Monthly Archives: September 2021

Launches Comprehensive COVID-19 Immunisation Drive

The Jamaica National Group is gearing up to embark on a comprehensive drive to achieve full immunisation against COVID-19 among its more than 2,000 employees and Jamaicans all over the country. The deadly respiratory disease has already killed more than 1,800 Jamaicans since March last year, and infected more than 81,000.

Aptly called the Immunise…Save Lives campaign, the multi-million dollar drive is in support of the national COVID-19 Vaccination Programme; and will arm people with information so they can make the best decision to protect themselves and their families, and place the country back on track to achieving its development goals.

In pursuit of these objectives, JN will be engaging communities in conversations; establishing various vaccination sites at several of its locations across the country; and implementing exciting incentives for its employees and members who choose to protect themselves and others from the ravaging disease. 

“As an organisation, our purpose goes beyond an opportunity to save in a savings account and obtain financial and other services”, said Earl Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer of the JN Group.  “Our true purpose has always been to enrich lives and enhance outcomes, so that, together, as one people, we can always be confident that we can achieve any possibility.”

Although Jamaica now has a fair supply of three different brands of vaccines for distribution- Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson- many Jamaicans remain hesitant about immunisation, due mainly to organised disinformation locally and globally, which has distorted understanding of how the vaccines protect people.

The Immunise…Save Lives campaign will be centred on simplifying information for Jamaicans by using accessible language, visuals and personas that will drive home the point. It will also seek to further expand physical access to the vaccines through partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The project will be driven by the JN Group Member Ombudsman, Claudine Allen, who is also General Manager of the JN Foundation.

“The objective is to establish trust and understanding, and to achieve that, we will be relying on the personalities, situations and language that are familiar to people and that they can identify with,” she explained.

The Foundation will rely on a strategically designed mass education campaign that will engage members of the public and employees in several for a on the ground and on the airwaves; online discussions and other means, to provide information and develop understanding and trust.

There are also special groups that will be targeted for immunisation, such as the elderly, persons with special needs and transport operators.

“We will be using all possible avenues to reach people, including volunteers, community outlets, public transport and other means,” Ms Allen emphasised, “and we will be designing sites in a way so that they are accessible to various groups, even if we have to bring it to them.”

The JN Group network itself will be saturated with messages, as the Group intentionally seeks to influence its employees, who will play an important role in carrying the JN message.

“We are going to be hosting interesting sensitisation sessions with employees and also targeting specific groups to help to carry the message within the network and to the public,” Miss Allen disclosed.

The organisation will be dispensing some $1 million in rewards monthly over the next three months to 200 people, who will be randomly selected each month from October to December to receive J$5,000 on a JN Money Card for making the decision to get immunised.

“Saving lives isn’t as difficult as we think. It’s as simple as seeking and spreading facts about COVID-19; being serious about personal hygiene and washing our hands, or getting a little jab. You’ll be amazed at how small personal actions can save thousands,” Ms Allen concluded. “We urge everyone to play their part.” 

D’Ashley McLean (right), former student of White Horses Primary & Infant School and first form student at Ardenne High, accepts a token from Claudine Allen, General Manager of the JN Foundation.   D’Ashley, JN Scholar for St. Thomas, is one of 37 students awarded five-year scholarships by the JN Foundation in recognition of outstanding performance in this year’s Primary Exit Profile test.

Thirty-seven students who recently matriculated to high schools across the country have been awarded five-year scholarships in recognition of their outstanding performance in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP). The recipients will be formally recognised as JN Scholars during a virtual scholarship reception to be held on Sunday, September 26.

The JN Foundation will award a student from each parish and county, while 20 of the awardees are children of employees of The Jamaica National Group.

This year’s scholarship award is in addition to approximately 100 JN Scholars, who are at various stages in their five-year scholarship, and who will have their awarded amounts renewed for the new school year.

JN Scholarship awardee for the parish of St. Elizabeth, Sydonia Nembhard, said she was overjoyed to be selected for this year’s award.

“I was proud and excited because my mom wouldn’t have to pay for all the expenses,” she related, adding that because she lives far from her new school, the transportation cost would be high.

Sydonia, an honour roll student and the top PEP student at Hopewell Preparatory School, achieved a placement score of 100 in Mental Ability this year and scored 90s in Language Arts and Mathematics, while still in grade four to secure a place at the Hampton School, an all-girl institution, also in St. Elizabeth, which was her school of first choice.

Claudine Allen, General Manager of the JN Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Jamaica National Group, commended the awardees for their achievement despite the challenges they faced with online learning in a pandemic year.

She pointed out that the annual scholarship awards are part of several sustainable initiatives that are undertaken each year to help persons find a way.

“Our goal is to invest in and empower our children to achieve academic success.  In a few years from now, they will be making a contribution to the development of our country, and we want  them to have the opportunity to begin establishing their leadership skills from early by ensuring that they get a good foundation in their education.  At a time when many parents are having financial challenges in providing the necessities for their children’s education, it was important for us provide that needed support,” Ms Allen said.

Approximately 550 scholarship applications were received through the JN Foundation website for this year’s award.  As part of the eligibility for the scholarship, the students and their parents must be JN members, customer, or clients of The Jamaica National Group for at least a year. 

This year’s PEP Parish Scholarship Recipients are Dante Butler, Almonique Hutchinson, Lliana Lammie, Tehilia Richards, Joel-lee Knight, Damir Fairclough, Djimon Staines, Kyle Walker, Sydonia Nembhard, Xaria Binns, Diamond Lahoud, D’Ashley McLean, Rhaymone Stewart, and Jameilia Wright

The JN Bank Easi Save awardees are: Ayana Blake, Aaliyah Gordon, and Zane Thompson.

The JN Employees’ children recipients are Camron Betton, Jordanne’ Newell, Dejario Dickson, Adrielle Jones, Hannah Lyons, Danielle Sinclair, Myles Morgan, Deshawn Daley, Jaylon Wilson, Makiya Malabre, Ebony-Jade Austin, Amirah Ben-Mohammed, Nadera Binns, Dario Wynter, Nia Yong, Reuel Allen, Dejon Barrett, Celina Brightly, Joshane Wilson and Khloe’-Renee’ Dacres.

In addition to the PEP scholarship awards, 16 students at the tertiary level, attending The University of the West Indies, the University of Technology, Jamaica, the Northern Caribbean University, and the University College of the Commonwealth, will receive financial assistance to pursue their studies.