Monthly Archives: June 2019

As Jamaica joins the rest of the world in observing National Insurance Awareness Day on June 28, one financial planning expert, is using the opportunity to remind Jamaicans about the importance of insurance to their overall financial success.
Rose Miller, grants manager at the JN Foundation and Head of the JN BeWi$e financial empowerment programme, said insurance coverage among Jamaicans, remain woefully low.
“The low figures are not only in relation to life insurance, but all types of insurance, including health, motor vehicle and peril,” she said.
As it relates to health insurance, data from the Ministry of Health show that only 20 per cent of the population currently has health insurance. Eleven per cent of that figure are government workers, and nine per cent are persons employed in the private sector.
According to the Insurance Association of Jamaica, individual life insurance rates are slightly higher, with just about 28 per cent of the workforce having coverage.
“What this means is that it leaves a significant majority of our population extremely vulnerable, with many persons being unable to withstand any possible unforeseen event,” she said. “Accidents and illnesses that put you out of work or possibly cause disability, cannot be predicted.”
Mrs Miller noted that one of the major benefits of insurance is to provide persons with a layer of protection to guard against harsh blows from unfortunate, unexpected disasters.
She pointed out that major illnesses and deaths are devastating for families, especially if it is the chief breadwinner of the family who is affected.
“We have seen this happen in many cases, where households are severely retarded and persons set back years financially, because a family member becomes ill and they are forced to spend all their life savings on health care. Sometimes the person dies and there is no financial protection for the loved ones, who are left behind, because there was no life insurance,” she said.
Mrs Miller noted that part of what is needed is a culture change among Jamaicans, as it regards the importance of insurance, pointing out that this is possible with increased financial education.
“The first thing that many people will tell you is that they don’t have money for insurance, but what they don’t realise is that having insurance, in many instances, actually provides income when here is a covered incident, and prevents you from depleting your savings or forcing you into debt to take care of that incident,” she said.
“We must raise the awareness among our population, to the point where persons will begin to understand that insurance is a critical plank in building wealth and becoming financially secure,” Mrs Miller emphasised.
She said insurance has three main purposes. It can be used to create, preserve and transfer wealth.
There are several types of insurance, namely, life, health, motor vehicle, critical illness, property, liability, flood, and travel, among others.

Benefits of Insurance
• You will be better prepared for an uncertain future
• You will have some assistance to bounce back after a disaster
• The risk is shared – you are not carrying it all on your shoulders
• May also be used to provide income during retirement

General Advice
• Pay a little bit today for insurance to avoid paying a lot tomorrow when serious damage occurs 
• Never stop paying the insurance premium, because insurance is usually no longer valid if you haven’t made payments 
• Get life insurance when you are young, you will get more coverage for less
• Make sure that each bread-winner has some amount of insurance coverage
• Read through the policy thoroughly to familiarise yourself with the terms and conditions
• Review your insurance policies periodically
• Do some research to find out what’s available and compare benefits and premium before purchasing a policy

