ST JAMES, Jamaica — Fifty residents from the Rose Hall community of Barrett Hall in St James, recently received birth and marriage certificates in a brief handover ceremony at the Registrar General’s Department (RGD) in Montego Bay.

The adults were identified during the annual Spanish-Jamaican Foundation/Social Development Commission Health Fair in August.

According to a news release by the Spanish-Jamaica Foundation (SJF), the contribution was well-received by the community members as their previous non-registration prevented their access to certain benefits, such as pensions, and they were unable to hold valid identification.

The SJF said in 2015, they also worked closely with the RGD and the Social Development Commission (SDC) in the parishes of Kingston, St James, Hanover, Trelawny, and St Ann to identify senior citizens most in need, and assist them in getting the requisite documentation in order to access the RGD’s late entry of name service.

Established by Spanish investors with a focus on strengthening the friendship between Spain and Jamaica, the SJF, for the past 10 years, has focused on educational, cultural, health-based, environmental, and community development initiatives.

In the area of health and wellness, the foundation has also supported the recently held Jamaica Kidney Kids Foundation Paediatric Nephrology Conference and the Caribbean Child Research Conference.