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State Minister in the Finance and Public Service Ministry, Hon. Fayval Williams, says the Government is exploring the role of social enterprises in the development of vulnerable and crime-prone communities.
Social enterprises refer to those businesses that trade to tackle social problems, improve communities, people’s life chances or the environment. They make their money from selling goods and services in the open market and then reinvest their profits into the business or the local community.
Addressing the opening of the second staging of the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) Summit, at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston, on January 30, Mrs. Williams noted that critical to the development process in those communities is the partnership to be formed among stakeholders, such as the private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on one hand and the Government on the other.
“We, as a Government, are willing to sit at the table and share ideas with NGOs, social enterprises and the private sector to explore how institutions can successfully combine social values and goals with commercial business practices…to redound to social good,” she said.
SEBI aims to create an enabling business environment for social enterprises in Jamaica and to assist them in transitioning their grant-funded operations into a viable profit-making business.
The State Minister acknowledged that there would be “no easy solutions” in the discussions with the partners due to the delicate balance between social enterprises and commercial businesses that needs to be navigated as well as the fragility that exists with residents in vulnerable communities.
However, Mrs. Williams noted that the Government must take reasonable steps to facilitate the stability of social enterprises.
“With a rethinking of the way we do business, I am confident that together we can, with the establishment of a set of objectives, create social and economic value and generate income. We can create opportunities for job creation and community development that will result in an improvement in the lives our citizens,” she said.
Meanwhile, Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister, Hon. Karl Samuda, commended the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation for its work through SEBI.
He emphasised that the country needs to be more engaged in the concept of the SEBI, “which is extremely noble but requires exposure.”
Mr. Samuda argued that SEBI is a similar concept to the Government’s overall national thrust for the expansion and development of small and medium-sized enterprises.
For her part, Mission Director of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Maura Barry-Doyle, and a sponsor of the event, said the SEBI Summit is a method of ensuring Jamaica’s health and prosperity.
She also indicated that the Summit is an important platform to promote social enterprises.
In his remarks, General Manager of JNBS, Earl Jarrett, said SEBI seeks to improve and increase the number of social enterprises by providing sound leadership in the development of the Jamaica social enterprise sector.
SEBI, he informed, also seeks to infuse the appropriate levels of governance and management to ensure that the organisations achieve sustainability.
Social entrepreneurs attending the two-day Summit will benefit from focused discussions from speakers on the social enterprise sector.
Among the speakers of the event are Derreck Kayongo of the Global Soap Project from the United States and Doris Leung from Hong Kong and her Diamond Cab Service.
The Summit was organised by the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation.

