Caribbean News

Jamaican Medical student lauds PATH for scholarship

Published

6 years ago

October 31, 2017

#Jamaica, October 31, 2017 – Kingston – First-year medical student at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jinelle Henry, has lauded the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) for not only assisting her through the secondary years but also giving her a scholarship to help fund her Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) degree. Ms. Henry, 21 years old, is the eldest of five children for her mother, Latoya Williams, a vendor from South Hampton, St. Elizabeth.

In an interview with JIS News after she was awarded by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security during their 15^th Anniversary Scholarship Awards ceremony on October 27, Ms. Henry, who has been on PATH for years, said the scholarship she received has gone a far way in allowing her to officially begin on her path to becoming a medical doctor.

“PATH was really good, especially in high school, because I got lunch every day in grades 10 and 11. It was not anything to be ashamed of. Basically, scholarships sent me to school. In the summer before school opened, I used to walk and drop off letters seeking grants,” Ms. Henry, a graduate of Hampton School in Malvern, says.

“I’m really excited (about the scholarship), because if I never got it from PATH, then I wouldn’t be able to continue school. I feel good that my University school fee has been paid. I could not afford the $3.5million per year without the subsidy. I now pay approximately $624,000 per year with the subsidy from the Government,” she adds.

Becoming a medical doctor is not the career Ms. Henry initially wanted, but must pursue this course of studies given that she hopes to become one of Jamaica’s future forensic pathologists – professionals who determine the cause of death by the examination of corpses.

“I knew I wanted to become a forensic pathologist when I started volunteering at St. Ann’s Bay Hospital where my father, Barrington Henry, works as a porter, and at May Pen Hospital where my aunt works. My father said they were bringing people in to be pathologists, and I wanted to fill the gap. At first, I wanted to become a teacher, but since grade 10 when I began specialising, I started doing biology. I really liked the sciences, as they challenged me,” Ms. Henry notes.

Her dream of starting the MBBS was delayed last year, as she was not accepted for the programme.

“It works on a point system. I missed the subsidy by one point and I did not get in, so this is my second year of university, but first year of medicine. I was doing a pure and applied science degree as an alternative to transfer into medicine,” the determined and self-motivated student tells JIS News.

At the end of her first year at UWI, Mona, she achieved a grade point average (GPA) of 3.42, reapplied and was accepted. Ms. Henry says ever since she was a student at Mount Osbourne Primary School in St. Elizabeth, she knew she had to aspire for greatness to lead herself and her family out of poverty.

“I was a bookworm and still am. I always had my books, even on summer holidays. Life wasn’t easy. Because my mother had five of us, and I am the eldest, I had to help my mother with everything. It wasn’t easy, but I managed,” she says.

Ms. Henry also lauds her church family and Hampton School’s Old Girls’ Association for assisting her through the early years.

“I am a church person and I used to attend the Leeds Church of God in St. Elizabeth often. My church was very involved in my life,” she says.

In addition to PATH’s 15^th anniversary scholarship, Ms. Henry notes that she has been awarded grants from Hampton School’s Old Girls’ Association, a Peace and Love academic scholarship, and grants from the Portia Simpson Miller Foundation in 2016 and 2017. She says her next goal after becoming a medical doctor is to elevate her family from poverty, especially her mother.

“My mother has been the rock and supports me all the time,” Miss Henry tells JIS News.

PATH is an initiative of the Government, with support from donor partners, such as the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank and other multilateral and bilateral agencies. The programme is aimed at delivering benefits by way of cash grants to the poorest and most vulnerable persons in the society.

The programme is administrated by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, which has responsibility to provide policy direction, guidance and coordination to the programme. Networking is done through 13 parish offices.

The main objectives of PATH are to increase educational attainment and improve health outcomes of the poor by breaking the intergenerational cycle of poverty; alleviate poverty by increasing the value of transfer to the poor; reduce child labour by requiring children to have minimum attendance in school, and serve as a safety net by preventing families from falling further into poverty in the event of adverse shock. As at June 2017, 70.62 per cent of registered PATH beneficiaries were children up to 18 years.

In celebration of its 15^th year of service to the people of Jamaica, PATH has offered tertiary scholarships valued at $15 million to beneficiaries pursuing bachelor’s degrees in accredited institutions, to assist in covering the cost of their tuition and books.

The scholarships were made available to PATH beneficiaries who had been recipients for at least the last three years of secondary school, had attained grade-one passes in at least eight Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) subjects, including Mathematics and English Language, and had either received a letter of acceptance to commence their courses of study in September 2017 or were already pursuing their studies and had a GPA of at least 2.5 during the last academic year.

Seventeen beneficiaries pursuing bachelor’s degrees in law, medicine, actuarial science, engineering, chemistry, plant biology and psychology received scholarships. The funds will be disbursed over a period of up to three years, with the condition of the recipients maintaining a GPA of at least 2.5.

By: Ainsworth Morris (JIS)

Caribbean News

One Nation TCI Pageant to Launches this Weekend

Published

13 hours ago

April 25, 2024

Shanieka

Dana Malcolm

Staff Writer

“Founded on the principles of Unity, sisterhood and community service,” is how Alicia Swann, One Nation TCI Founder, and President, describes the organization as it gears up for its inaugural showing, to be marked by a pageant and parade of nations, family fun day and cultural show.

When Magnetic Media spoke to Swann she explained the inspiration behind the name.

“The reason why we chose ‘One Nation’ was because we wanted to ensure that all of our beautiful ladies within the Turks and Caicos feel as if they are a part of our society. Speaking with the ladies I’ve gotten the opinion that a lot of them feel as if they are in our country but they don’t actually feel fully a part of it,” she explained. With constants whose heritages span the DR and TCI, TC-Trinidadians and more the contest is showcasing the rich and diverse culture of the country.

