the efforts of the society.
The group said Melaine addressed an audience of more than 400 Jamaicans who came out on the coldest night to support the fund-raiser.
The event, which took the form of a concert, had a dramatisation which was centred around the life of the Olympian and her journey from the inner-city community to fame on the track.
Ffolkes Abrahams said Rose Town was chosen because the Diaspora was impressed with the strides the community had already made.
Claudette Cameron-Stewart, a member of the Diaspora in Canada, said the group would not be stipulating what projects the funds should be used for.
"We respect the ideals of the Benevolent Fund and so it will be entirely up to them to decide what projects they want to use the funds for," she said.
Sheldon Henry, the youth representative of the society and president of the Rose Town Community Development Committee (CDC), said they were grateful for the assistance.
"We really do appreciate this because we love the 'action people' and not just those who talk and do nothing," Henry said.
Nora Blake, a Rose Town resident and member of the Benevolent Society, said they would like to see the Rose Town Diaspora also becoming involved in the development of the community.
"We want to see those persons who used to live in Rose Town come and give back to the community and be a part of what is happening here," she said.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Diaspora group said it also had a programme in the Central Kingston community of Southside, as it sought to make some of Kingston's inner-city communities self-sufficient in governance, education, skills training and jobs.
The group has also worked with the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) to raise more than $3 million to reconfigure a beach in Rocky Point, Clarendon and for the building of a market. This year they intend to collaborate with larger agencies to raise even more money to give back to Jamaica.
Cameron-Stewart said that while the recession had posed a challenge to giving, many persons were still contributing whatever they could.
"Once people realise the issue is humane and that it could be them in a similar situation they are so willing to open up and give and each $2 adds up," she said.
Nora Blake still nice!
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