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JAMAICA: Tertiary Students Receive Scholarships from Jamaica Flour Mills Foundation

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#Kingston, October 6, 2018 – Jamaica – Eight tertiary students have received scholarships valued at $3.6 million from the Jamaica Flour Mills (JFM) Foundation and the Hart/Jacobs Scholarships, for the 2018/19 academic year.

The new JFM Foundation scholarship recipients are Shaniequa Brown, who will be pursuing a BSc. Accounting, University of the West Indies (UWI); Akeem Campbell, BSc. Actuarial Science, UWI; Andrew Hercules, B. Eng. Chemical Engineering at the University of Technology (UTech); Javier Bryan, BSc. Computer and Electronics, UWI; and Javian Hudson, BSc. Computer Science and Electronics, UWI.

Amanda Sturridge, BSc. Biochemistry, UWI, received the inaugural JFM Foundation Community Scholarship award.  The scholarship is open to university students residing within Kingston 2 communities.  The Hart/Jacobs Scholarships went to Rashida Willie, Bachelor of Pharmacy, UTech; and Tiffany Grant, BSc. General, UWI.

The scholarships, as well as gift baskets, were presented to the recipients during the JFM Foundation and Hart/Jacobs Scholarships 30th anniversary awards luncheon, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on October 4.  Up to the end of the 2017/2018 academic year, a total of $45 million had been disbursed to 235 scholarship awardees.

Minister of Health and past scholarship recipient, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, lauded the Jamaica Flour Mills for the initiative, adding that the programme provides much-needed assistance to students who are desirous of pursuing tertiary studies.  He urged the students to continue striving for excellence. “Determine that you can, if you put your mind to it,” he said.

Reminding them that their biggest risk to wealth is their health, Dr. Tufton encouraged the students to practise healthy lifestyle choices to minimise the risks of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which represent one of the biggest public health challenges globally in the 21st century.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Senator the Hon. Ruel Reid, in a message read by Advisor, Howard Chamberlain, lauded Jamaica Flour Mills Foundation for assisting students to reach their full potential.  He called on other companies to provide scholarship opportunities for children, particularly those who are pursuing studies in the STEM/STEAM disciplines.

Managing Director, Jamaica Flour Mills, Derrick Nembhard, said the Foundation has been positively impacting the nation through the recipients, who can be found in all areas of the society.

“We continue to provide quality products for the local and international markets and have been reformulating our cake and dough mixes to be in alignment with the reduced sugar guidelines set out by the Government of Jamaica,” he said.

Responding on behalf of the recipients, Akeem Campbell expressed gratitude and appreciation to the Foundation for demonstrating corporate social responsibility over the years.

“To the Jamaica Flour Mills Foundation, appreciation comes not only from us, when we become the sort of persons that no one thought we would become, but our family members say thank you. When we become role models to onlookers, our communities say thank you. When we have contributed to Jamaica becoming the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business, Jamaica says thank you,” he said.

Funding for the scholarships is granted from the investment of an Endowment Fund financed by Jamaica Flour Mills Limited.

Jamaica Flour Mills Foundation was incorporated under the Companies Act on July 20, 1988. The objective of the Foundation is to assist qualifying Jamaican students in a tertiary-education programme in Jamaica and qualifying offshore institutions.

The Hart/Jacobs Scholarship Programme, which started in 1988, is an extension of the employees’ Education Assistance Benefit which provides assistance to children of persons employed full-time or assigned to Jamaica Flour Mills Limited. It was named for former Jamaica Flour Mills Chairman, Hugh Hart; and Director, Lenworth Jacobs.

 

 

Release: JIS

Contact: Chris Patterson

Photos by: Adrian Walker            

Photo Captions:

Header: Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (left); Managing Director, Jamaica Flour Mills, Derrick Nembhard (right); and Chairman, Jamaica Flour Mills (JFM) Foundation, Professor Neville Ying (back row, third right), share a moment with this year’s recipients of the JFM Foundation and Hart/Jacobs Scholarships during an awards luncheon, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on October 4. Dr. Tufton received the JFM Foundation scholarship in 1989.

First insert: Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton, addresses the Jamaica Flour Mills (JFM) Foundation and Hart/Jacobs Scholarships 30th anniversary awards luncheon, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew on October 4.

Second insert: Minister of Health, Dr. the Hon. Christopher Tufton (left), is greeted by Chairman, Jamaica Flour Mills (JFM) Foundation, Professor Neville Ying (right), at the JFM Foundation and Hart/Jacobs Scholarships 30th anniversary awards luncheon, held at the Terra Nova All-Suite Hotel in St. Andrew, on October 4. At centre is Managing Director, Jamaica Flour Mills, Derrick Nembhard. Dr. Tufton received the JFM Foundation scholarship in 1989.

 

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New Tilapia Hatchery Slated for Completion Later This Year

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – The new tilapia hatchery under construction in Twickenham Park, St. Catherine, is slated for completion towards the end of 2024.

The 12,000 sq. ft. facility, being built at a cost of approximately $574 million, is intended to address the major issue of shortages in good-quality seed stock for fish farmers islandwide.

