It is such a great honour to be Chairman of the Digicel Jamaica
Foundation
Here is my welcome address at the launch of their Annual Report
for the year ended 31 March, 2016. The
event was held at the Digicel Regional Headquarters in downtown Kingston,
Jamaica on Thursday 13 October 2016:
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| Welcome Minister! Sen. Hon. Ruel Reid (3rd left) on arrival at event is welcomed by Jean Lowrie-Chin, Chair, Digicel Jamaica Foundation, CEO Samantha Chantrelle and COO Dane Richardson |
Master
of Ceremonies, Krystal Tomlinson; Senator the Hon Ruel Reid, Minister of
Education; Mrs Maura Barry-Boyle, Mission Director, USAID Jamaica; Mrs Lisa
Lewis, Immediate Past Chair, Digicel Jamaica Foundation; Digicel Jamaica
Foundation CEO Samantha Chantrelle
Dedicated
Partners in Education, Special Needs and Community Development; Members of the
Media; Colleagues of the Board, Management and Staff of Digicel Jamaica;
Friends all:
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| USAID Mission Director Maura Barry-Boyle |
On
behalf of our Patron, Denis O’Brien, Digicel Foundation International CEO Maria
Mulcahy and the Digicel Jamaica Foundation Team, it is a pleasure and an honour
to welcome you most heartily to the launch of the Annual Report of the Digicel
Foundation in Jamaica for the Year Ended March 31, 2016.
We are one of four such Foundations and similar launches are being held in Papua New Guinea, Trinidad & Tobago and Haiti, where their Digicel Foundation Team is actively on the ground assisting Hurricane victims. Our prayers are with our Haitian brothers and sisters.
Honourable
Minister, Senator, partners, this occasion is actually a celebration of the extraordinary
Jamaicans who make the work of the Digicel Foundation gratifying and
joyful.
As our
team members traverse the hills and valleys of Jamaica, the resulting projects
demonstrate the great faith of our people in their country and in themselves.
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| Carlyle Gabbidon & Fabian Jackson of DeafCan! Coffee |
You will note that in the financial year covered by this report,
US$3.6 million has been invested and that since the launch of the Digicel
Foundation in Jamaica 12 years ago, a total of US$262.2 million was invested in
projects for education, special needs, community development and the Respect
Jamaica campaign.
However,
this Annual Report goes beyond statistics to showcase our wonderful Jamaican
sisters and brothers. You will meet Son-Son, one of the children who blossomed
under the Education Enrichment programme in 104 primary schools,
generously supported by the USAID in partnership with the Ministry of
Education.
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| Donna Davidson - Early Stimulation Plus Programme |
You
will meet Shantoi and Samoi, special needs students who are responding well in
the Early Stimulation Programme.
You
will learn about Carlyle at DeafCan! Coffee who is now empowered to be a member
of the company’s management team, and also meet his colleague Fabian
later. You will enjoy learning about Respect
Jamaica Youth Ambassador Jherane, who created a prize-winning campaign against
gender-based violence.
Because
simply handing over a cheque cannot solve a situation, our Digicel Foundation
team, led by Samantha Chantrelle and senior managers Dane Richardson and
Patrice Smith-Sterling, have travelled throughout the island in response to
funding applications. They have worked
closely with our partners, honouring Digicel’s belief that human resources are
the most precious assets of any project.
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| Colleen Pigeon of the Canadian High Commission, with Digicel Foundation's Dane Richardson and Digicel's Trisha Williams-Singh |
The
board’s Project approval committee, chaired by Karlene Dawson examines
submissions, and we are amazed continually, at the efforts of the humblest
Jamaican folks.
They come to us, having
already secured other partners, or digging deep from their own resources. They
are hardworking, dignified Jamaicans, and we at the Digicel Foundation feel
very honoured to be their partners.
As this
morning’s event unfolds, you will hear more of their uplifting stories, and you
will be reassured that their extraordinary efforts will keep us on track
towards a strong and shining future for our beloved Jamaica.
Once
again, we heartily welcome you, as you share with the Digicel Foundation a
morning of faith, hope, love and respect.
Thank
you!
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