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Following a drive-in Petersfield, Westmoreland, which resulted in nearly 200 persons receiving a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, the JN Foundation is back on the road with its Immunise… Save Lives campaign and will making two stops in Manchester on November 24 and 30.

The Foundation will be administering the three available vaccines- AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson, and Pfizer (for children 12 to 17 years and adults over 50 years)- at the Bishop Gibson High School, Newleigh Road, Mandeville on Wednesday, November 24, and then at the Port Mahoe Seventh-day Adventist Church in Plowden District, southern Manchester on Tuesday, the 30^th. Both events will begin at 9:00 a.m. and close at 4:00 p.m.

“We’re continuing with our message and the initiatives so that- not if- but when the fourth wave comes, we will be better prepared as a country and we won’t have to return to the chaotic scenes of August and September when our hospitals were running out of oxygen and beds,” commented Claudine Allen, general manager, JN Foundation.

“We want to get back to our good old Jamaican life.”

Among rural parishes, Manchester has the third highest incidence of COVID-19 infections since the pandemic began in March 2020. It had registered nearly 6,000 cases up to November 19. According to Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) data up to October 31, only 19.5 percent had received at least one dose of a vaccine.

Persons are being encouraged to register ahead of visiting the sites on November 24 and 30, although walk-ins will be accepted, Ms Allen said. “You can register via the MOHW’s website, www.moh.gov.jm, and be assured that you will be processed faster than if you had just walked in,” Miss Allen said.

With less than a third of the population of Westmoreland immunised against COVID-19, The JN Foundation will roll out its immunisation drive, in partnership with the American Friends of Jamaica (AFJ), in Petersfield in the parish.

The initiative is being spearheaded under the Foundation’s Immunise… Save Lives campaign, with the establishment of a vaccination site at the Petersfield Primary School on Friday, October 29 and Saturday, 30, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on both days.

Westmoreland, where Jamaica National was founded 147 years ago, has the fourth highest incidence of COVID-19 cases among parishes outside of the country’s largest urban spaces in Kingston, St. Andrew and St. Catherine. The western parish has more than 5,000 infections and more than 150 deaths since March last year, according to news reports.  

Petersfield, one of the country’s oldest towns with some 4,000 people, of whom approximately 3,000 are JN members, will serve as a central point for various communities to access vaccines to protect themselves from infection, hospitalisation and possible death from COVID-19. The surrounding districts and communities include Amity, Waterworks and Smithfield.

“We will be starting promptly at 10:00 a.m. and working a very smooth operation so that people can come and get their immunisation done quickly and without challenges. They’ll be  on their way in a very short space of time,” assured Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation.

Residents who walk in will be accommodated on both days. However, registration ahead of the drive is available on the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) website, www.moh.gov.jm. To register on the website, persons should click ‘Apply here for COVID-19 Vaccinations’ in the top right-hand corner of the screen, complete the information requested and select the Petersfield location.

Persons should take along with them a national ID or a letter validating their identity signed and sealed by a Justice of the Peace. 

“We are also working alongside a few churches and institutions for whose members we will be arranging transportation, should they need the assistance to get to the site,” Ms Allen disclosed. 

She reminded residents that they could benefit from a JN Money Card topped up with $2,500 if they upload a photo of their vaccination card on the JN Foundation website after being immunised. All they need to do is visit www.jnfoundation.com/immunisation; scroll down, and click the image ‘Immunise and Win’, to complete the brief form and upload the images of their card.  

Leading up to Friday’s and Saturday’s drive, Ms Allen said the team will be conducting a series of sensitisation initiatives using town criers, to assist people with making informed decisions.

“We are very grateful for the partnership with the health authorities and the American Friends of Jamaica, without whose support we would not be able to impact lives in this way,” Ms Allen commended JN’s partners for the vaccination drive.

The New York-based not-for-profit organisation has organised other immunisation drives across the country, and has administered more than 3,000 doses of vaccines in Jamaica so far, working in partnership with MOHW.

“This is a very important initiative if we are to restore Jamaica on its journey to achieving its development goals,” said Caron Chung, AFJ executive director, “and to make that possible, we all have to partner with each other. This task is not for the government alone; we all have to play our part as private sector, non-profit and as Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica, wherever we are in the world, to end this pandemic.”

