KINGSTON, Jamaica — University of Technology (UTech) has honoured 20 Jamaican citizens and one organization with the inaugural Essence of Humanities Awards, dubbed the Ubuntu Awards in recognition of their work in communities across Jamaica.

Vice President, Community Service and Development, UTech Professor Rosalea Hamilton in her welcome at the Sunday, June 29 ceremony, quoted 1984 Nobel Peace prize winner Desmond Tutu in explaining that “Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about interconnectedness.”

Prof Hamilton said that the UTech Ubuntu Awards recognizes “those among us that display the important human values of fairness, kindness, respect, tolerance and love.”

The Ubuntu Awards were presented in three categories: Certificate, Citation and Trophy reflecting levels of impact for outstanding service to others.

Chief Judge and Dean, Faculty of Education Liberal Studies, Dr Rohan Lewis noted that it was difficult to select the awardees in the various categories from the pool of outstanding nominees who he reported were selected by a team made up of UTech and external assessors.  He said that among the important criteria used by the judges were impact of pioneering community work, overcoming exceptional odds and personal sacrifice in the spirit of humanity.

Among the outstanding recipients was human rights activist, Flo O’Connor who was awarded the Ubuntu Essence of Humanity Trophy in recognition of her pioneering work in human rights in Jamaica.

O’Connor has been an aggressive advocate for inner-city youths who were victims of police excess and her work with the Jamaica Council for Human Rights (JCHR) has taken her across the length and breadth of Jamaica, regionally and globally, UTech said.   

Other recipients in the Trophy category were Gloria Simms who has been influential in her work with the Charles Town Maroon Community and mentoring youth who have been exposed to violence; Ian McKnight in recognition of his over 20 years of championing human rights for persons living with HIV/AIDS; Rev Dr Margaret Fowler, Minister, Hope United Church for her outstanding community work in founding the Theodora Foundation and in the construction of a home in Negril which provides rescue and support service for women who have been involved in drug-trafficking; and the Peace Management Initiative (PMI)  for their efforts in the reduction and the prevention of crime in volatile communities across Jamaica.

Citation Category

There were five recipients in the Citation category.  Climate change activist from Jeffrey Town, St Mary, Wordsworth Gordon was acknowledged for, among other things, the establishment of a community radio station and multimedia centre for communication and youth training and for facilitating the resolution of water supply problems for the benefit of the community. 

Cherton Dacosta was recognized for his impact in communities of St Thomas, St Ann and St Catherine through his role as a mentor, especially for young men in despair who he has empowered through training and assistance with job placement. Rocque Ferguson from the community of Goldsmith Villa in August Town was lauded for her community service initiatives including organization of health fairs, sporting events and income earners.  Veronica Burgess was credited for her active leadership in the Jacks Hill, St Andrew community where she has been instrumental in the development of agriculture, perseveration of the environment and in the donation of bursaries to needy students.  Central Kingston community leader, Frances Madden was praised for her over 40 years of service to the community in the areas of brokering peace between conflicting factions, facilitating school drop-outs to return to the formal school system and assisting women to extricate themselves from violent circumstances.

Certificate Category

The Certificate category was presented to eleven individuals. They are Ceretsie Campbell, Lecturer, School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, UTech who was recognized for coordinating community service initiatives and fundraisers for the We Care Basic School in Gordon Town; Hartley Dorrell for achievement in community recycling and coastal clean-up projects; Louis Burrell, UTech student who was recognized for designing and installing a staircase at the Norman Manley High School from personal funds to prevent further accidents after someone fell while he was on teaching practicum at that institution; Christopher Colley for organizing the establishment of computer labs in the Santa Cruz, St. Elizabeth area; Norman Rookwood for his leadership in human rights in the Gordon Town community, St Andrew; Ricardo Williams, role model and Peer Mentor of the August Town community; Glenroy Brown, Papine Development Area President; Germaine Barrett, UTech student recognized for his promotion of public speaking and debating at UTech and in high schools and Lorraine Green for her mentorship and character-building among  youth in the volatile Stand-Pipe community, St Andrew. Other recipients were David Gillespie, Chairman, Black River Development Area Committee and Margaret Muschette-Phillips for her work in children’s ministry.