Kivette Silvera: Offering a helping hand

EVEN though Kivette Silvera grew up with female relatives in Oxford, St Mary, who embodied selflessness by caring for those in need, it was her son’s wish that pushed her to work at Food For the Poor Jamaica (FFP).

However, before the 41-year-old embarked on her journey at the charity organisation in 2013, one of her former colleagues at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Jamaica, where she previously worked for 11 years, questioned her transition.

“When I was leaving PWC as an auditor, somebody said, ‘How you leaving PWC, being in a corporate environment, to go to a charitable organisation? They are not going to pay you much,’ ” Silvera told All Woman.

But her mind was already made up.

During her interview for the position of financial controller at FFP in 2013, the executive director at the time asked her why she wanted to work there. In that moment Silvera was positive she had the best response.

“My grandmother, mother, aunt — my entire family — is all about giving back, but I remember mentioning in the interview what my son [Daniel] who was six years old at the time said to me one day. He said, ‘Mommy, when I grow up, I want to have a lot of money so I can build houses to take in all the people I see on the streets that need help’. For me, that was my true destiny to say, ‘Hey, if I do it for nobody else, I have to do it for my son’. He was my motivation and driving force to really come to FFP,” she said.

Since then, Silvera moved up the ladder as director of finance in 2014, before moving into her current position as the executive director, which she has held since 2019.

Pointing out that some of her duties at the organisation include managing warehouse operations, construction projects, agricultural projects, and controlling finances, Silvera said running a non-profit organisation requires a lot of transparency.

“Working with a non-profit versus a profit-making entity, you are under more scrutiny. You have to work harder because people have to develop a level of trust in what you are doing in order to donate to you, because they are giving out of the goodness of their hearts,” she said.

But with the belief that people were born to serve, she continues to work assiduously. She said supporting her team members and improving the lives of the needy across the island are two important parts of her job.

“We are like a family here at FFP. I recognise the impact that I can have on my fellow team members in terms of helping them to be motivated and fulfilling their dreams. There are many times in management positions we don’t recognise that a simple conversation with a team member will go a long way and will change their trajectory in life. I also enjoy going in the field to reach and impact some persons on a one-on-one [basis],” she said.

And, although she has many memorable moments, Silvera managed to point out one which resonated with her.

Describing the experience, she said there was a man living on a riverbank in the hills of St Andrew who FFP was able to assist with a home.

“That was when I just joined FFP, and one of the requirements is for us to go out in the field and see what it’s like out there. The man was literally living under a tarpaulin. He was sickly, he never had any family…

“It was the goodness of the church in the community that reached out to us and identified his needs, so that we were able to give him a house closer to the road. Can you imagine being able to move him from under the tarpaulin to a house? This is why I am here — to help people who are not able to help themselves,” she said.

As she continues to live her dream by serving the poor, Silvera is imploring more Jamaicans to offer a helping hand, which would help to make a difference.

“I think we are selfish and we don’t share, and because of that it has a negative impact on our society. We believe that we don’t need to be associated with the poor. I don’t think we are doing enough as individuals but if we take it up on ourselves to help one person, it would go a long way,” she said.