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One of the most innovative elements of the upcoming SEBI Summit 2017 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel on January 30 and 31, will be the Jamaica Social Exchange.
Powered by the Development Bank of Jamaica (DBJ), the exchange is a market place to feature a wide range of products and services available locally from 16 participating social enterprises and social entrepreneurs.
The Jamaica National (JN) Foundation, JN Small Business Limited and the DBJ will also have a presence in the space.
The event is being hosted by the JN Foundation’s Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI) in collaboration with USAID.
The products on offer will range from eco-tourism tours; mobility aids and services; home décor and personal accessories made from wood cast-offs and specialty coffees.
The Jamaica Social Exchange will be open to both summit attendees and the wider public.
 “The name was selected in keeping with the stock exchange theme, which is symbolic of a business being at a significant place in its growth cycle and trajectory.  This is the kind of outcome we project for the social sector,” said Saffrey Brown, General Manager of JN Foundation.
 She noted that the Jamaica Social Exchange would facilitate the sale of goods and services, while providing networking opportunities.
 “We look forward to introducing this concept to the Jamaican public, as we continue to create opportunities for learning about the social enterprise sector and the important role which it will continue to play in providing innovative programmes that assist communities,” Ms.  Brown continued.
 Dianna DaCosta, Manager of Research and Business Analytics at the DBJ said she was pleased to be partnering with SEBI to power the Jamaica Social Exchange.
 “Given the mission of the Development Bank of Jamaica to facilitate economic growth and development across all sectors, we felt it was the right thing to get involved with the SEBI Summit, especially as we are seeking to create a financial product that will be inclusive of the social enterprise sector. Participating in the summit will, therefore, allow us the opportunity to get acquainted with those persons in the network and better understand their needs, so that we can work with them to grow their businesses,” she said.
One of the 16 social enterprises expected to showcase its services at the SEBI Summit is the Bunkers Hill Cultural Xperience & River Tour, in Trelawny.
According to Clover Gordon, CEO: “We are excited to be a part of the SEBI Summit which will give major exposure to our small community.  We thank SEBI for its continued assistance, especially through the promotion of our attraction which seeks to expose the culture of Jamaica to locals and visitors to the island.  We offer a river tour and a hiking trail, where persons can sample our traditional foods and view the markings left by the Tainos,” she said.
Another social enterprise which will be on show is PSDO Mobility Centre on Hagley Park Road, Kingston.  Founder of the Centre, Bridgette Johnson, said she looked forward to grasping every chance to make business connections at the Summit.
“We hope to get well needed publicity as we plan to move into the manufacturing of wheel chairs, walkers and crutches.  Currently we have 20 well trained persons in these services, as well as the installation and retrofitting of buildings to include ramps and we look forward to growing this area,” said Johnson.
Deaf Can! Coffee was founded on the belief that Deaf persons are equal to those who can hear. 
“The world needs to recognise that fact. We are particularly pleased to be participating in the SEBI Summit especially as one of our head baristas, Fabian Jackson, will be a speaker at the Official Opening Ceremony.  This is an incredible achievement, as the young man has great ability and will be able to show that to hundreds of persons at the event.  In fact, his participation will lift the profile of the Deaf so that everyone will be able to see that the Deaf can do anything. In addition, the networking opportunities will be great, as we will be able to meet local and international persons and widen our network base”, said co-founder Blake Widmer.
For Lacey-Ann Bartley, Managing Director of Bartley’s All in Wood, social enterprises are at a disadvantage, compared to strictly for profit operations.
“So, this Summit will allow us to not have to compete for visibility with the strictly for profit groups.  We can tell our story and sell our products to benefit not only ourselves, but persons in our community and bring attention to the various causes we support, including vulnerable persons from rural Jamaica and those with disabilities.  In fact, at Bartley’s All In Wood we employ persons who are hearing impaired and at-risk youth,” she said.
Other sponsors of the Jamaica Social Exchange include Digicel Foundation and IADB.  In addition the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel – venue for the two-day Summit – will contribute to the pre-event promotion, with messages placed on tables in the Café 24/7 in the days leading up, while café workers will wear ‘Buy Social’ buttons.
The British Council is also a sponsor of the SEBI Summit.

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I entered the social sector fresh out of The University of the West Indies, Mona nearly two decades ago; and have been firmly planted in the sector since. During this time, I learnt that most people don’t understand how truly versatile the social sector is; mainly because we grew up placing things in well-defined boxes.

If we look at our approach to development in Jamaica, we often see things in separate disciplines. It’s the same way we have viewed political parties: are you democratic, socialist, communist,et al? However, development is about interdependence. It’s about using varying strategies and methodologies to create shared value, so that people and planet benefit.

Historically, we accept the premise that if you are going to create social value, then that’s all you should do. And if you are operating a business, then you are here to generate profit, and that’s all you must do.

But, there is a growing movement over the past few years, which understands that creating shared value and contributing to national development requires the integration of the triple bottom line: people, planet and profit; otherwise known as “The Three P’s”.

The triple bottom line was coined by John Ellington, founder of the British Consultancy firm, SustainAbility, in 1994, who felt that only the companies that measured all three bottom lines knew the full cost involved in doing business.

Ellington was speaking about two things – sustainability and impact. By not having a clear sense of the impact of business on all areas of society, we often focus on one of the Three P’s at the costs of the others; and, therefore, create negative impact and non-sustainable solutions.

However, this isn’t only about social and environmental considerations when doing business. It’s also about economic considerations when delivering social or environmental solutions, not in terms of balancing a budget and fundraising, but, in terms of integrating business as a core methodology and principle to delivering social solutions.

What I’m referring to here is the coming together of business and civil society, to create sustainable and scalable positive social, environmental and economic impact.
The mechanism for creating this shared value is called a “social enterprise,” a business paradigm, in which social change can be enacted using practical, innovative, and sustainable business techniques.

Dr K’adawame Knife, a leading researcher in the field of social entrepreneurship, has identified social enterprises in Jamaica that show a return on their investment of up to 1,128 per cent.