Persons are also invited to tune into the JN Circle Thrive Together Life Class on Wednesdays for interesting discussions on COVID-19 and immunisation, which feature experts and well-known persons. Last Wednesday’s discussion featured dancehall producer Cordel ‘Skatta’ Burrell and COVID-19 specialist, Dr Princeton Brown. Next Wednesday’s class, October 27, will be centred on the topic: ‘Let’s Talk COVID-19: Navigating Vaccine Hesitancy and Relationships’. To register for the class, persons should visit www.myjncircle.com/thrive, or they can simply watch live via the JN Foundation’s Facebook page.

Dr Princeton Brown, COVID-19 specialist

There are some 50,000 Jamaicans who, after taking their first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, have not returned to take their second shot, leaving themselves vulnerable to the disease.

Jermaine, who, without delay, received his second dose of the AstraZeneca at the JN Foundation and American Friends of Jamaica-organised vaccination drive in Petersfield Westmoreland recently, was one of those Jamaicans, until he had a near brush with death from the deadly respiratory illness.

After taking his father to get his first shot in about April at the Savana-la-Mar Health Centre, Jermaine hesitantly decided to also take his first shot in June at the bidding of his dad.

“We went down in the evening. Actually I catch the last one (last dose), because we stick around same way until they said there is enough that we can get. That’s why I took the first one, but I was still hesitant,” he recalled.

“When I should go get the second one, I was up and down and wasn’t really thinking. When they called, I couldn’t reach at the time, but I should have followed up still,” a remorseful Jermaine reflected.

Sometime later, he began to experience flu-like symptoms, which he brushed aside until the symptoms became severe. He lost his appetite and then began experiencing challenges with breathing.

“One day my sister came and said, ‘Jermaine, you don’t see you fighting to breathe?’ And I said I’m going to drive to the doctor, and my neighbour saw me and said, ‘Come let me carry you,’” he remembered up to that point.

He was taken to the Savanna-la-Mar General Hospital, but he remembers very little after that.

“I went into the hospital in just shorts and shirt. I had no mind of my own and no energy to move to do anything. After that I fell asleep,” he recalled. But he hadn’t just gone to sleep, he fell into a coma, he said, and remained at the hospital for about two weeks, or so he was told.

Failing to follow through the full course of two-dose vaccines could actually make matters worse, underscores COVID-19 specialist, Dr Princeton Brown.

“Efficacy doesn’t mean you won’t catch it. It means should you catch it, the results won’t be as disastrous,” he said. Dr Brown said there is still a 15 to 20 per cent chance one could catch COVID-19 and get severely ill after just having one shot.

AstraZeneca provides somewhere between 70 and 76 per cent protection after a first dose. With a second dose 12 to 14 weeks after, that moves up to about 82 per cent. The Pfizer- BioNtech’s first dose provides 90 to 95 per cent protection after a first dose, and a second shot triggers a close 100 per cent protection.  

 “The vaccination process is two-dose and, if necessary, booster shots. We’re dealing with a virus, which has the ability to change. It’s not like a bacterium that will just stay the same. So we have to change with it,” he encouraged persons hesitant about getting the second dose of vaccine.

“One dose of a two-dose vaccine alone may do you more harm than actually good,” he warned.

“It’s always important to do the full course to get the full immunity. If you go with half you’re starting the immunity process without finishing it. Should you get sick, you have the possibility of getting sicker, because the immune system would be required to fight, but it hasn’t had enough [of the vaccine] to fight against [the virus], and, therefore, it could actually make it worse,” he explained, underscoring that this is not unique to the COVID-19 shots and is in fact how most multiple-dose vaccines work. He said it’s among the reasons people with COVID are not given the vaccines immediately after catching the disease.  

The Ministry of Health and Wellness has been encouraging persons that to receive the maximum benefits from their vaccination, notably a reduction in the chance of severe illness, hospitalisation and/or death, persons should ensure that they receive their second dose of the two-shot vaccines, AstraZeneca and Pfizer. Chief Medical Officer, Dr Jacquiline Bisasor McKenzie warned that people are not fully protected unless they have taken a single-dose vaccine or both doses of a double-dose vaccine, stressing that of the more than 1,600 persons who died from COVID-19 from March to October 2021, 98 per cent were unvaccinated.

With reports of major earthquakes and seismic activities affecting countries in the Caribbean region in recent years, JN Scholar, Lliana Lammie, believes that in the future she will be able to serve her country well in the field of seismology.