Four years ago, 23 year-old Fabian Jackson was uncertain about his future. The young Deaf man struggled with discrimination and barriers, which became more distinct when he entered the workforce.
This treatment of exclusion was not unique to him, as many persons in the deaf community, or persons with a disability, are faced with similar challenges, daily.
However, Jackson was shown a world of possibilities, when a friend invited him to be part of Deaf Can! Coffee, a social enterprise, which specializes in the brewing of coffee and employs people from the Deaf community. That invitation was just the beginning for Jackson.
“Often time, others look down on us, and they tell us we can’t; but, after my exposure to training and learning barista skills from my friend, Carlyle Gabbidon, I started believing that I could; and that all happened through the inspiration of Everlin Clarke, a Deaf coffee farmer in Top Hill, St Elizabeth, who taught us how to grow and roast coffee,” he said.
Jackson said that Clarke, who passed away last year, showed him and the rest of his team members that Deaf people can; and this encouraged him to want to be like him. He said that during the training he became excited about coffee and the technique to brew it.
“I started believing that I could also develop myself too, that I could step out into the world, and face the challenges, and that I can serve customers,” he related.
That attitude boosted his self-confidence; and he was promoted to be one of the managers at Deaf Can! Coffee. “I’m proof that Deaf persons can do anything,” he pointed out.
Blake Widmer, co-founder of Deaf Can! Coffee, said Jackson is one of more than 15 persons employed full-time at Deaf Can! Coffee. The social enterprise, which was established in 2015 has been doing well, with 12 outlets in Kingston & St Andrew, St Catherine, St Elizabeth and St James.
However, Widmer accredited the success of Deaf Can! Coffee to the JN Foundation and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), based on the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI), a six-year project, which ended last year.
“We look back four years ago, and assess how we have grown, and we grew through partnerships,” he informed. “Today, we celebrate that growth through partnership with the JN Foundation.”
Jackson informed that through SEBI, Deaf Can! Coffee was able to access grants to source equipment for their training centre; provided with networking opportunities, which allowed them to build awareness about their products and services; and marketing strategies, among other areas.
“When SEBI invited us to join the programme, we had no idea that we were going to become a social enterprise. Through SEBI, we learnt advocacy skills; and were provided with a platform to promote our message that, Deaf people can be productive,” he explained. “The opportunity to be in the JN programme really helped us to grow.”
Widmer said this growth was seen in the number of jobs created, where the enterprise moved from two employees to 13 after exiting the SEBI programme. Four more persons were recently added to the team. Revenues also moved from J$ 3 million to J$14 million in sales after participating in SEBI.
Onyka Barrett Scott, general manager of the JN Foundation, said she was happy that the JN Foundation, through SEBI, was able to contribute to the establishment of Deaf Can! Coffee, which is now creating employment for a set of young people, who would have been overlooked.
“At the JN Foundation, our vision is that Jamaicans, wherever they may be, are able to achieve their full potential. Our work with Deaf Can! Coffee demonstrates that we believe in inclusiveness; and that all Jamaicans not only have access to the right resources to fulfil their true potential, but also the skills they need to take hold of that access,” she maintains.

 Dionne Rose l JN Corporate Communications

Following the improvements to the school zones’ infrastructure at Hazard Primary School in Clarendon, under the JN Foundation and UNICEF X-Marks the Spot Crosswalk Road Safety Campaign, the school is reporting an uptick in its registration.
Sonia Thomas, vice principal at Hazard Primary School, said that not only do children have a safer commute to the school, but more parents perceive the school as the first choice for their children.
“We have been getting calls from community members and outsiders. Many persons would come to us and say, ‘you know we never know that there was a school up there.’ The landscaping has caught everyone’s attention, and we are getting commendations, but not only that, the registration has gone up,” Miss Thomas related.
“Registration began on May 1, and we are almost full,” she explained, pointing out that, “Prior to the rehabilitation, prospective parents would send their children to other schools, which are actually further away from their homes.
Hazard Primary School was the first of 18 schools to be upgraded under the X-Marks the Spot Crosswalk Road Campaign. The educational institution benefitted from the erection of: signage for bus lay-bys, pedestrian gates, the widening and paving of the sidewalks.
Onyka Barrett Scott, general manager of JN Foundation, said the work at Hazard Primary School represents an overall comprehensive programme, which will be rolled out in selected schools across the country.
“The overall goal of this initiative is to improve the safety of children at school, increase road user awareness; and improve the mechanisms to provide safe routes to school for child pedestrians,” she noted.
Ms Thomas stated that given the vast improvement to the safety of the school, the school administration will be lobbying for a name change to the institution, as the existing name implies danger.
“Because of JN Foundation, we can rest assured that children are secure, safer, [and] their self-esteem and self-image have risen, as they are learning in a safer holistic condition and their performances have improved,” she said with pride.
“JN Foundation has not only lifted the image of the institution, but also the spirit of the teachers and the community,” she added.
The X Marks the Spot Road Safety Campaign is a collaborative effort between the JN Foundation; the United Nations Children’s Fund and the Abertis Foundation; and its objectives are in line with the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
The overall global goals of the Child Road Traffic Injuries Prevention Programme, is to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals targets 3.6 and 11.2, to protect children from death and injury on the roads; and provide a safe journey to and from school for every child.

