2023 AFJ Newsletter (TEST)

American Friends of Jamaica

The AFJ improves the lives of Jamaicans by supporting initiatives that advance self-sufficiency, promote healthy communities and strengthen the nation.

Cover Photo: Minister of Health Juliet Cuthbert Flynn presenting snuggle nests and baby essentials to pregnant mothers.

Dear AFJ Friends:

The challenges of the past few years have taught us that we are all one and we must take care of each other. Thank you for your commitment to our mission - as programmatic partners, volunteers, sponsors and contributors.

Stepping up during critical times is as important as being steadfast in our commitment to community priorities.

Through meaningful collaboration, we executed diverse programs such as our COVID response during the height of the pandemic, renovation of rural hospitals and schools and, most recently, the first of its kind, the deployment of mobile diagnostics in the Caribbean.

We are honored to support our 64 grantee recipients in the 2022-2023 grant cycle. Though their missions are unique, these grantees share the willingness and capacity to develop new ways to strengthen resilience in the communities they serve.

I extend a special thank you to our dedicated President, Wendy Hart, Board of Directors and our staff. We remain inspired and hopeful for the future.

With Gratitude, Caron Chung AFJ Executive Director

2. Bethel Baptist Church

3. Bloom Early Childhood Centre of Excellence

4. Bob and Rita Marley Foundation

5 Breds -Treasure Beach Foundation 6 Bull Savannah

7

(BBEE)

38. Portland Arts & Vocational Educational (PAVE) Centre

39. Project STAR

40. RISE Life Management Services

41. Rose Town Foundation

42 Sacred Heart Church in Reading

43 Seprod Foundation

44 Songs for Sound

45. Southern Basketball Conference

46. St. Mary's Roman Catholic Early Childhood Institution

47. U.W.I. Scholarships:

Amb. Glen Holden

Amb. J. Gary Cooper

Amb. Sue Cobb

Kathleen Newman

Kevin Akindele Wright

Klotz Family

Margaret "Peggy" Steuart

Ralph & Rickey Lauren Family Foundation

Sydney A Phillips

48 Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA)

49. Wattle and Red Earth (WARE) Collective

50. Wolmer's Rebuilding Fund

51. Wolmer's Safe Shelter Programme for Girls Fund

52. Women Center of Jamaica Foundation

AFJ FAQs

Q. How are funds raised for the discretionary grant program?

A. Along with direct donations from our dedicated supporters, the AFJ holds two major fundraisers every year to raise funds; the Hummingbird Gala in New York and the Jamaica Charity Gala in Miami.

Q. How are donated funds spent?

A. Donations are used primarily toward the annual grants program.

1. A New Jamaica of Peace Foundation. Grant will support tutoring, activities and meals for 66 students involved in after school programs in Arnett Gardens.

2. Bethel Baptist Church. Purchase screening equipment for diabetes/heart health in their health clinic, in addition to support for meals, toiletries and basic supplies to vulnerable/homeless populations.

3. Bloom Early Childhood Centre of Excellence. Build a developmentally appropriate and accessible playground.

4. Bob and Rita Marley Foundation. Grant to Football is Freedom, an initiative that teaches soccer and life skills to young girls in Jamaica.

5. Breds - Treasure Beach Foundation. To purchase medical equipment and supplies for the Treasure Beach Health Clinic.

6. Bull Savannah Primary School. Roof repairs and expansion for the school and bursaries for needy students.

7. Busy Bee Educational Enrichment (BBEE). Support of two free academic summer camps for 130 children in Manchester and St. Elizabeth to address remedial learning.

8. C.B. Facey Foundation. To fund activities and programs of the Rema/Trench Town Inner City Project.

9. Chain of Hope. To fund activities and programs of the Mending Little Hearts Programme.

10. Child Resiliency Programme. Support of their after school-program for children who have suffered from Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), building resilience and social, cognitive and moral competence .

11. Christel House (CHJ). Support the nutrition program for the 310 students who are provided with two meals and two snacks per school day.

12. Church Teachers’ College. Funds Scholarships through the Hubert and Delsey Messam Early Childhood Scholarship Fund

13. Cornwall Regional Hospital. The purchase of critical health care equipment including defibrillators and vital sign monitors.

14. Creative Language-Based Learning (CLBL). Support summer workshops and camps for 100 teachers and 400 students in literacy and numeracy methodology.

15. Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts. For two scholarships for fourth- year students.

16. Eye Health Institute. To purchase an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) machine and a Humphrey Matrix Machine for diagnosing and treating glaucoma.

17. Friends of Hopewell. For soup kitchens and senior programs.

18. Hope Zoo. To fund activities and programs of Hope Zoo.

19. Institute of Jamaica. To support three summer camps to develop the potential of children in creative arts and languages along with social skill development.

20. Issa Trust Foundation. Towards the funding of the construction of a Children’s Health Clinic.

21. Jamaica Cancer Society. To fund screening and education activities.

22. Jamaica Conservation Partners. To support environmental conservation.

23. Jamaica Environment Trust. To fund programs that protect Jamaica’s natural resources.

24. Jamaica Musical Theatre Company (JMTC). An apprenticeship program for young adults to help bridge the gap between their academic experience and a professional career in theatre.

25. Jamaica Trail Project. Maintain and develop hiking trails in Jamaica.

26. Jamaican Advantage through Sports for Youth (JASY). Support for a week long sports training camp at the University of Technology for 130 disadvantaged students.

