Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, is away from the island on official business.

The Minister is leading the Jamaican delegation, consisting of central Ministry officials and officials from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), to attend the 6^th Regional Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Americas being held in Cartagena, Colombia.

The Conference is organized by the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA). It is intended among other things, to allow government and non-government organizations, scientific and academic institutions and private sector interests among other stakeholders to share their experiences and chart the way forward as they work together to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction – approved in 2015 – and to which Jamaica is a signatory.

Minister McKenzie, who is the Deputy Chairman of the National Disaster Risk Management Council, says the platform is a critical opportunity for Jamaica to provide the Sendai Framework signatory nations with an update about its disaster risk reduction efforts.

“The Government is taking important steps to improve national resilience, to ensure that we break the cycle of playing catch-up behind disasters, especially seasonal ones. This Conference allows us to share our experiences, the new things we are doing, and also to learn from the other signatory states, the scientific community and to refine our implementation strategies, as we reaffirm our commitment to making the Sendai Framework, and therefore disaster risk reduction, a standard way of life for our people.”

The Minister will return to the island on June 25, 2018.

KINGSTON, Jamaica: The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development is partnering with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to implement early warning systems in four parishes in an effort to improve disaster-resilience in the country.

The project, which will cost US$1 million (approximately J$129m), will commence in 2019 in the parishes of St. Catherine, St. Mary, St. Thomas and Portland.

“We are the third country outside of Cuba and the Dominica Republic that will benefit from this programme with the UNDP where they will help us create a National Climate Information and Early Warning Service for Disaster Risk Reduction,” explained Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, during the launch of the 2018 National Hurricane Preparedness Campaign.

“This project will be a shining example of how we can, through hard work, ingenuity and partnership, create lasting resilience to disasters.”

Early warning systems are used to relay timely and relevant information to people especially in vulnerable areas prior to a disaster.

The UNDP is the United Nations’ lead development agency and works to connect countries to a network of global knowledge, experience and technical and financial resources. According to its website, the UNDP empowers lives and supports nations to become resilient to crises and disasters.

Meanwhile, Minister McKenzie says that work is being undertaken to reduce the exposure to flooding and other consequences of hurricanes in the parishes Clarendon and St. Ann.

The farming community of Douglas Castle in St. Ann is a vulnerable area where residents are often marooned whenever storm conditions occur.

“We have decided to construct a box culvert which will effectively channel away storm water as well as raising a section of the Douglas castle main road by approximately 15 metres. I’m told by the technical people that once we do this, it will help to preserve crops and livestock and keep the community physically connected to the rest of the country,” the Minister stated.

“A strategic approach to the threat pf hurricanes also involves ensuring maximum speed and efficiency in the response to this form of disaster.

To this end, $10 million will be spent to construct two storage facilities and retrofit four emergency shelters in Northern Clarendon. The storage facilities will be sited at the Frankfield Police Station and the Kellits Primary School, respectively.

The Minister added that “these will ensure that disaster relief supplies are readily available at all time to over 50,000 people living in more than 15 communities in Northern Clarendon”.

Four emergency shelters will also be retrofitted to increase capacity and provide greater comfort for its users. They are Portland Cottage Primary; Alley/Race Course; Scotts Pass and Staceyville Primary Schools.

Twenty-five aspiring entrepreneurs have been presented with J$3.75 million in grants as part of their participation in the Clarendon Youth In Business (CYIB) project.

The participants, who were exposed to practicums and field trips, each received $150, 000 towards the development of their individual businesses during a presentation ceremony in May Pen, Clarendon on May 31, 2018.

Guest Speaker and Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, lauded the Clarendon Municipal Corporation for the programme, which falls under its Local Economic Development initiative.

“The government is creating the environment within the community that these young men and women can find an avenue for expression and these types of expression come with a cost,” the Minister stated.

“It comes with a cost because when they invest in the way that many have invested; they are expecting to get returns and those returns cannot be guaranteed unless there is something that is called partnership.”

He described the CYIB project as a practical demonstration of local government at work through community development.  Minister McKenzie also committed J$1.25 million to increase the grants to $150, 000 each.

The participants represent the second cohort of the programme that began in 2016. They are involved in the business of crop agriculture, animal rearing, egg farming, agro-processing including nutraceuticals and sauces; barbering, shopkeeping, photography and garment construction as well as food and beverage across the parish of Clarendon.

The municipal corporation also received assistance from public and private sector partners inclusive of the Heart Trust; the Jamaica Business Development Corporation; the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ); the Youth Information Centre and the National Commercial Bank.