“I’ve always been fascinated by earthquakes and tsunamis. I used to be afraid of them, but now I’m just very fascinated and I’d like to learn more about them, especially how to stop them from happening and to prevent people from getting killed by them,” stated the 12-year-old.

A recent graduate of St Aloysius Primary School, Lliana, who now attends Campion College, is the 2021 recipient of the JN Foundation’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) Scholarship for the parish of Kingston.

She was among 37 top performers in this year’s PEP exam, who were awarded five-year scholarships by the JN Foundation at a virtual awards reception held on September 26.

With a future in seismology, it’s no surprise that Lliana’s favourite subjects are geography and mathematics.

Despite her hectic schedule with school and extra-curricular activities, the avid netballer and dancer also enjoys socialising with her friends, though she admits that the COVID-19 pandemic has made this very hard in recent months.

“I really wish that COVID-19 wasn’t here so that I could interact with more people and attend face-to-face classes, but I have been trying to make the best of the situation,” she said.

JN Scholar for the parish of St Andrew, Damir Fairclough, also admitted that he misses interacting with his friends and attending school the traditional way. He, however, noted that he has quickly grown accustomed to online education and believes this method of learning will not affect his grades or overall performance.

Damir’s performance in the PEP exams has earned him a spot at the school of his choice, Campion College. The 11-year-old plans to remain at the top of his class, with hopes of matriculating to tertiary education in a few years.

His career goal is to become a pilot. “I want to be able to travel the world and to take my family to different places,” he said.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation (left), greets Kyle Walker, JN Scholar for St Catherine during a meeting at the JN Chief Office in Kingston recently.

Twelve-year-old Kyle Walker is not easily daunted by obstacles. In fact, despite the challenges he now faces due to the impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on students and the education sector, Kyle is determined to excel.

The St. Catherine native is a graduate of the Bright Beginnings Educational Centre in Portmore and was recently named the JN Foundation Scholar for his parish.

His persistence to maintain his high academic performance over the years recently paid off with him attaining high scores in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP), which also earned him a place at Campion College, the school of his choice.

“I am really enjoying my time at Campion College, so far. It has been a good experience and I am not intimidated by online learning, even though I do miss face-to-face classes. Most of the topics we’ve been going over, I’ve already learned them, so it’s not really hard and I don’t really have any problems,” he stated.

Kyle admitted that his grades were higher when he attended classes in a face-to-face setting, but said he is determined to maintain his top performance, despite the new way of learning.

He was among 37 top PEP performers across the country, who have been declared JN Foundation Scholars. The cohort consists of one recipient from each parish and county, while 20 are children of employees of The Jamaica National Group.

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, customers, or clients of The Jamaica National Group for at least a year.

Kyle attributes his success to the support of his family, especially his father Glenroy Walker, who helped him to prepare for the PEP.

Mr Walker pointed out that his son has always been a diligent student, who has shown great interest in his studies.

“He is also a budding mathematician. He was a semi-finalist and finalist in the Junior Maths Olympiad this year. He also received an honourable mention and finished in the top one percent,” Mr Walker informed.

The uncertainty of job security has put Christine Richards on edge. However, the mother of two is grateful that, although she may join the unemployment line soon, her daughter’s education expenses are covered.

Why? Because her daughter, Tehilia Richards is the JN Foundation’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP) scholarship recipient for Manchester. “I was so excited, I just could not believe it and simply said to my daughter, ‘you see God is working everything out.’ And, it came in the right time,” she related with gratitude.

“Right now, I’m not sure that I will still have a job at the end of this month. But if it were not for this scholarship, I know that I would have to be purchasing books, covering school fees, and other financial costs; but I do not have to worry about that, because all those things will be taken care of. Therefore, it is like a blessing,” she informed.

At the same time, she is not surprised that her daughter did so well, to be awarded a scholarship, as from kindergarten, she was always a high achiever. However, the pandemic posed a challenge, as she pointed out that the online classes made her became complacent. At the same time, she had the support of her mother, who also monitored Tehilia; and her older daughter, who is in fifth form, while she was at work during the days.

“This additional support allowed her to do well in the PEP exam,” she pointed out. Ms Richards’ encouragement to parents is to support their children every step of the way, by going the extra mile to get them the resources, so that they can do well.

“Get as much past papers as you can. Let them practice the exercises in the textbooks. I did not leave her out. I gave Tehilia a lot of exercises for the different subject areas. Because,if they get the concept right, they will be ok. I would encourage all parents to sit with their children and help them with their schoolwork,” she advised.