At least two contestants flew in from the UK and the US to participate in the pageant and the event is not just an array of pretty girls.

“We’ve taken the aspects of pageantry to another level, the young ladies have a platform based on our pillars of the organization which include education and mental health,” Swann continued “We wanted to ensure that they understand the value and importance of having a role and voice in society.”

The contestants were all allowed to choose an area to speak on and advocate for, and the President told Magnetic Media that so far the young women are taking the challenge seriously. There are 10 contestants overall, five in the ‘Miss’ category and five in the ‘Teen’ category.

The pageant is already receiving regional recognition as the eventual winner has been invited to take part in a regional pageant in St Kitts in August, a feat which Swann says she is extremely proud of.

In addition to that event a cultural showing, family fun day and parade of nations will be held.

“We will be honoring people from across the Turks and Caicos, out of every island, for their lifetime achievement in terms of giving back to their society. The persons being honoured are unsung heroes. They have been active in their communities in various roles and we felt the need to recognize all of them.” Swann explained.

The Founder didn’t share the names of those being honoured, preferring to leave it a surprise but did drop hints about who would be highlighted during the event; a smiling clinic nurse in South Caicos, a Grand Turk Taxi driver committed to the island’s development, a dedicated principal from North Caicos, a shipping pioneer from North Caicos as well and a creative founder from Providenciales.

“Our company is huge on ensuring that the community is involved and a part of doing that is ensuring that persons in the community are honoured,” the president said.

Several sponsors have stepped up to the plate including

No monetary support has come from TCIG but endorsements from both Rachel Taylor, Minister of Education, and Josephine Connolly, Minister of Tourism, have been shared and the girls are currently undergoing intense training with a pageant coach in preparation for their big night.

Swann is hoping that once the community has a chance to see what One Nation TCI is doing they’ll understand the importance of the events,

“We are a diverse culture and society and– we want people to understand the importance of diversity, supporting our young ladies and empowering them so they can see they have a role in the Turks and Caicos– The more we offer our young ladies [the more] we are able to retain that talent. Once they feel empowered the sky’s the limit.”

The Pageant and Crowning will be on the 25 and 26th of April while the parade and family fun day will be held on the 27th.

Caribbean News

Agriculture Ministry Providing Two Water Trucks to Serve St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

Deandrea Hamilton

#Kingston, Jamaica, April 24, 2024 – The Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining is to unveil two more water trucks this week, which will be used to service communities in St. Elizabeth and St. Catherine.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Floyd Green, made the disclosure during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

He also informed that of the $90 million earmarked to support farmers being impacted by the current drought, the Ministry will be providing additional support for storage and drip-irrigation systems.

“So, we have targeted about 600 water tanks and about 400 12-millimetre drip irrigation hoses, and that distribution has already started. Additionally, we have earmarked about $8 million to really help with our livestock farmers,” Mr. Green said.

“We know the difficulty that you’re facing now in this time; [it’s] very hard to get the right nutritional support for your animals. As such, we will be providing some hay, and we will [also] provide some trucking of water to you. Again, our livestock farmers, if you are in need, please contact the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and let us see how we can help in these times,” he further stated.

Mr. Green also encouraged farmers to download the RADA App, so that the Agency can “help guide you, not only in relation to what is happening on the rainfall side, but also in relation to your integrated pest management”.

“We do see some increases of certain types of pests during this time, and it’s important that our farmers are paying attention to that. It’s also important that you’re taking drought management seriously [by undertaking] soil mulching, looking at planting drought-tolerant crops, timely harvesting, implementing land husbandry treatments and contour ditches,” he stated.

Contact: Latonya Linton

Release: JIS

Photo Caption: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Mining, Hon. Floyd Green, speaking during Wednesday’s (April 24) post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House.

Donald De La Haye Photo

Caribbean News

RBC appoints new Head of Caribbean Banking

Published

2 days ago

April 24, 2024

Shanieka

NASSAU, April 21, 2024 – RBC Financial (Caribbean) Limited, (“RBC”) has appointed Chris Duggan, a native of the Cayman Islands, as Senior Vice President and Head of RBC Caribbean Banking, effective April 1, 2024. He succeeds Chris Ronald, who has been leading the bank’s operations in the Caribbean for the last 2.5 years and has recently returned to Canada as Regional President, Atlantic Provinces at RBC.

Duggan, who is based in Nassau, The Bahamas, is taking on responsibilities as Head of RBC Caribbean Banking to carry out the bank’s strategic direction and manage the overall business strategy and vision across the Caribbean region. He has a career spanning more than two decades in the financial industry across both the United States and the Caribbean.

Most recently, he was the Cayman Islands Government Representative to North America, in Washington DC, primarily focussed on financial services. Prior to his tenure for the Cayman Islands Government, he served as a senior executive at DART Family Office and Butterfield Bank.

RBC’s Executive Vice President, Personal Financing Products, Erica Nielsen said “We’re delighted to welcome Chris to RBC. Born and raised in the Caribbean, Chris has a deep understanding of the regional financial landscape and a passion for representing the culture. He is highly driven, outcome focused, and passionate about building trusted relationships with clients, communities, and employees. His appointment demonstrates our continued commitment to the region. I am confident that under Chris’ leadership, Caribbean Banking will continue to grow and serve our clients and communities.”

As an active member of the communities where he lives and works, he has held leadership roles on the boards of numerous charitable organizations over the years. Duggan was awarded the Queen’s Certificate and Badge of Honour in recognition of his outstanding service to the Cayman Islands community during the COVID-19 Pandemic.