Monthly Archives: November 2018

Housing developers are being urged to use water adaptation systems, and to install mechanisms to harvest and recycle rainwater for use in new housing developments.
This is the charge given by the Jamaica National Group’s Water Project Jamaica during a presentation to members of the Jamaica Developers Association, JDA, at a recent members meeting.  The meeting was held at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica’s (PSOJ) headquarters on Hope Road in Kingston, on November 6.
Speaking with members of the JDA after the event, Water Project Manager Jacqueline Cameron noted that despite challenges with our water supply, Jamaica has had the luxury of using clean, drinkable water in all areas of our household.  She therefore stressed the need for harvested rain water to be reused in common areas and for flushing toilets. This she indicates is something that our developers and engineers will have to take into consideration as we build the climate smart Jamaica of the future.
Cameron also noted that the Water Project was created to address issues such as these as well as limited financing available for water specific projects in housing developments. “Having recognised this shortfall, the JN Water Project was developed, based on a partnership between: the JN Foundation, the Inter American Development Bank (IDB), JN Bank, Climate Investment Funds, the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience, and the Multilateral Investment Fund” She noted.
“The great news for developers really is that through the JN Water Project, they will be able to access loans from JN Bank to install water adaptation devices” she explained. 
Probably most significant though is that the JN Water Project is the first project of its kind to be implemented in the Caribbean and globally by the IDB.
Robert Stephens, Demand Study consultant for the Water Project, while speaking at the Jamaica Developers Association meeting added “The IDB through the Water Project is looking at Jamaica to essentially set the pace for the rest of the Caribbean; and, the rest of the world, through this project. It has the potential to be up scaled, in terms of its applications, not only for housing, but in other areas, given changes in the market place. Therefore, it is important to begin to educate developers and home owners about the importance of saving water,”

“Climate change is affecting us severely. The fact is that, we need to increase the water resiliency in our housing developments; and, ensure that we use water efficiently, because the next possibility for war in the world could be about water,” he said.
Both Cameron and Stephens stressed the fact that  climate change has become more aggressive, pointing to longer droughts, heavier rainfall and an increase in the number of natural phenomena, such as hurricanes.
In March 2017 the IDB and The Jamaica National Group signed two cooperative agreements to provideJN Bank and the JN Foundation with funding to execute a four-year project called “Financing Water Adaptation in Jamaica’s New Urban Housing.”
This project seeks to enhance the country’s climate resilience through the use of water adaptation technology in the housing sector. The objectives are to facilitate the uptake of water adaptation measures in housing across Jamaica, including the use of rain water harvesting systems, water efficient taps and showers, low-flush toilets, efficient irrigation systems, grey water recycling facilities, and other relevant efficiency measures.

Contact:  Dionne Rose l JN Corporate Communications

Eighteen schools across the country are to benefit from physical improvements to their school zones road infrastructure over the next three years, which will be implemented by the JN Foundation’s “X” Marks the Spot Crosswalk Road Safety Campaign.

Parris Lyew-Ayee, chairman of the JN Foundation, made the disclosure at the unveiling of the upgraded infrastructure work done at the Hazard Primary School in Clarendon, on November 7, 2018, under the first phase of the “X” Marks the Spot Crosswalk Road Safety Campaign.

“The Campaign aims to encourage advocacy and discussions about road safety in schools and households; and to use the results of the Child Road Safety Assessment Report to identify other areas for the infrastructural interventions, which will include: the installation of crosswalks, signs, speed reduction surfaces and other counter measures,” said Mr Lyew-Ayee.

The JN Foundation chairman noted that Hazard Primary School was the first of 18 schools to be upgraded under the campaign. The educational institution benefitted from the erection of: signage for bus lay-bys, pedestrian gates, the widening and paving of the sidewalks.

Minister without Portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister and Member of Parliament for Clarendon Central, the Hon. Mike Henry, commended the JN Foundation and its international partners for the improvement undertaken at the school.

He said the school, which also has a Special Education Unit for physically challenged students, will greatly benefit from the upgrading; and should make students safer while in transit to and from school.

The “X” Marks the Spot Road Safety Campaign is being implemented in collaboration with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and UK-registered charity, the FIA Foundation, of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile.

Dr Rebecca Tortello, quality education specialist at UNICEF, said the children’s organisation was serious about road safety; and that the partnership with the JN and the FIA Foundations will help to raise awareness about road safety and increase understanding among students and the general public.
“Importantly, it will also enable us to uplift the crossing zones for 18 schools, in areas with the highest incidences of road accidents. We are working together with our partner the JN Foundation and our funders, the FIA and Abertis Foundations, to ensure that all of our children enjoy a safe route to and from school,” she said.
Rebecca Ashton of the FIA Foundation, stated that her organisation was happy to be associated with the “X” Marks the Spot Campaign; and, they are confident that it will have a positive impact on reducing road fatalities in the vicinity of the targeted schools.
The Campaign is being informed by a recently completed Child Road Safety Assessment Report commissioned by the JN Foundation, which provided baseline data to improve the safety of children on roads, particularly near, or on their way to school.
The research identified specific schools and zones where children are most vulnerable to incidences of road traffic crashes, injuries, and fatalities. These areas require specific infrastructural and/or safety interventions, both at the physical and social levels.
Over the past five years, more than 120 children have died on our nation’s roads. Additionally, an innumerable number of children continue to suffer from life-altering injuries, which are a direct result of the over 70 kilometers traffic crashes, within 100 metres of school zones, during the past decade.

Contact:  Dionne Rose l JN Corporate Communications