Contact: Dionne Rose l JN Corporate Communications

The Jonathan Grant High School and Spanish Town Primary and Infant Schools in St Catherine, will benefit from structural and aesthetic improvements on Labour Day, March 23. The work will be spearheaded by the JN Foundation in collaboration with other companies and organisations in The Jamaica National Group.
Onyka Barrett Scott, general manager of JN Foundation, said that work at these schools will include the painting of pedestrian crossings and curb walls; drain cleaning, de-bushing and beautification of sidewalk areas.
“These schools were selected in line with the national programme, which will focus on child road safety, under the theme “Child Safety… it’s you, it’s me, it’s all ah we,” she said.
Mrs Barrett Scott explained that work at Jonathan Grant High School will continue after Labour Day, under the on-going “X-Marks the Spot,” School Crosswalk Safety Campaign, which is being spearheaded by the JN Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica; FIA and the Abertis Foundation.
The improvement activities, will include upgrading of the schools infrastructure; the erection of signage for bus lay-bys; pedestrians gates; as well as, the widening and paving of sidewalks.
The JN Foundation and UNICEF will also partner with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in its Labour Day activities at three educational institutions: Papine High School in St Andrew; Holland Primary School in St Elizabeth; and Fair Prospect Primary in Portland.
Papine High School will benefit from the installation of signs; installation of concrete seats in designated areas; painted pedestrian crosswalks and curb walls; as well as, a chain link fence.
At Holland  and Fair Prospect Primary Schools, employees of the JN Group locations within the parishes of St. Elizabeth and Portland respectively; along with representatives of the JN Bank Member Advisory Councils and Act!on Jamaica volunteers, will paint pedestrian crossings and curb walls; install signs and carry out general beautification of the school’s property.

Denham Town Primary on Spanish Town Road which is one of eighteen schools that will receive improvement activities under the X Marks the Spot project within the next three years, was selected by Urban Development Corporation (UDC) as their Corporate Labour Day project. With support from the JN Foundation, they will be executing remedial work at the school in keeping with the national theme.

Mrs Barrett Scott said that the JN Foundation welcomed the opportunity to partner with the government and its agency on Labour Day; and commended the elevation of road safety onto the national platform.
She noted that, over the past decade, some 70,000 traffic crashes have occurred within 100 metres of school zones across the country. As a result, some 120 children lost their lives from these crashes, within the past five years; and a significant number of youngsters have suffered from life-changing injuries.
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Contact: Dionne Rose l JN Corporate CommunicationsThe Jonathan Grant High School and Spanish Town Primary and Infant Schools in St Catherine, will benefit from structural and aesthetic improvements on Labour Day, March 23. The work will be spearheaded by the JN Foundation in collaboration with other companies and organisations in The Jamaica National Group.

Onyka Barrett Scott, general manager of JN Foundation, said that work at these schools will include the painting of pedestrian crossings and curb walls; drain cleaning, de-bushing and beautification of sidewalk areas.
“These schools were selected in line with the national programme, which will focus on child road safety, under the theme “Child Safety… it’s you, it’s me, it’s all ah we,” she said.
Mrs Barrett Scott explained that work at Jonathan Grant High School will continue after Labour Day, under the on-going “X-Marks the Spot,” School Crosswalk Safety Campaign, which is being spearheaded by the JN Foundation in collaboration with the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Jamaica; FIA and the Abertis Foundation.
The improvement activities, will include upgrading of the schools infrastructure; the erection of signage for bus lay-bys; pedestrians gates; as well as, the widening and paving of sidewalks.
The JN Foundation and UNICEF will also partner with the Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport in its Labour Day activities at three educational institutions: Papine High School in St Andrew; Holland Primary School in St Elizabeth; and Fair Prospect Primary in Portland.
Papine High School will benefit from the installation of signs; installation of concrete seats in designated areas; painted pedestrian crosswalks and curb walls; as well as, a chain link fence.
At Holland  and Fair Prospect Primary Schools, employees of the JN Group locations within the parishes of St. Elizabeth and Portland respectively; along with representatives of the JN Bank Member Advisory Councils and Act!on Jamaica volunteers, will paint pedestrian crossings and curb walls; install signs and carry out general beautification of the school’s property.

Denham Town Primary on Spanish Town Road which is one of eighteen schools that will receive improvement activities under the X Marks the Spot project within the next three years, was selected by Urban Development Corporation (UDC) as their Corporate Labour Day project. With support from the JN Foundation, they will be executing remedial work at the school in keeping with the national theme.

Mrs Barrett Scott said that the JN Foundation welcomed the opportunity to partner with the government and its agency on Labour Day; and commended the elevation of road safety onto the national platform.
She noted that, over the past decade, some 70,000 traffic crashes have occurred within 100 metres of school zones across the country. As a result, some 120 children lost their lives from these crashes, within the past five years; and a significant number of youngsters have suffered from life-changing injuries.

 Dionne Rose l JN Corporate Communications