Monthly Archives: May 2020

THE work of the National Council for Senior Citizens (NCSC) — the umbrella organisation which provides support to senior citizens — was enhanced by a contribution of $1 million, thanks to Jamaica National Group.

The donation was made through the company’s recently announced Member Welfare Fund, which is to support Jamaicans in their response to the effects of COVID-19.

Cassandra Morrison, executive director of the NCSC who was a guest on the JN Circle Catch Up virtual series on May 14, said that the funds will be used to provide care packages to its members.

“We will be able to provide approximately 300 persons with food and hygiene packages. Therefore, this donation will go a long way to make life a little easier for some of our senior citizens,” she related.

Claudine Allen, member ombudsman of Jamaica National Group and team lead for the JN Circle, said Jamaica National Group was happy to make a donation to the council.

“Our senior citizens are one of the most vulnerable groups being directly affected by COVID-19. Hence, the group decided that it was fitting to make this donation to the organisation to assist its members,” Allen said.

Morrison stated that NCSC members, who are 65 years and older, are challenged based on being confined at home – which has become a new normal for them since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis locally.

She noted that, for the most part, individuals have been complying with the stay-at-home order. However, not all seniors understand the gravity of the virus.

“Some seniors are yet to fully comprehend why some of the restrictions are necessary, and why they themselves are at risk. Many seniors, particularly those in rural areas, are very independent. The threat and risk of COVID-19 is not something you can see, because it is not so tangible. And, fortunately, we are not seeing images of persons collapsing in the streets, such as what happens overseas. Consequently, it is yet to come home for some seniors,” she explained.

The executive director stated that the NCSC continues to work with the Ministry of Health and Wellness to craft messages that seniors can understand, and they work with the volunteers, on the ground, to pass on these relevant messages.

She also pointed out that the National Health Fund has been in communities providing support in filling prescriptions for seniors, and that corporate entities such as supermarkets have been delivering food items. Additionally, the council also works with volunteers who make telephone calls to seniors to check up on them.

“One of the main things that we would like Jamaicans to do is to protect the elderly and urge them to comply with the rules laid out by the Ministry of Health and Wellness [for them] to stay at home. We don’t want to look back post-COVID-19 and discover that we lost a generation of elderly citizens because we were careless,” she said.

When students at the Green Acres Nazarene Early Childhood Institution resume school after COVID-19, they will return to classrooms which are leak-free, courtesy of JN Bank.
“It has been more than one year since we have been trying to fix the roof; however, when it rains the roof continued to leak; and we had to move the children around to keep them dry,” explained Kalor Witter, principal of the St Catherine based institution.

She stated that JN Bank, through its Member Advisory Council, was approached for assistance and the financial institution responded favourable to the request.

“We, therefore, thank JN Bank for the work they have done. It is really appreciated; and we look forward to continue working with them,” she said.

Mrs Witter stated that the work, which included repairs to the roof, will provide a safer and more comfortable environment for learning; and for the preparation of meals, especially during bad weather. Signs were also installed at the institution. This, she noted, will aid in visibility and promotion of institution, to generate increased enrolment.

The 27-year-old school, with a student population of 73, serves the communities of Dover, Johnson Pen, Red Pond, Mercury Gardens, Old Road and Kitson Town in the parish of St Catherine.

A Christian institution, which caters to the holistic development of children ages three to six years, Mrs Witter said the school has been doing well; and has produced some excellent students.

Michelle Hinds, business relationship and sales manager, at the JN Bank’s Spanish Town branch, stated that she was happy that JN Bank was able to assist the educational institution.

“We are delighted to provide assistance for the school by repairing the roof. It is our hope that the students will be more comfortable in an environment which is conducive to learning even when rain falls.”

Miss Hinds pointed out that, “The JN MAC believed that this was a worthy cause; and, therefore, we decided to assist. The school is an asset to the communities it serves; and, it is our hope that the institution will continue to provide service in many years to come.”

Future community projects led by JN MAC will now be executed by the recently established JN Circle, a network of service clubs, which have been established to undertake activities that were previously pursued by JN MAC.