Jamaica has adopted this model for almost 150 years. By using the collective interest to develop business solutions such as farmer and fisher cooperatives, mutual building societies and credit unions, Jamaican social entrepreneurs have been delivering shared value across the country for generations.

If we look at any of the main social challenges facing us in Jamaica today, there is a local social enterprise providing solutions to address that issue. Let’s explore the issue of the marginalisation of Jamaican’s who are differently abled.

Traditionally, members of the deaf and hearing-impaired communities have had great difficulty accessing employment, yet they have the intellectual capacity to contribute to the national economy. The Jamaica Association for the Deaf (JAD) recognised that a key barrier to members of the deaf community becoming independent, was the issue of employment.

That issue was coupled with the survival of JAD, which, like the majority of other NGO’s, was facing a growing funding crunch that was getting worse. Therefore, the solution was to develop a social enterprise, JAD Binders, which became a source of income for JAD, as well as a source of employment and a training facility for its community members.

JAD Binders specialises in fine hand binding, gold leaf printing and book restoration and, the reality is that when you buy from JAD Binders, you are getting a great product. In addition, you are helping to create sustainable and scalable impact for what was once, a very marginalised community.

Peter Holbrook, the CEO of Social Enterprise UK (SEUK), says that the role of social enterprises is to win customers and create more impact. This is not too different from traditional business, which sees its role as retaining customers and creating shareholder value. However, social enterprises recognise that shareholders are the larger community, and that value must be for the collective, and not only for the few.

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The JN Foundation and the Usain Bolt Foundation delivered gifts to the young ladies at the Granville Place of Safety in Trelawny recently.

The occasion marked the official presentation of funds raised from the inaugural staging of the Heroes in Action 5K Run/Walk, under the auspices of both foundations, in 2015.

The presentation took place on the neatly manicured lawn of the home, which caters to approximately 700 girls who are deemed vulnerable and in need of special protection. It provided a welcomed departure from the daily activities at the place of safety.

More than 60 representatives of the facility, including wards and employees, gathered for what turned out to be a morning of inspiration, celebration, well wishes and electrifying entertainment.

In fact, the event was tailored specifically for the girls; and the objective throughout the event was to focus on avenues which will enable the advancement of the girls to become change agents in their respective communities.

THANKFUL FOR SUPPORT

Saffrey Brown, general manager, JN Foundation, expressed gratitude for the level of support shown to the beneficiaries, and noted that the true winners of the Heroes in Action initiative were the girls in residence at the place of safety. She also declared that the hundreds of runners, walkers and sponsors who supported the cause were “cheerleaders for a worthwhile cause”.

“The plight of young girls at the Granville Place of Safety influenced us at the JN Foundation to do something to make a difference in their lives. We recognise that communities in rural Jamaica are faced with limited resources and other constraints,” Miss Brown stated. “However, we were convinced that these issues could be combatted through solid partnerships and community-based activities designed to provide opportunities for the well-being of residents in Trelawny and, in particular, our children.”

The funds raised from the 2015 staging of the Heroes in Action Run/Walk will be used to construct a media library for the girls and to enhance their immediate surroundings.

The event was a celebration, with cheers of approval from the wards, who were made privy to the possibility of the project, resulting in the upgrading of the layout and increased comfort in their dormitory.

TIMELY DONATION

This announcement came from Rosalee Gage-Grey, chief executive officer of the Child Development Agency (CDA), who informed the residents that “this donation is quite timely, as we continue to forge partnerships to aid in the educational pursuits of the girls; and once we complete the additional building, we will be able to expand the dormitory to provide more space for residents”.

She also affirmed that “the CDA was heartened to know that through initiatives, such as Heroes in Action,’ we can provide additional support to our children who are going through hard times. We want them to be transformed to become change makers when they leave state care”.

In her assurance to the wards of the state, Winsome Wilkins, chair of the Usain Bolt Foundation, used the Usain Bolt’s story as an inspiration. “Usain would say to you, believe in your dreams, as anything is possible. If it happened to him, it can happen to you. Simply believe in yourself.”

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The Jamaica National Group displays a refreshing affinity for partnering with like-minded charitable institutions in its drive to do public good.

It empowers those it commits to uplift by providing them with modern day’s most potent and transformative tools: education, financial literacy and job skills.

Hundreds of young Jamaicans who want to join the labour market are now better prepared to face potential employers because of experiences being passed on to them at learning centres that the building society-led group has established in working class communities across the island.