Tehilia is now attending DeCarteret College in Manchester. “I was happy when I heard that I got the scholarship. This scholarship will assist my parents to cover the cost of my education, and for that I’m grateful,” she informed.

The McIntosh Memorial Primary School graduate said that online classes were difficult, because she learned much better in “face to face classes.” However, she put in extra work and did a lot of ‘past papers,’ which assisted her to do well in the PEP exams.

“Make a schedule to study. Also, take time to relax and do things that you enjoy. There should be a balance,” she said.

The Jamaica National Group, through the JN Foundation,is inviting applications for the Oliver F Clarke Scholarship valued at $2million, to pursue post graduate studies in the field of leadership and governance.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation, says the scholarship, which is in its second year, was introduced as a celebration of the life and legacy of the late Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Jamaica National Group, media mogul and business stalwart, Oliver Clarke.

“The scholarship honours the memory of the late Hon. Oliver Clarke who passionately believed that good governance, anti-corruption reform along with strong, decisive leadership in the public and private sectors, are critical pillars for the development of a nation,” she outlined.

Deadline for applications for the scholarship is November 6, 2021. Persons can apply for the scholarship by visiting the JN Foundation website at www.jnfoundation.com.

Mr Clarke, who passed away on May 16, 2020, was instrumental in the transformation of the local building society movement by encouraging the expansion of building societies from parish-based entities into urban organisations, while maintaining their strong mandate to serve their members.

Russell Barrett was the first recipient of the scholarship, which was awarded last year. A senior public procurement officer of the Southern Regional Health Authority, Mr Barrett said that being selected as the first recipient of the prestigious scholarship was an overwhelming and grateful feeling.

“I’m most thankful and excited. The donor’s name, in which the scholarship is presented, is itself most prestigious. Mr Clarke has a legacy of his own, and I am proud and honoured to be presented with this scholarship,” Barrett had said at the time.

JN Scholar for St. Elizabeth, Sydonia Nembhard

Sydonia Nembhard, the 2021 JN Scholar for St Elizabeth, credits her mother and teacher for her accomplishment in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP).

An outstanding academic achiever, Sydonia earned a five-year scholarship from the JN Foundation, having obtained a placement score of 100 in Mental Ability in grade six and 90s in Language Arts and Mathematics, while in grade four at the Hopewell Preparatory School.  She was on the Honour Roll for grades three and four and was the top student in Language Arts in grade six.  She is now a first form student at the Hampton School in the parish.

Sydonia was one of 37 children who were officially recognised as JN Scholars, during a virtual JN Foundation Scholarship Reception held on September 28.

“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 is 11 years-old and is the only child for her mother.

Suzette Leachman is proud of her daughter’s achievements and was optimistic that her daughter would receive a scholarship.

“I felt good.  She kept saying, ‘Mommy, at least you won’t have to pay school fees; and you probably won’t have to think about bus fare.’ She is always concerned about those things and is very considerate.”

Ms Leachman, a guidance counsellor at Holmwood Technical High School in Manchester, opines that that children who receive active support from parents with their schoolwork, tend to do well academically.

“You have to be involved in your child’s life. If not, they are going to fall by the wayside,” she said.

“What I do is to let all her assignments come to my phone, so I always try to keep abreast of her current work,” she explained, adding that she also monitors her daughter’s Google Classroom for assignments.

The scholarship was also meaningful to Sydonia, as her father, Clive Nembhard, a school bus driver, lost income, as schools have remained closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sydonia’s grade six teacher at Hopewell Preparatory, Jennifer Miller, pointed out that Sydonia’s success is due to taking the right approach to her schoolwork.

“She was very serious about her work and did everything meticulously.  Whenever she has a task to do, she ensures that she goes about it in a manner that she can get her desired result. If she does not understand, she is going to question you and make sure she understands before she moves on,” disclosed Ms Miller, who added that she was not surprised about the scholarship award.

Sydonia, who enjoys reading and surfing the internet, maintains that other students can similarly achieve academic success.

“Work hard, but do not study too hard, because you may forget the other things you learned. I studied some of the time and try to relax by doing some activities to help me remember the work I learned,” she related.

She is inspired to become a medical doctor, because she has three cousins who are medical doctors.

“When you go to the hospital you see how much people are suffering and I would like to help them,” she explained.

