Jamaica's leaders step up for our students

Dr Henley Morgan is greeted by an appreciative student. At left is Hon Steadman Fuller, Custos of Kingston and Co-Founder-Chairman the Kingston & St. Andrew Development Foundation. He is also Chairman of
 Kingston Bookshop Ltd, major sponsors of the KSA Foundation

Observer column published 5 NOV 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

We were given a reality check on the nation’s children last week, and so we welcome the upcoming interaction of Jamaica’s leaders with students. The room vibrated with positivity at the Jamaica Conference Centre for the recent launch of the Kingston & St. Andrew Foundation Student Motivational Programme. Main speaker Dr. Henley Morgan announced that he held a record as a student at Ardenne High School, but as the audience started to applaud, he held up his hand to stop them.

“I broke the record as the student who had the most repeats in several forms at Ardenne High School,” he said to the startled gathering.  He said that his despondent father visited the Principal, Mrs. Olson, and asked her, “Please tell me what is wrong with this boy’s brain.” She responded, “There is nothing wrong with his brain, Reverend Morgan, the problem is with his mind.”

This was a turning point in Dr. Morgan’s life. He embraced the challenge to align brain and mind, transitioning from being a failing student to one of academic excellence – as he noted, “with more degrees than a thermometer.” 

Dr. Morgan’s Principal was, indeed, a perceptive educator – one who took the time to study her student. This is the insight and compassion demanded of those who take up a foundational profession that can make or break a child, a family and, indeed, a nation.

Dr. Henley Morgan, a Fortune 500 management consultant who moved his business into the heart of Trench Town, turned over $700 million last year to bolster its local economy. “You can achieve without selling your soul,” he advised.

The Co-founder and Chairman of the Kingston & St. Andrew Development Foundation, Kingston Custos Steadman Fuller, reminded us of the responsibility we have to our children. “The real objectives of the Programme are to get outstanding citizens to start a conversation with our young people,” he noted. “We have abandoned our young people and they have been put into a category as rude and uncouth, under educated and without a future, but we fail to understand those descriptions are about our own children.”

Political Ombudsman Hon Donna Parchment-Brown (left) and
MP Antony Hylton (right) are among the participants in the Programme

He challenged us to “take responsibility to see that our students are given all the opportunities to develop themselves as leaders, ready to replace us in the management of our country and businesses.”

Custos Fuller himself is a fine example of leadership and philanthropy.  Though his company, Kingston Bookshop Limited, he has sponsored the creation and operation of the Kingston & St. Andrew Development Foundation. He shared a sober truth: “I believe that our generation is afraid of the fact that we’ll have to make the transition and hand over to our young people in a short time; not when they are old as us.”

Custos Fuller, a trained teacher, opined, “I know Minister of Education has been doing a fine job in the development of education,” he said, “but for Jamaica to achieve its 2030 Vision we will need to build about 50 smart schools and to upgrade most of the present school structures and come up with new and technologically smart methods of teaching.”

Students listen in rapt attention

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education, 40 motivational speakers have agreed to visit high schools in Kingston and St. Andrew before the end of the year.  They include Prime Minister Andrew Holness, former Prime Ministers Portia Simpson Miller, Bruce Golding and PJ Patterson, Lady Patricia Allen, Custodes Fuller and Dr Patricia Dunwell, Chief Justice Brian Sykes, Ministers of Government MP Olivia ‘Babsy’ Grange, Senator Kamina Johnson-Smith, MP Fayval Williams, MP Ruel Reid, MP Floyd Green and Opposition MP Anthony Hylton, Police Commissioner Major General Antony Anderson and other leaders in business, education and civil society.

Director for Education Services in the Ministry's Region One, Dr. Kasan Troupe, urged the students to seize the opportunities which education offered them.  She quoted motivational speaker Les Brown, “Don’t let your dreams die with you.” She reflected on the challenges she faced as the child of a single mother living in the inner city, and her decision that she would aspire to the highest goals. “Programme yourself for success,” she urged.

It is said that young people are deeply motivated by their peers and so we felt excitement in the room when Fabian Morris, President of the National Secondary Schools Student Council stepped up to address his fellow students. He challenged them to “Imagine a Jamaica, where the average youth is fully self-aware that he/she is not just here to exist but rather to make a positive difference in this world.”

He said: “Sir Patrick Allen, Governor General of Jamaica, more often than not reminds us that there is nothing wrong with Jamaica that cannot be fixed with what is right with Jamaica. Colleagues, we have a great task ahead of us today, and that is to ensure that we become intentional about welcoming and motivating ourselves, whilst striving to live an empowered life.”

He then offered these four guidelines – worthy of being posted above every home study desk:

1.     Resist the urge to entertain negative self-talk. What you tell yourself every day you will believe and live out.

2.     Assess your circle of friends, because, who you truly are is manifested by the people we call friends

3.     Guard your mind, remember, if you feed your mind an unhealthy diet, you are destined to become sick maybe not physically but mentally. Read an uplifting book, listen to a motivational podcast, use kind words to affirm your worth. “I am bold, I am smart, I am loved, I am becoming better every day.”

