WITH a mission to protect the rights of the child and project better parenting, the Jamaica Pentecostal Union (Apostolic) launched its childcare and protection movement, dubbed ‘iCare, at the Jamaica Pegasus hotel in St Andrew recently.

“The mission”, according to Bishop Everton Thomas, facilitator of the iCare Movement, is to ‘support and promote the protection and well-being of children through prevention, intervention, education, and advocacy”, while the “vision” is “Safe and healthy children, developing in communities across the nation.”

Under the tagline “Are you for kids or are you just kidding”, the main objectives of the iCare movement are to:

* Unite and coordinate a large national constituency of organisations and people to influence public opinion and mobilise collective action;

* Promote and support positive parenting and child participation;

* Influence and encourage political commitments and accountability.

The iCare movement seeks to jointly promote national advocacy campaigns for child protection and accountability of Government and all stakeholders vis-à-vis their children.

At the press conference moderated by Pastor Courtney Golding, several speakers added their voices to the challenges faced by children and put forward countless workable solutions.

Among those addressing the audience were Evangelist Margaret Riley, a retired social worker and returning resident from the United Kingdom; Dr Michael Coombs, public health specialist, founder and chairman of the National Association for the Family (NAF). Dr Coombs is also a board member of the National Parenting Support Commission (NPSC).

Retired chief executive officer of the Registrar General’s Department, Dr Patricia Holness, a vice chair of the Jamaica Pentecostal Union and Flow’s Public Relations Manager Naomi Francis also participated.

The audience was treated to a gripping piece rendered by the award-winning Emmanuel Speech Choir, entitled War. A major highlight was a prayer for abused children done by eight-year-old Alexcia Cooper, who brought some persons to tears.

Endorsement of the “iCare” Movement came from the Joint Umbrella Church Group, the Jamaica Evangelical Alliance, the Portmore Ministers’ Fraternal, which were represented by Bishop Alvin Bailey.

Opposition spokesperson on education and youth, Senator Kamina Johnson Smith, brought greetings and endorsed iCare.

Minister of Youth and Culture Lisa Hanna has already endorsed the project, and more endorsements came from Betty Ann Blaine of Hear the Children’s Cry, the Child Development Agency, the Centre for Investigation of Sexual Offences and Child Abuse, and Family Life Ministries.

Officials of the Jamaica Youth for Christ, the Office of the Children’s Registry (OCR), and several other stakeholders were also in attendance and pledged their full support for this new movement.

“Our first two activities”, said Bishop Thomas, will be the iCare National Children’s Prayer Walk on Sunday June 28 between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm, and the “Lemonade Party” campaign.

Jamaicans are urged to participate with churches in their communities for the prayer walks on behalf of the nation’s children.

Led by a committee of influential Jamaicans, the movement is organising a sweeping series of seven “Lemonade Party” rallies throughout Jamaica from Morant Point to Negril between September 5 and October 31.

The town hall meetings will kick off the iCare parenting project, a major plank of the movements’ mission addressing the urgent need for improvement of the parenting practices and attitudes within a significant number of families in Jamaica.

“The Lemonade Party campaign is a promotional tool of our parenting skill-building programme which is designed to empower and encourage both parents & students to become successful starting with basic school through college age. Lemonade and biscuits will be served at each rally,” Bishop Thomas said.

The campaign’s objective is to remind political, church, business and civic leaders, and all parents in Jamaica, about the urgent need to improve the way that infants, toddlers and children are cared for, making the well-being and education of Jamaica’s children the highest priority.

The town hall rallies will be ‘Train The Trainer’ workshops and will be held at school halls, churches and community centres across the island.

As a practical intervention, Bishop Thomas announced that iCare will launch a fund-raising effort immediately after the Prayer Walk to assist the OCR’s 1 888 PROTECT, a hotline for abused women and children, with budgetary support. This he said will be a “Money Talk” right after the “Prayer Walk”.