Since the inception of the JN Scholarship Programme in 1983, hundreds of students have benefitted from financial assistance to pursue their education.

Despite missing online classes for an entire school term because she did not have a device, Almonique Hutchinson emerged the top student in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) for Hanover.  Her outstanding performance earned her a five-year scholarship from the JN Foundation. She is also the 2021 JN Scholar for the parish.

She was one of 37 children who were officially recognised as JN Scholars during a virtual JN Foundation Scholarship Reception held on September 28. 

Almonique, a former student at Bethel Primary who now attends Montego Bay High School in the neighbouring parish of St. James, related that she was reliant on her teacher to send the lessons and audio recordings of the classes to her mother’s phone.  Fortunately, her mother was home daily and was able to facilitate access to the lessons during class time.  As a backup, Almonique regularly followed up with her classmates to ensure that she was fully aware of what took place in class.

“My tablet wasn’t compatible with Google Meet,” she explained, adding that her mother was able to save to purchase a new tablet for the second term.

She pointed out that being absent from her classes made her worried.

“I was afraid that I missed out on something very important and it would come on a test and that I would end up failing the test.”

“For the activities, I do the work in my notebook and take a picture of it and send to my teacher and she would mark it and send it back to me,” she explained.

She also shared that her older sister, Alleca, a fifth form student at Montego Bay High School, pitched in to help her during the time she could not access her online classes.

Grade six teacher at Bethel Primary, Marsha Cooper, described Almonique as a hardworking student.

“She will go above what is expected of her just to ensure that everything is done. If there was any sort of correction, she would do it again because she wanted mastery.  She would say, ‘miss, can I do it again and miss, is there anything that you would suggest that I could do to improve what I’m doing?’. She was also a team player. She would participate in the group work in the WhatsApp group, even though she was not in the class to see what was happening,” Ms Cooper disclosed.

Almonique said when she became aware of the scholarship award, the first person she called to tell the good news was her father, Albert Hutchinson.     

For Mr Hutchinson, a mason, the scholarship was timely.  Since the COVID-19 pandemic, he has been working less days per week, due to the reduced demand for his service.  He pointed out that on the morning of PEP, he took Almonique to school, hugged her and gave her some advice on how to tackle the exam.

“Go and execute your best. Don’t rush through the work. Go back through [it] and see if you make any mistake,” he told her.
                                                                                           

Almonique’s mother, Omasha Thomas, who is currently unemployed, disclosed that her daughter has always maintained excellent academic performance since basic school.  At primary school, she consistently achieved grades in the 80s and 90s.

“She reads a lot. She would just sit there and read and laugh.  When she’s not doing that, she would be drawing. She draws very well.”

Almonique is aspiring to become a fashion designer or a chef. Like many persons, she is eager for the pandemic to be over soon so that she can return to face-to-face classes.

“It’s very sad.  I have to see the same four walls every day. I get bored,” she bemoaned.

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

Two hundred persons will be rewarded each month, from October to December, by the JN Group for choosing to immunise against COVID-19 by taking one of the vaccines available. The incentive is being provided under The Jamaica National Group’s Immunise…Save Lives campaign.

The campaign is in support of the COVID-19 National 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.

Claudine Allen, General Manager of the JN Foundation, said that 200 individuals will be randomly selected each month and rewarded with J$2,500 directly to a JN Money Card.

Ms Allen said persons will be selected every other week. In order to be considered a valid entrant, persons must:

• Be vaccinated during the period October to December 2021
• Receive their vaccine from an approved vaccination site
• Upload photo of vaccination card (front and back) to the JN Foundation’s website, www.jnfoundation.com/immunise

Their reward will be placed on their JN Money Card, if they already have one, or persons will be invited to apply with their TRN and ID, if they are not yet a cardholder.

“We want to encourage people to get immunised so that they can be protected,” noted Ms Allen, “and by doing so we all will be protected and our children can return to school and we can get back to socializing as we used to before COVID-19. Do it for families, your communities and country.”

Beyond the incentives it is offering, JN will also be engaging communities in conversations under the ‘Immunise… Save Lives’ campaign and establishing partnerships to set up vaccination sites at several of its locations across the country to expand access to vaccines.   

The ‘Immunise… Save Lives’  campaign also includes a mass education component centred on simplifying information for Jamaicans by using accessible language, visuals and personas. The initiative is being championed by the JN Foundation.