These facilities are an important step in a sustained effort to improve national student performance at multiple levels of the educational system. The millions of dollars in scholarships and bursaries that the organisation awards each year also serve as a virtual lifeline for students and young adults who are striving for a brighter future.

The charitable arm of this financial group – The JN Foundation – was registered in 1990, just about the time when the institution began its transition to the multifaceted conglomerate it is today. The foundation was created to serve as the vehicle by which the group would channel the corporate social responsibility outreach that was being undertaken by individual subsidiaries and through its branch network.

Chaired by Earl Jarrett, the head of its parent company, the JN Foundation has four full-time members of staff with the day-to-day operation overseen by a general manager, Saffrey Brown. Its work is supported by the subsidiaries within the wider JN Group, each setting aside between 3.5 per cent and 5 per cent of its annual statutory profit as its contribution.

Jamaica National has an ambitious and bullish national agenda and counts among its many goals the creation of a well-trained and robust workforce that can help the country achieve its long-term economic vision.

It has in place a programme that is shepherding non-governmental organisations (NGOs) towards weaning themselves from their chronic dependence on charitable donations. Thousands of Jamaicans depend on these institutions for survival.

All of this activity has not come cheap. Last year, JN spent $159 million on its many causes, and during the five-year period 2011 to 2015 the tab added up to nearly $700 million, about a quarter of which was provided by international agencies with which the foundation collaborated to bring many of its projects to fruition.

“The ultimate aim of the foundation is to build a skilled, educated and healthy workforce to support the sustainable growth and development of Jamaica,” declare the managers in responding to queries made by the Business Leader Award programme about their charity. The goal, according to them, will be achieved “through consultations with stakeholders and with extensive research into the national development priorities”.

The JN Foundation has carved out a unique virtual space within the world of charity for its unerring promotion of personal safety, particularly targeted at protecting the country’s young and its most vulnerable. This undertaking is supported by the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, a global entity dedicated to road safety.

One programme that has cemented the foundation’s reputation as a prodigious nurturer of entrepreneurism is the Social Enterprise Boost Initiative (SEBI). In 2012, the project was seeded with a US$1-million grant from the United States Agency for International Development, with JN as the managing partner and executer.

Brown told the Business Leader Award programme that SEBI was developed to help NGOs reduce their dependence on donation by transforming them into viable social enterprises. JN relies on a combination of in-house expertise and hired consultants to serve as mentors to these entities. The mentors expose them to best business practices and help them establish procedures and structures that give them a fighting chance at achieving sustainable profitability and growth.

From Brown’s perspective, this approach has been a win-win for all. Not only do many of the NGOs eventually make the transition to profitable businesses, along the way they are able to help some of the very individuals who were once recipients of their charity into making their own transformation to productive contributors to the enterprise.

“We started to look at not-for-profit to become sustainable,” Brown explains. “They can transition into the social enterprise model. The young people get trained and receive jobs within the businesses, and we use them as part of the social intervention.”

The Mustard Seed Community in St Andrew is one example of an NGO that is making this journey. Its egg production operation, along with its tilapia fish farm, have been reshaped along the lines of real businesses and both are now operating at higher efficiency levels and with greater output and profitability.

The same is true of the Multicare Foundation in Kingston, and Portmore Self-Help Mobility and Resource Centre. These are among the 60 NGOs that are at various stages in their metamorphosis towards becoming self-financing social and economic enterprises, thanks to the work being done by the JN Foundation.

Among the early, quantifiable success of this programme:

They have generated more than $38 million in revenue and have provided employment for 130 individuals from the communities where they are located – though the human impact is much broader, with 720 community members being uplifted in one form or the other.

Together, these businesses have launched 15 brand new products and six of the groups have gone on to put in place new programmes that are designed to protect and preserve the environment.

Jamaica National says that these organisations received some $28 million in direct funding and estimates that they have benefited from an additional $66 million in the form of in-kind support.

Yet, in assessing the impact of this programme, Brown argues that an important factor that is to be taken into consideration is that these entities now have a sustainable template for success that they can use as they continue to take advantage of new business opportunities that emerge within their markets.

The JN Foundation is also making its presence felt in selected working class neighbourhoods with another of its corporate social outreach projects.