The PIOJ’s Community Renewal Programme (PIOJ-CRP) provided coordination and funding support for the CYIB project. Its participation is aligned to its push to build the capacity of existing small business enterprises in Rocky Point, Hayes, May Pen, Effortville and Bucknor, which are target communities of the PIOJ Community Renewal Programme.

“When you find these (CYIB) young men and women, who could have gone into many other directions, but didn’t because they want to be self-reliant. They want to create their own niche on the society and to create a better Jamaica for their families and themselves,” the Minister added.  “I believe that the young people of Clarendon will make even a greater impression on the reduction of the unemployment rate amongst young people.”

The country’s unemployment rate declined to 9.6 percent at the end of January 2018, down from 10.4 percent for the period of October to December 2017. The figures for youth unemployment also declined to 23.8 percent at the end of January compared to 31.7% for the corresponding period in 2017.
Minister McKenzie challenged the CYIB participants to strive for success and put their training in entrepreneurship and financial management in practice.

He publicly acknowledged former Mayor of May Pen, Councillor Scean Barnswell, for his support to the CYIB project.

“His leadership when he was Mayor and also head of ALGAJ (Association of Local Authorities of Jamaica) contributed significantly to what we are seeing and this is where continuity is important in the political process in the country.”

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development has embarked on a drive to modernize the operational capacity and infrastructure of the Poor Relief Department across the country’s 13 municipal corporations.

Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, says the rebranding will improve brand identity and result in a greater appreciation for the poor relief services.

“We will also be rebranding our Infirmaries and modernizing them, to ensure high-quality service to the less fortunate, as part of a major overhaul of the current Poor Relief system. That whole process will be facilitated by the Human Services Bill 2018, which is now before Parliament,” he explains.

“Through the Human Services Bill, the infirmaries will be renamed as Adult Residential Care Facilities.”

The Poor Relief Department is the social welfare arm of the local Authorities that provides assistance to destitute persons. An infirmary is operated by each respective local authority except in the case of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation that runs the Vineyard Town Golden Age Home.

The infirmaries and golden age home cater to individuals who are destitute and in need of institutional care. There is also outdoor poor relief services specifically for persons living in their homes but are in need of financial support and other services such as medical comfort, assistance for school children and burial assistance.

“The professional capacity of poor relief officers is being improved through the Human Services Training Programme where 15 officers are now enrolled, as the second cohort of the programme and additional officers will also be brought into the system,” states Minister McKenzie.  “More patient care assistants are being employed to improve the quality of care.”

The modernization push will also see the Board of Supervision abolished as an agency, which functioned as the decision-making arm for poor relief services. It will be replaced with a Human Services Division that will operate within the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.

“The Human Services Division will be responsible for strengthening the administration of social welfare and leading the implementation of this modern approach to poor relief across Jamaica,” adds Minister McKenzie.

The Poor Relief Departments are being retooled, and in some instances undergo renovations to its physical spaces of operation. The retooling exercise is being financed by a draw-down of $24 million from the Equalization Fund.

“This modern approach includes equipping the Poor Relief Departments with computers, printers and tablets, as we move to thoroughly digitize operational efficiency.”

To date, Minister McKenzie has handed over tablets to the Poor Relief Officers and Councillors at seven municipal corporations namely Clarendon, St. Mary, Westmoreland, St. James, Portland, St. Ann and Hanover.

An eight million dollar water shop facility is in operation in the community of Marlie Hill, South Manchester where residents will now access the commodity in a sustainable way.

This the second such facility to be constructed by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development following one in Pennants, Clarendon, that was opened last year.

“Constant access to clean water is a fundamental standard of good public health, and of national development. It is vital not only to sanitation and disease control, but it is also critical to agricultural production, manufacturing, and all types of economic activity,” said Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, during a special ceremony to officially open the water shop on May 14, 2018.

“This initiative of building water shops is different from anything that has been done before, especially at the level of Local Government, which is responsible for minor water supply. We have had, and still have in some places, parish water tanks and wells.”

He highlighted that access to clean water is a benchmark of prosperity, which the Government is working hard to bring to every corner of Jamaica. He also noted that the practice of trucking water to communities is not always impartial and often times, those persons in real need are overlooked.

“The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development is, through water shops, moving to address as the first priority, the needs of our people in drought-affected communities across Jamaica, in a sustainable way. Parts of the southern parishes of Jamaica, and in particular, sections of Manchester and St. Elizabeth, have traditionally suffered from drought,” Minister McKenzie added.

“What we are doing through the water shops, is to create secure dispensaries within communities, which are professionally managed, and to which people may go to purchase their water whenever they need it.”

