Several activities have been planned to celebrate Jamaica’s children during Child Month in May.

The month was officially launched , on Wednesday, at GraceKennedy’s downtown Kingston offices, under the theme: ‘Children Safety and Security -Our Priority’.

The occasion was also used as a soft launch for Dr Jimmy Cliff’s latest single titled ‘Children,’ which will be used as the theme song for Child Month.

The National Child Month Committee (NCMC) will kick off the scheduled activities with a church service at Webster’s Memorial Church in St Andrew on May 3.

Churches islandwide are being asked to celebrate the day, by making their services child-focused and allowing children to participate.

National Children’s Day will be observed on Friday, May 15. On this day parents, teachers, guardians and caregivers, are encouraged to celebrate their children by doing something special for them.

On Friday, May 26, the Youth Outstanding Academic Achievement Awards ceremony will be held to recognise students, who attend non-traditional high schools and have overcome great odds to achieve outstanding results at the Caribbean Secondary Examination Council (CSEC) level.

For the first time, a National Day of Prayer and Fasting will be observed on Wednesday, May 27 at the Faith Chapel Apostolic Ministries in Kingston.

“This is a time when we unite to request God’s intervention in our affairs as individuals, as families and as a nation,” said Chair of the NCMC, Dr Pauline Mullings.

The month’s activities will culminate with Action Day on Friday, May 29, where children are encouraged to give back to their communities.

“The day creates an opportunity for schools, clubs, church groups and the individual child to do something for their community, thus promoting good values and community spirit,” Dr Mullings said.

Organised by NCMC, Child Month activities are sponsored by GraceKennedy, which has been associated with the committee for over 30 years.

Other supporters include National Continental Corporation and the Ministry of Youth and Culture.

Child Month was first celebrated in May, 1953, under the patronage of Lady Foote, wife of the then Governor. Some of the major objectives of the NCMC are: To heighten public awareness of the many issues and challenges negatively affecting the development of children and of steps that can be taken to address some of the issues and effectively meet the challenges; and to mobilise resources and facilitate action to support children-focused programmes.