In 2007, it took to the inner-city community of August Town in St Andrew, its latest initiative to uplift the underserved residents. It constructed a facility – which it branded The Source Centre – equipping it with wireless Internet cafe, audio-visual room for training and meetings, community business office, photocopy machines and so on. Residents now had access to these services without having to leave their neighbourhood.

Others followed in Maverley, St Andrew; Treasure Beach, St Elizabeth; Ocho Rios, St Ann; and Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland.

Each of the five centres has a core service which allows it to earn revenue for self-sustainability, while each community typically adds services to meet its peculiar needs. For example, the August Town location has an employment readiness programme where a consultant helps residents of the community prepare for job interviews.

“These are basic skills that we take for granted but which many of them have never been exposed to,” says Brown.

Another case in point where a service has been tailor-made to meet the unique needs of a community is the centre in Savanna-la-Mar. Here, many local residents with young children were once unable to participate in training sessions but now have a dedicated place at the centre to keep them while they attend to their own educational and training needs.

JN says that this particular centre – that it developed in collaboration with the Y’s Mennetes Service Club – “has quickly become the go-to spot for many important community activities. Events such as skills training seminars, exhibitions and wedding receptions are regularly held at the state-of-the-art resource facility”.

There are other ways in which the JN Foundation is impacting the lives of Jamaicans. It is a regular provider of financial support for a project in Spanish Town called BWise that provides a second chance to kids who have to fend for themselves doing odd jobs on the streets. Here, they find training and mentorship aimed at creating a pathway for them to become productive adults.

Then, there is the iLEAD school transformation project – an initiative that seeks to help low-performing schools lift their standards.

“The project supports and empowers school leaders in 10 low-performing schools in St Thomas, Portland and St Mary to make significant changes in their schools that will produce improved academic and social outcomes for students, their families and communities,” JN explains.

The foundation has also been a big promoter of volunteerism – within its workforce and among is broad membership base. Take the case of its member advisory councils. These are made up of customers of the building society who are selected to form a seven-member committee at each branch. This committee in turn is drafted into the world of philanthropy by providing the branch with advice on what charity to fund in the community that it serves.

“These are people with accounts with JN,” explains Brown. “They are involved in the way we give back to communities. They are closer to the action and have a better sense of the needs that are to be met. People feel really engaged and they know the areas of needs.”

But JN’s more direct pitch to those it is striving to draw into the culture of volunteerism came in 2011 with the launch of the ACT!ON Jamaica Volunteer programme.

Here is how the foundation explains the raison d’etre of this initiative: “Act!on Jamaica was developed as a mechanism to facilitate staff volunteerism in programmes that contribute in a real way to national development. In 2013, the programme was extended to the wider JN family – our partners and other development agencies – so that they could participate in the foundation’s and partners’ activities. The programme offers structured and meaningful volunteering opportunities islandwide for Jamaicans passionate about making a difference in their communities.”

The social enterprise forum that the foundation organised in 2015 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel in Kingston was an attempt to deepen that engagement. The event brought together social enterprises from all over the island to showcase their work to each other and the general public.

“People thought they were on their own,” says Brown. “We were showcasing the work of social enterprise and to get the public to understand what it is, to get people to understand that they can move from subsisting to a growth entity and become part of a growth economy.”

For their part, JN staff members are encouraged to get involved in projects, and according to the foundation, many do.

“JN Group employees are actively involved in programmes and projects at every level,” declares the organisation. It cites as examples staff participating “in ad hoc volunteer projects, to leading service clubs, serving on non-profit boards, and driving policy through planning committees at the Planning Institute of Jamaica, as well as setting up organisations to drive social change”.

All told, some 8,130 high school and tertiary level students are impacted each year by a combination of scholarships and bursaries and the iLead programme organised by this foundation. Approximately 64,000 primary school students have been trained in road safety techniques and 19,280 people have been trained in financial literacy through the BeWise programme.

“We take great pride in creating high-impact projects that inspire Jamaicans to be creative and innovative, so that they can reach their fullest potential and help uplift family and community and ultimately create positive and sustainable growth in Jamaica,” says JN.

It continues: “Annually, a wide cross section of organisations, companies and persons are impacted by the JN Foundation. On an annual basis, JN Foundation programmes reach many hundreds of thousands of Jamaicans and directly impact approximately 98,000.”

– Moses Jackson is the founder of the Jamaica Observer Business Leader Award programme and the chairman of the award selection committee. He may be reached at

moseshbsjackson@yahoo.com

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