The Minister also urged residents to become custodians of the Marlie Hill Water Shop thereby protecting the investment, as well as treating it and the people who manage it with respect.

“It is an investment in you. It is an investment in the improvement of your community. It is your tax dollars at work, invested through the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development.”

The parish of St. Elizabeth has also been identified as a prospective beneficiary of a water shop facility in coming months.

“Water security is vital to food security and economic security, and we will continue to work for you, to ensure that you continue to experience improvements in your lives,” Minister McKenzie concluded.

A government-owned facility that will provide care, meals and bathe for homeless people has been opened in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

The day-to-day operation of the $14 million dollar St. Ann Drop-In Centre, which is sited in the neigbourhood of Buckfield – will be manned by the St. Ann Municipal Corporation.

“This Drop-In Centre is one of four such facilities that were started in the last financial year, under the Ministry’s Social Protection Programme. From this building will emerge the services that will deliver relief and a sense of dignity to homeless persons,” said Honourable Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development.

“The expansion of national facilities that will provide care and comfort to our homeless citizens, is an important aspect of the work of this Government. It is one of the features of the human face of this Administration, and a symbol of our commitment to assisting the vulnerable in our society.”

Minister McKenzie was speaking at the official opening ceremony for the facility in Ocho Rios on May 11, 2018. The St. Ann Drop-In Centre will offer medical attention, nutrition and temporary housing for persons in need.

The last formal survey conducted by the Ministry in 2017 indicated that 59 persons were identified as being homeless in the parish of St. Ann. The Minister explained that while this figure is not static; it is vital that a point of constant care is established for these individuals.

“This project is part and parcel of the increasing investment that the Government is making in the structures and services of Local Government, to make it more effective,” he explained.

“We will also, through another special partnership, be creating new infrastructure at a number of Infirmaries to address social cases in hospitals. These are people who live on the hospitals’ premises after they have been treated, because they have nowhere to go. The St. Ann Infirmary will be one of the facilities that will benefit from this partnership.”

Minister McKenzie also posited that there is a concerted effort to modernize and lift the level of service from the Poor Relief Departments in the local authorities. These Departments are tasked with the care of the indigent in Jamaica.

“This modern approach will also include equipping the Poor Relief Departments with computers, printers and tablets, as we move to thoroughly digitize operational efficiency,” he noted.

“I am counting on the continued support of the elected representatives, the administrative staff and the people of Jamaica, as we continue the processes of changing attitudes to local government, changing attitudes within local government, and investing increased financing and time in the projects and people of the local government system.”

A government-owned facility that will provide care, meals and bathe for homeless people has been opened in Ocho Rios, St. Ann.

The day-to-day operation of the $14 million dollar St. Ann Drop-In Centre, which is sited in the neigbourhood of Buckfield – will be manned by the St. Ann Municipal Corporation.

“This Drop-In Centre is one of four such facilities that were started in the last financial year, under the Ministry’s Social Protection Programme. From this building will emerge the services that will deliver relief and a sense of dignity to homeless persons,” said Honourable Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development.

“The expansion of national facilities that will provide care and comfort to our homeless citizens, is an important aspect of the work of this Government. It is one of the features of the human face of this Administration, and a symbol of our commitment to assisting the vulnerable in our society.”

Minister McKenzie was speaking at the official opening ceremony for the facility in Ocho Rios on May 11, 2018. The St. Ann Drop-In Centre will offer medical attention, nutrition and temporary housing for persons in need.

The last formal survey conducted by the Ministry in 2017 indicated that 59 persons were identified as being homeless in the parish of St. Ann. The Minister explained that while this figure is not static; it is vital that a point of constant care is established for these individuals.

“This project is part and parcel of the increasing investment that the Government is making in the structures and services of Local Government, to make it more effective,” he explained.

“We will also, through another special partnership, be creating new infrastructure at a number of Infirmaries to address social cases in hospitals. These are people who live on the hospitals’ premises after they have been treated, because they have nowhere to go. The St. Ann Infirmary will be one of the facilities that will benefit from this partnership.”

Minister McKenzie also posited that there is a concerted effort to modernize and lift the level of service from the Poor Relief Departments in the local authorities. These Departments are tasked with the care of the indigent in Jamaica.

“This modern approach will also include equipping the Poor Relief Departments with computers, printers and tablets, as we move to thoroughly digitize operational efficiency,” he noted.

“I am counting on the continued support of the elected representatives, the administrative staff and the people of Jamaica, as we continue the processes of changing attitudes to local government, changing attitudes within local government, and investing increased financing and time in the projects and people of the local government system.”