4.     Lastly, let’s be open to celebrating ourselves and not comparing ourselves with others. Let’s vow to never allow comparison to rob us of our uniqueness.

Fontana Pharmacy - 50 years and growing

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness (third left) and his wife, Most Hon Juliet Holnes MP (fourth left), with executives of Fontana Pharmacy in Mandeville (from left), Ann Chang; Co-Founder, Bobby Chang (second left); Kevin Chang; and Ray Thierren, at the launch of Fontana Pharmacy’s 50th anniversary celebrations on January 17. Mr. Holness was the keynote speaker.

Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson - JIS 

Excerpt from Jamaica Observer column published 10 September 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

We were shopping around in vain for household items at an older store in Savanna-la-mar some years ago, when someone suggested that we check out the then newly opened Fontana Pharmacy, one of several branches of Jamaica’s largest pharmacy chain.  There we were greeted with a well-stocked store and helpful staff. What a bold move in a relatively small town.

Created in 1968 in Mandeville by Bobby and the late Angela Chang, their children Kevin and Anne responded to keen succession planning. Eighty-six-year-old Bobby continues as a Board Director in retirement, while Anne's husband Ray Therrien has joined the Board. The strong trio, Kevin, Ann and Ray have made  Fontana a household word and one of the most popular Jamaican shopping sites online.  

They will mark their 50^thAnniversary with the opening of a 35,000 square foot super store at the Waterloo-West Kings House intersection which it is reported “will feature a state-of-the-art pharmacy, one-stop beauty hub, extensive baby and children’s selections, wide-ranging house and home décor collection, full business centre, photo lab, bill payment and courier services.”

Jamaicans should be heartened by such developments which will create 80 new jobs in addition to the scores employed in the construction of the complex. Clearly we have solid investment opportunities, so we hope fellow citizens both here and in the diaspora will come on board and enjoy the benefits to themselves and to the country.

Renewable energy on a roll in Jamaica

Nobel Laureate Professor Anthony Chen

Excerpt from Observer column published 10 September 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

The specter of Kingston becoming submerged and the shoreline of Montego Bay becoming compromised should motivate every single one of us to do our part to protect our island and indeed our planet from climate change. The erosion at Hellshire beach and Little Ochie has sounded a loud alarm.

Last Thursday, Jamaica’s scientists and policy makers participated in a Forum at UWI, entitled “100 percent Clean, the ‘Why’ and ‘How’ of Jamaica’s Transition from Imported Fossil Fuels to Natural Resources.” Chair of the Forum Gerald Lindo, USAID Project Management Specialist for Energy opened, declaring that “Climate Change is the direst situation faced by civilization.”

Professor Anthony Chen, Member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which shared the 2007 Nobel Prize with former US Vice President, Al Gore and Professor of Applied Atmospheric Physics, led the discussion. He noted that Jamaica had joined with the NGO 350.org which states as its purpose: “cut CO₂ emissions and build a global movement for climate solutions”. Last Saturday, 350.org led a worldwide campaign #RiseforClimate, stating, “It’s a beautiful time to really feel global unity in the struggle for just climate action”.

Jamaica has been making some headway in renewable energy:  Prof. Chen shared that solar, wind and hydro generation accounted for between 15 and 20 percent of our energy supply. He acknowledged that the cost of installation of renewables was costly but that this was steadily becoming less expensive.

Prof Chen sees the day when renewables will cost much less that fossil fuel energy generation and is calling for a national spatial plan, mapping for wind, solar and hydro installations. He said that the tragic floods in Kerala and the extensive fires in California is awakening the world to the danger of global warming. California, he noted, had committed to 50 percent energy generation by renewables in 2025, and 100 percent by 2050.

Panelists Dr Masaō Ashtine and Dr Randy Koon Koon convinced us that indeed we can change our climate for the better, as they discussed applications, integration and socio-economic pathways. Dr Ashtine referred to the extensive solar installations at the Lady Hamilton Grand Palladium in Hanover and WISYNCO in St. Catherine.  I can add the multi-million-dollar Rainforest installations in both Montego Bay and Kingston. He gave us the big news that in my home parish of Westmoreland, financing had been secured for a 51 MW plant that will represent a quarter of Jamaica’s renewable energy portfolio.

Dr Ashtine foresaw JPS moving to micro-grids, guaranteeing greater energy efficiency. Dr Koon applauded the US$21.6 million JPS hybrid energy plant, the first of its kind in the Caribbean.  He said with the continued installation of renewables, Jamaica can reduce electricity cost by 67 percent! 