Manager for the Promoting Community-based Climate Resilience in the Fisheries Sector Project, Selena Ledgister, says the hatchery’s establishment is critical for securing a sustainable fisheries sector.

“Construction is on in earnest and we are looking before the year is out – which would be by around September or October – to complete the building part of it. The Project will be supporting the purchase and installation of the recirculating aquaculture system. This system will provide over five million advanced fries (young fish) per year, using the recirculating aquaculture system,” she told JIS News.

The bio-secure climate-resilient modular hatchery, being developed in partnership with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), will feature a solar standby generator, plumbing system, rehabilitated guard host and administrative building.

Mrs. Ledgister said the hatchery, to be built and operated under environmentally friendly conditions, will impact the lives of fish farmers islandwide.

“I believe we have over 120 aquaculture farmers, and that number is growing; so, this will benefit the industry significantly. The hatchery is also expected to cushion the demand for fish. Fish farmers will also get the supply of advanced fries to restock their ponds. This is a significant impact that the Climate Resilience Project, as well as JSIF, will be creating for the Jamaican fish farmers,” she said.

 

Contact: Twila Wheelan

Release: JIS

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Trust Fund for Poor Children Born On or After August 6, 2022

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 27, 2024 – Children born on or after the 60th anniversary of Jamaica’s Independence, who are wards of the State or beneficiaries of the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH), will be eligible for the Jamaica 60 HOPE (Hope, Opportunity, Prosperity and Empowerment) For Children Trust Fund.

Jamaica celebrated its Diamond Jubilee on August 6, 2022.

In his contribution to the 2024/25 Budget Debate in the House of Representatives on March 21, Prime Minister, the Most. Hon. Andrew Holness, said the purpose of the Fund is to help to close the wealth gap and address the issue of intergenerational poverty by creating a trust account specifically catered to vulnerable children.

“The HOPE for Children Trust Fund will provide each eligible child with a long-term savings account funded through annual contributions from the Government. Parents, guardians or other donors will also be able to make deposits into the account for the future benefit of any specific child,” Mr. Holness said.

The accumulated funds, including interest, will be accessible on or after the child’s 18th birthday, for specific purposes such as education, purchase of a home or commercial property or investment in a business.

“The central idea behind the programme is to provide children with a lump sum to start them in life upon attaining adulthood. Our initial target is a lump sum of between $600,000 and $800,000, to be available on the 18th birthday of any eligible child,” Mr. Holness said.

He noted that the Government will also explore alternatives to establish and manage the Fund, adding that it could form part of the National Insurance Fund or be administered by private insurance companies.

“This is, I believe, a ground-breaking initiative to truly grapple with inequality in the society. From a historical perspective, there are many households who have no endowment in Jamaica, meaning that they can’t look towards anything bequeathed to them from their family. There is no asset being passed down to them from generation. The only way that they are able to create any wealth is through their labour, through the dint of their effort – literally pulling themselves up by their bootstraps,” Mr. Holness said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that as the economy grows, the Government has a responsibility to take instrumental and decisive steps to break the cycle of intergenerational poverty and correct structural inequalities.

“The intention here is great, the amount may be considered small, but it is the first step in the right direction to truly create a more equitable society,” Mr. Holness said.

 

Contact: Judana Murphy

Release: JIS

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Port Royal Museum to Open in May

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#Kingston, Jamaica, March 26, 2024 – The long-awaited Port Royal Museum is expected to be opened in May of this year, with the first exhibit set to be unveiled at the event.

Construction of the two-storey facility, which will be the first fit-for-purpose museum erected in Jamaica, was done at a cost of $788 million with funding from the Port Authority of Jamaica (PAJ).

Major work on the building was completed in December 2023, with finishing touches and furnishings left to be done.

Director of the National Museum Jamaica (NMJ), Dr. Jonathan Greenland, told JIS News in an interview that the new museum will replace the older and much smaller facility at Fort Charles.

“It didn’t touch all the subject areas… so we lobbied for the Port Authority to collaborate with us and develop a museum in Port Royal, and so they’ve actually constructed a huge building with restaurant facilities, lots of parking, multifunctional space and meeting rooms, shops and everything that a modern museum should have,” he said.

The museum will also be fully accessible to members of the disabled community with wheelchair ramps and an elevator.

Dr. Greenland added that the location of the museum is also of notable significance to the history of the sunken city.

“Right on the spot where the museum is going to be, there was a rebellion of the enslaved workers from the dockyard. The leader of the rebellion or uprising was a skilled bricklayer and when you look at the walls around the whole area where the dockyard used to be, he was probably involved in building that,” he said.

He further pointed out that the museum will present a new opportunity for the NMJ to attract even more visitors and facilitate cultural tourism.

“We’re very excited…. and you know Port Royal is a very interesting place and the history is fascinating. We always had loads of visitors from all around the world without doing any marketing whatsoever, and this is going to be a whole different level of merchandising, marketing and tourism. This is fascinating history and it’s going to be quite dramatic,” Dr. Greenland told JIS News.

 

Contact : Jermi-Lee Nelson

Release : JIS

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