After a quarrel over the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) Bill in the Lower House of Parliament on April 28 it was passed near 1:30 am to end that sitting. The Senate gave its assent after 8:00 pm on Friday, May 8, after a 10-hour sitting. Since we have been assured of a close monitoring system and public discussion, may we please move forward with the urgent infrastructure programme.

Since Hurricane Melissa and subsequent rains, there has been flooding in communities in St Elizabeth and Manchester. These residents need assistance either to create proper drainage or to relocate if that is not possible.

National Hero Marcus Mosiah Garvey created the United Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in 1914 in Jamaica. Garvey promoted the dignity of work, a theme also carried in the speeches of Dr Martin Luther King Jr.

The challenge to leaders in all sectors is to infuse their people with this charge. This would leave little room for posturing as we would be too focused on results. With 63 MPs, over 200 parish councillors, 18 government ministries with ministers and state ministers, this tiny rock of three million souls should be a well-oiled machine. Let us get NaRRA moving and take our people out of their misery.

FFTP advances long-term recovery

The Food For the Poor (FFTP) Jamaica team, guided by their head office in Florida, has been steady partners in hurricane relief operations. There was support in cash and kind totalling over US$10 million. There is now a shift from emergency relief towards long-term rebuilding that helps families restore homes and livelihoods.

Recovery efforts include:

• 214 ocean containers and 21 air shipments of relief supplies delivered;

• 125,115 relief kits distributed, including 85,014 food kits and 40,101 hygiene kits;

• 85,014+ families assisted across storm-affected communities;

• 150+ roofs and community structures repaired; and

• 3,000+ volunteers mobilised, contributing more than 4,190 hours of service and packing 137,000 kits.

“What matters most is staying present after the headlines fade,” said FFTP President/CEO Ed Raine. “Families need consistent support as they rebuild, and that is the commitment guiding our work in Jamaica.”

“Even after the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, what stands out most is the resilience of the Jamaican people,” said Mark Khouri, executive vice-president of key relationships and donor stewardship.

The charity’s continuing work in Jamaica has the support of more than 70 local and international organisations, parish priests, and community leaders.

FFTP also received regional support. In November 2025 the Government of Puerto Rico launched Puerto Rico Embraces Jamaica, a humanitarian initiative led by the Puerto Rico Department of State to support communities affected by Melissa. Donations filled 14 shipping containers, all delivered to FFTP Jamaica’s warehouse and distributed to families in December.

The initiative was led by Rosachely Rivera Santana, Puerto Rico’s secretary of state, who travelled to Jamaica to witness the impact at first hand and participate in community distributions alongside FFTP.

In continuation, FFTP has launched the Jamaica Rebuild Campaign, described as “a multi-phase housing initiative designed to address long-term shelter needs. Initial plans include 50 new homes in the Petersfield area, pending final land approvals, with an additional 25 homes already funded… Discussions are underway with major institutional, faith-based, and international partners to further scale housing reconstruction”.

Through June 30, donor gifts toward long-term recovery efforts in Jamaica will be matched dollar for dollar up to $1 million, effectively doubling the impact of each contribution.

“Every home rebuilt represents a family taking a step forward,” Raine said. “That is why we remain committed to Jamaica’s recovery beyond the initial emergency.”

Seniors gear for business

The Caribbean Community of Retired Persons (CCRP), in partnership with the Digicel Foundation, recently hosted a two-week virtual entrepreneurship seminar via
Zoom designed to help seniors use their experience and skills to pursue business ventures and achieve greater financial independence.

Robert Scott, Jamaica’s first certified international trade professional, guided participants on leveraging social media for authority and client acquisition, translating corporate skills into entrepreneurial products, and strengthening export readiness and professional positioning. He also introduced the concept of “You LLC”, encouraging participants to think of themselves as their own corporate entity, a personal limited liability company, to manage their skills, brand, and opportunities as a business.

Facilitator Dr Kadamawe Knife of The University of the West Indies, Mona, led the interactive sessions focusing on feasibility analysis, implementation and management, and harvesting business ventures. Participants also explored digitisation, business development, and identifying market opportunities, and were introduced to support systems such as the Jamaica Business Development Corporation (JBDC) and other initiatives for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises.

A highlight of the seminar was a presentation by CCRP board director Patricia Reid Waugh, who shared how she built multiple income streams in retirement through her professional expertise and creative pursuits, demonstrating the viability of entrepreneurship at any age. Reid-Waugh has written two books on retirement and early preparation for the golden years. She has also taken up painting and recently sold her first work.

Miguel “Steppa” Williams, director of strategic planning and community development at the Digicel Foundation, delivered remarks expressing appreciation for the opportunity to support the initiative and reaffirmed the foundation’s commitment to empowering seniors. I encouraged participants to take advantage of Finance Minister Fayval Williams’ recent announcement that 20 per cent of government contracts will now go to micro and small businesses.

World Press Freedom in crisis

In its 2026 report, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) noted: “For the first time in the history of the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) World Press Freedom Index over half of the world’s countries now fall into the ‘difficult’ or ‘very serious’ categories for press freedom.”

It continues: “In 25 years, the average score of all 180 countries and territories surveyed in the index has never been so low. Since 2001 the expansion of increasingly restrictive legal arsenals — particularly those linked to national security policies — has been steadily eroding the right to information, even in democratic countries. The index’s legal indicator has declined the most over the past year, a clear sign that journalism is increasingly criminalised worldwide. In the Americas, the situation has evolved significantly, with the United States dropping seven places and several Latin American countries sliding deeper into a spiral of violence and repression.”

Although Jamaica has slipped to 26, we are still ahead of our Caribbean neighbours and many developed countries. Details are available at rsf.org.

The Press Association of Jamaica, in a statement on World Press Freedom Day, May 3, wrote: “We have built editorial standards designed not to please, but to inform. We have sent journalists into communities, boardrooms, courthouses, and corridors of power – not for spectacle, but for truth.

“This is not work for the faint of heart. It never has been. Holding authority to account, investigating where information lies buried, and giving audiences a genuine choice through fair and factual reporting – these are acts that attract resistance. We know this. We accept it. We press on regardless.”

The association acknowledged our changing media landscape, “When fabricated content travels faster than verified reporting, when rumour outpaces record, the damage is not merely reputational — it is civic. It erodes the informed consent on which any functioning society depends.” Congratulations to our hard-working and courageous media workers who stay true to their calling.

A Special Month

May is Child Month, during which we also celebrate mothers as well as the teaching and nursing professions, practitioners of which are mostly women. While Jamaica has the most women managers per capita of any country in the world, too many are marginally poor and suffer in old age.

The Decent Work Act has still not been implemented to protect our over 50,000 household workers and we anxiously await the passing of legislation for the care and protection of the elderly. We salute our mothers. May their strength inspire us to work for the cause of our Jamaican sisters.

Jean Lowrie-Chin is an author and executive chair of PROComm, PRODEV and CCRP. Send comments to the Jamaica Observer or lowriechin@aim.com.