Therefore, we were heartened when Professor Alvin Wint took the podium and explained that the Generation Procuring Entity (GPE) which he chairs, has as one of its operating protocols special consideration for the procurement of renewable energy. His organisation, in conjunction with the PIOJ under the guidance of Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of the UWI Faculty of Science and Technology, has soberly acknowledged “what Jamaica will look like if we don’t act.”

He said the existing power plants will peak in 2020 and the plan is to phase out these heavily fossil-fuel dependent plants and install renewables, the cost of which is trending down.  He sees this as “important to Jamaica’s competitive advantage”. We must count first on ourselves, on academia, government, business and civil society to stay step with global efforts to literally save our planet.

We have to thank Dr Tannecia Stephenson, Head of the Department of Physics for convening an important Forum. We understand that this outstanding Convent of Mercy ‘Alpha’ graduate returned to her alma mater to teach for two years before continuing her post-graduate studies. What a good example: giving back to her school in a brilliant and practical way.

Mustard Seed’s 40-year embrace of God’s people

Mustard Seed Communities' founder, Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon (centre) gives the audience
an overview of the operations of the charity at Wednesday's launch of its 40th anniversary.
Seated from left are board members Thyra Heaven, Thalia Lyn, and executive director, Mustard Seed International,
Father Garvin Augustine. (Photo: Michael Gordon - Jamaica Observer ) 

Jamaica Observer column published 3 September 2018

by Jean Lowrie-Chin

Children who literally live in garbage dumps.  Children who walk miles to a Mustard Seed orphanage, not sure if they will be one of the lucky 900 to be fed that day. We watched the video and listened in awe to the narrative of Monsignor Gregory Ramkissoon, Founder of Mustard Seed Communities, now in Jamaica, Nicaragua, the Dominican Republic, Malawi and Zimbabwe, at the Launch of the organization’s 40^th Anniversary celebrations last Wednesday.

The name is taken from Jesus’ parable (Matthew 13:31-32): “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed … Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree…” And so, Gregory Ramkissoon, Trinidad-born UWI Lecturer began his small ministry in Mona Commons in 1978, growing it to serve thousands in residential, educational, agricultural and spiritual programmes.

Ordained a Roman Catholic priest in 1984, the legendary minister, his In

ternational CEO Father Garvin Augustine and local CEO Darcy Tulloch-Williams somehow manage to attract the most enthusiastic and compassionate staff members and volunteers who travel far and wide to serve. The Launch was supported by Board members Thalia Lyn and Thyra Heaven, and PR guru Berl Francis who has volunteered with Mustard Seed for decades.

Monsignor Gregory graduated from Boston College with a first degree in Urban Planning and Master’s Degrees in Philosophy and Theology.  A visit to the Olympic Way compound with its well laid out grounds and buildings, shows his planning genius.  This area has experienced unrest, but Monsignor Gregory says community members value the organisation and are protective of his people.

Brendan Hames (second left), IGT Regional Director – Caribbean was pleased to join the Mustard Seed Communities (MSC) in the celebration of the launch of their 40th anniversary. IGT has partnered with MSC through their global philanthropic effort – IGT After School Advantage Programme, contributing fully equipped computer centres so far at three MSC residences with plans to open two more by the end of 2018. Also sharing in the moment are Executive Director of MSC, Darcy Tulloch-Williams (left), Father Garvin Augustine, Executive Director, MSC International; Thyra Heaven and Thalia Lyn, MSC Board Members.

A scenic marvel is the Jacob’s Ladder community in St. Ann, a safety net for disabled individuals who cease to receive government funding at age 18.  The residence houses over 50 persons in a series of cozy cottages surrounded by various agricultural projects.  At the large Centre of Excellence donated by the Digicel Foundation, residents receive therapy and create art and craft which is sold to raise funds. Farming provides food for the various communities and the vision is to grow the residential population to 500 on the 100-acre property. Monsignor made an urgent appeal for funds to establish the well, important for this expansion; he has already raised $10 million of the $40 million needed, so please try to help.

Thyra Heaven and her fund-raising committee can take credit for the creation of the “Powerful Women Perform for Charity” concert, later expanded to include men, with the kind oversight of Broadcast Commission CEO Cordel Green and Michelle Wilson-Reynolds.  Supporters of the event will be happy hear that this year’s concert raised over $7 million for Mustard Seed. 

The organisation is keen on education so it was special for Brendan Hames, visiting Caribbean Head of IGT, to see its work.  IGT Jamaica led by Debbie Green, has donated After School Advantage computer learning centres to three Mustard Seed locations and plans to open two additional centres at Sophie’s Place in Gordon Town, and Matthew 25:40 (part of Dare to Care) at George Headley Drive in Kingston before the end of the year.

As reported in the Jamaica Observer last week, Monsignor Ramkissoon is appealing to the Government for a waiver on education tax, as this is a burden to his organisation which hires teachers.  We join him in this appeal as the massive work he has undertaken surely has saved our government millions.