The construction of ramps in schools to provide greater access by members of the physically-challenged community, and the overhaul of health centres will be the focus for Labour Day 2018.

The activities will be commemorated on May 23 under the theme ‘Ramp it Up… Fix it Up’.

Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Most Honourable Andrew Holness, launched the activities for both Labour Day and Workers’ Week at the Office of the Prime Minister in Kingston on May 1, 2018.

He said Labour Day is embraced by communities to participate in projects that allow for physical improvements, foster volunteerism and promote social cohesion through improved planning and execution.

“Carry forward the spirit of volunteerism and service (and) allow it to become part of everything you do and a fixture in your daily lives,” Prime Minister Holness encouraged.  “Make every day meaningful and productive, doing more for your families, your community and your country.”

The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, which is spearheading Labour Day activities, has partnered with the Ministries of Local Government and Community Development; Labour and Social Security; Education, Youth and Information and Health.

The national projects for Labour Day 2018 are the St Ann’s Bay Infant School in St Ann, and Cumberland Health Centre, St. Catherine.

Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, Mrs. Marsha Henry Martin, read the remarks from Portfolio Minister, Honourable Desmond McKenzie.

Minister McKenzie highlighted that Labour Day confirms the power and the potential of community awareness and community action to make development happen.

“The Ministry has been a traditional partner in the implementation of Labour Day activities, and we will continue to support Labour Day as a Ministry and also through Municipal Corporations,” he stated. “As the Local Building Authorities in all parishes, the Municipal Corporations will play a special role in ensuring that we ‘Ramp it Up’ and ‘Fix it Up’ at the local level and the Ministry will support all parish projects through the Municipal Corporations.”

The Minister in galvanizing support urged Jamaicans to “truly make Labour Day the catalyst for improved and lasting social cooperation, collaboration and civic pride”.

This observance of Workers’ Week also coincides with two national historic events – the 80^th anniversary of the 1938 workers’ protest; and the 186^th year since National Hero, Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe, was hung for his role in the 1832 Christmas Rebellion that started at the Kensington Estate in St. James.

Floral tributes will also be done for the Right Excellent Samuel Sharpe both in Kingston (National Heroes’ Park) and St. James (Sam Sharpe Square in Montego Bay) on Labour Day. The tributes will commence at 8:00am and last for half an hour.

The Social Development Commission (SDC) honoured 76 staff members for their outstanding contribution to the country’s chief community agency during the 2017/2018 fiscal year.

Honourable Desmond McKenzie, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, in his keynote address hailed the staff for their dedicated and sterling performance.

“I want to congratulate the SDC for being a champion agency of the Ministry and a credit to Jamaica,” he said. “The SDC represents the only arm of Government that can never afford to be seen as political in the execution of its responsibilities.”

The employees were acknowledged during the seventh staging of its Staff Recognition Awards, observing the theme ‘A…M.E. (To Acknowledge, Motivate and Engage)’ at the Caymanas Golf and Country Club in St. Catherine on April 26, 2018.

The SDC, an agency under the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, works with 775 communities in Jamaica. It is mandated to  “promote and control schemes for, and to do any act or thing which may directly or indirectly serve the advancement of sport, social, cultural & economic development – for the people of Jamaica and workers in particular”.

The agency grew from Jamaica Welfare Limited in 1937 to be the Government of Jamaica’s (GOJ) principal community mobilisation and organisation agency in urban and rural areas.

According to Minister McKenzie, the SDC is doing considerable work in communities despite the economic challenges. He singled out the agency for its role in the Zone of Special Operations (ZOSO) – a crime-fighting measure conceptualized with a critical social intervention component at the community level.

“You are doing great things with a limited fiscal space and your impact is being felt in the communities across this country,” the Minister shared. “We will continue to build on the J$45 million in budgetary support so far given, as the economic initiatives of the Government increase productivity and revenue streams and unlock more funds for capital spending.”

The SDC was also credited for their role in the public sensitization and production of the Ministry’s successful Town Hall Meetings on Property Taxes, which are used to pay for garbage collection and disposal; streetlights; beautification of community spaces as well as minor and social water supplies.

“Through your business fairs and expos and your work with the people to develop business plans and business models; business proposals have been submitted for approval which are worth a combined J$127.5 million,” Minister McKenzie said of the SDC’s role in the Local Economic Development Support Programme (LEDSP).

“You are sustaining and enhancing Project Prosperity by helping our people to create their own wealth in an orderly way. Through this programme, you have been helping to stem the tide of the rural to urban drift and all the problems that it brings.”