JMA donates $1.5-million worth of books

Ainsworth Morris

Tuesday, February 07, 2012

During the month of January, the Jamaica Manufacturers' Association (JMA) donated 7,000 exercise books, valued at approximately J$1.5-million to seven primary level institutions island wide.

The books, which were donated under the 'Buy Jamaican School Books Distribution Initiative' — a campaign designed to help promote the brand message of the JMA 'Buy Jamaican... Build Jamaica' were primarily funded by the National Commercial Bank (NCB) and were locally produced by the local book manufacturing company called Book Empire Limited.

The seven schools who benefited were: Allman Town Primary School, Cavaliers All Age School, St Aloysius Primary School, Denham Town Primary School, St Jude's Primary School, Newton Primary School and Alderton Primary School. Each institution was given approximately 1000 exercise books with the message 'Buy Jamaican... Build Jamaica' posted boldly on the cover of the books. That is something initially done to remind the students to support the products of our own country.

According to Imega Breese McNab, executive director of the JMA, this is the message the manufacturers' association wants to preach to students.

"We are pleased that we were given the opportunity to instill pride in our young people regarding quality products made in Jamaica and to help them understand the link between supporting locally manufactured products and building Jamaica," Breese McNab, one of the main voices advocating for Jamaicans to buy our own products said.

She was speaking at the culmination ceremony which took place at St Jude's Primary School on January 31.

She hopes that this initiative will motivate the students who benefited, who will also make up our future generations, to build our country by buying our locally produced products.

Her sentiments were shared by Revolene Greenwood, the principal of that institution.

Greenwood in her remarks described the 'Buy Jamaican... Build Jamaica' exercise book distribution as "a positive venture that will foster self development, self esteem within our students and (eventually) boost employment."

The 'Buy Jamaican... Build Jamaica' School Book Distribution Campaign was developed to instill the value of supporting the products of Jamaica in our nation's children. Buying locally produced products is a crucial factor that will result in the Improvement of Jamaica's economic status, mainly through job creations and decrease the amount of unnecessary products our country imports.