Caribbean News
T&T: First-time dad pleads for men to step up to the plate!
January 1, 2019 – Trinidad & Tobago – Talisea Lily James was born to Kirby James and Akimbar Grant-James of Calder Hall at approximately 12:02 p.m. on December 25th, 2018 at the Scarborough General Hospital (SGH). Mr. 
James, an employee of the Division of Community Development, and his wife, who works with a family business, was overjoyed and feeling rejuvenated.
“I feel renewed and fresh again because it’s a happy moment. As a child it wasn’t easy but, as a man, I know how a father is supposed to operate and I thank God for that. Our child will be fathered and when she looks up at us, she will know that she has great parents. God is a miracle-working God. He worked miracles in our lives and this family will be a testimony family in years to come,” said Mr. James.
But even amidst the joy and excitement at the birth of his first child, Mr. James had his thoughts on other children. He made a passionate plea for men to step up to the plate and take care of their children.
“Fathers, you need to wake up, to step up, you need to get up because mothers cannot do it by themselves. They did not make a child on their own and they need our support. They need 100% from us. If we, as fathers, do what we have to do and really step up to the plate, the world would not be like this. Fathers, come to me if you need advice because I was and am still fatherless but I have a bigger father; I have God and I want you all to come to me and your life will never be the same again. If you are on drugs you will come off drugs, if you’re a vagrant you will not be a vagrant again. I love you and God is in charge,” he added.
On hand to make a presentation to the first-time parents were Mrs. Michelle Edwards-Benjamin, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Tobago Regional Health Authority (TRHA), Dr. Ogonna Okeke, Acting Medical Chief of Staff 
and Mrs. Sarah Celestine-Balfour, Acting Secondary Care Nurse Manager. Mrs. Edwards-Benjamin extended best wishes to the couple on behalf of the Secretary of Health, Wellness and Family Development, Councillor Dr. Agatha Carrington, and the Chairman, Ms. Ingrid Melville, Board of Directors, Management and Staff of the TRHA.
“On behalf of the Division and the TRHA, I congratulate you and your wife on the new addition to your family and wish you long life and prosperity. I am very pleased to see you stepping up as a father and may God continue to bless and keep your family,” she stated.
Talisea was the only baby born at the SGH on Christmas Day 2018. Gifts were also distributed by the team to children on the Paediatric Ward of the hospital.
Release: news.gov.tt
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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