Contact:  Dionne Rose l JN Corporate Communications

Kalor Witter (right), principal of the Green Acres Nazarene Early Childhood School gives a tour of the school as completed work on the roof  was examined. Participating in the tour were (from left) Ariel Sinclair, acting business relationship sales manager, JN Bank; Chevanese Peters,project coordinator at the JN Foundation and Pastor Phillip Johnson, JN member

The Jamaica National Group has contributed some $1.5 million to the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ), to assist the country’s nurses in their fight against the spread of COVID-19.
The donation was made through the company’s recently announced Welfare Fund to support Jamaicans in their response to the effects of the disease.
Speaking on Thursday, May 7 during the JN Circle Catch Up virtual series broadcast via The Jamaica National Group’s Facebook page, president of the NAJ, Carmen Johnson noted that funds will be used to further protect nurses from exposure to the infectious disease.
“Our greatest concern is that we do not want our members to be overly exposed to COVID-19,” she pointed out. “Therefore, what we have agreed to do with that money is to source cloth masks for all our nurses; and we want to ensure that they have pockets so that they can change the filter,” she related, commending the JN Group for the contribution.
The NAJ president pointed out that discrimination from the public and within healthcare facilities continues to be a challenge for its members, although there has been some improvement in attitudes.   
“The greatest challenge that we have presently is two-fold. One, is the fact that we still have some level of discrimination, both in and out of the care facilities and the reason we are getting is because of the fear factor. Persons fear catching COVID-19 and one of the things is that they see our nurses as the transmission mode of the disease,” she related.
She noted that the attitudes of taxi men towards nurses have improved and nurses are no longer being shunned by operators, but she said the curfew poses a challenge to those who need to access transportation, especially in rural areas.
Beyond those challenges, however, Mrs Johnson said members of the public need to play their part to keep the number of COVID-19 cases down. She pointed out that many persons seem not to be taking the pandemic seriously because of the low number of deaths.
“We can’t wait until our numbers start to surge and our deaths increase, as we see happening elsewhere on our television, or hear on our radios. Therefore, everyone needs to really start playing their part, practice proper hand washing hygiene; but most of all, stay home if you don’t have to come out,” she urged.
The ‘JN Circle Catch UP’, will continue to focus on coping during the pandemic, next week. The series is broadcasted weekly, via Facebook Live, on The Jamaica National Group’s Facebook page at 6:00 p.m.

Contact:  Dionne Rose l JN Corporate Communications

FINANCIAL LITERACY expert Rose Miller is encouraging persons who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19 to look at ways to monetise their skills, to assist in earning an income.

“We all have gifts. Try and identify if there is a gift that you can use to earn an income. In fact, even while we are employed now, we do need more than one stream of income. Therefore, if we have a gift or talent, the aim should be to monetise that gift or talent to provide or boost your income,” she advised.

Miller, who is also the grants manager at the JN Foundation, gave this advice while addressing a ‘JN Circle Catch-Up’ session, a video series of conversations about how Jamaicans can come together to overcome various challenges associated with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

She encouraged persons to identify existing needs and seek to fill those gaps to earn an income. She noted that with the current high demand for masks and sanitisers, for example, several persons and companies have either entered into these markets, or diversified their product line to take advantage of the opportunities.

“We need to be creative and think outside of the box, because there are opportunities, and we should find the vision to tap into them,” she said.

To date, many persons have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The local tourism industry, which is has been hit hardest, accounts for some nine per cent of the country’s gross domestic product

The JN Foundation grants manager recommended that persons use the downtime presented by the pandemic to upskill and retrain themselves. She noted that there are numerous online courses currently being offered, which anyone can access free of cost.

“We are going to come out of COVID-19, therefore now is the time to retrain.”

Miller also encouraged Jamaicans to visit the JN Group’s website, www.jngroup.com/covid-19help, for information about how The JN Group is assisting persons to respond to COVID-19, and watch upcoming segments of the JN Circle Catch-Up series, which will focus on coping during the pandemic. The series is broadcasted via Facebook Live weekly on The Jamaica National Group’s Facebook page at 6 p.m.

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