27. Journey 2 Free. To fund a residential retreat for 40 girls who are survivors of child abuse.

28. JSPCA. For the protection of animals from cruelty, neglect, injury and abandonment by promoting animal rights.

29. Kingston Creative. To fund the Paint the City Project and other Downtown Kingston art murals.

30. Lasco Chin Foundation. To fund activities and projects of the Schooling Support and Entrepreneurship Programme.

31. Melody Home for Girls. To fund furniture repairs and new dressers for the bedrooms in the shelter.

32. Mission of Sight. To fund activities, programs like the Recovery of Sight Project, and medical assistance for people with impaired vision.

33. Musson Foundation. For support of students preparing and competing in the World Robot Olympiad competition.

34. Mustard Seed Communities. To provide school breakfast and lunch to students whose families/guardians are unable to pay for these meals.

35. National Education Trust (NET). To install a water harvesting and storage system and bathrooms for students at Cambridge Primary School.

36. ODEM Foundation. Providing a computer lab, internet access and after-school support at the Waterhouse Community Centre.

37. Pocket Rocket Foundation. To provide bursaries to support high school student athletes.

38. Portland Arts and Vocational Education (PAVE) Centre. Funding for their Youth Entrepreneurship program which provides five months of vocational training and other job placement services.

39. Project STAR. Support for their targeted interventions to help under-resourced communities in Jamaica effect societal transformation.

40. RISE Life Management Services. Funding for their after-school program for 30 children who are underperforming in school and experiencing violence-related trauma.

41. Rose Town Foundation. To fund after-school programs and workshops for children in the Rose Town Community.

42. Sacred Heart Church in Reading. To fund activities and implement programs.

43. Seprod Foundation. Funding of the Bebras Challenge, part of Code Jamaica, focused on primary school learning in logic thinking and problem solving.

44. Songs for Sound. To fund the commission of a national demographic report and conduct a local awareness campaign on deafness in Jamaica.

purposeofgrants

45. Southern Basketball Conference. To provide coaching and basketball lessons, academic support and life skills to Jamaican youth to support.

46. St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Early Childhood Institution. To fund activities and programs at this basic school.

47. U.W.I. Scholarships support the educational pursuits of students at the university. The scholarships are funded by: Amb. J. Gary Cooper, Amb. Glen Holden, Kathleen Newman, Kevin Akindele Wright, Ralph & Rickey Lauren Family Foundation, Amb. Sue Cobb.

48. Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) To support conflict resolution programs such as the “Drumming for Peace” Project to enable youth to become positive role models for their peers.

49. Wattle and Red Earth (WARE) Collective. To implements a curriculum introducing learners to the fundamental techniques use of traditional construction methods including how to construct Spanish Wall buildings creating job opportunities and supporting cultural practices.

50. Wolmer’s Rebuilding Fund. To support the building of a three-story, tech-driven building to better serve the needs of the 1,500 students at the Wolmer’s Girls’ School.

51. Wolmer’s Safe Shelter Programme for Girls Fund. To provide safe boarding/lodging and school expenses for students who are victims of abuse.

52. Women Center of Jamaica Foundation. To support their aims to improve youth educational attainment and Adolescent Reproductive Health.

2023 Grant Awards Ceremony hosted by Ambassador Nick Perry and Mrs. Joyce Perry at the US Embassy in Kingston. Pictured are AFJ Directors, Minister of Education, Fayval Williams, and representatives from grantee organizations.

The South Miami Children’s Clinic, under the leadership of Dr. Tina Carroll-Scott, held the 5K Gallop Fundraiser to celebrate Jamaica’s Diamond Jubilee and raise funds to support education at schools across Jamaica on August 27, 2022 at Zoo Miami. The Event raised $61,000 and benefitted the 63 schools listed below.

scholarships

uwischolarships

The AFJ offers nine scholarships to undergraduate students at the Mona Campus of the University of West Indies (UWI). The Margaret "Peggy" Steuart Scholarship and the Sydney A. Phillips Scholarship are new to the roster of tertiary level scholarships the AFJ facilitates at UWI.

Amb. Glen Holden Scholarship

Amb. J. Gary Cooper Scholarship

Amb. Sue Cobb Scholarship

Kathleen Newman Scholarship

Kevin Akindele Wright Scholarship Klotz Family Scholarship

Margaret “Peggy” Steuart Scholarship Fund

Ralph & Ricky Lauren Family Foundation Scholarship

Sydney A Phillips Scholarship

churchteachers'college

Trishanna Ford

Amb. Glen Holden Scholarship Recipient

Thanks to your help, I will be comfortably continuing my studies for the rest of the semester without the constant worry of deregistration. Upon graduation, I hope to contribute to the Agricultural industry in Jamaica through being an Embedded Software Engineer, helping to tackle the issue of Food Insecurity.

In addition to the scholarships facilitated at UWI, the Hubert & Delsey Messam Scholarship is maintained at Church Teachers’ College. The Hubert & Delsey Messam Scholarship is awarded to high achieving students in need.

1. 2. 3.

4.

5. 6. 7.

8. 9.

handheldultrasound+startright maternalhealthinitiative

Diagnostic Patientcare

In collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) and the JAHJAH Foundation, 24 Butterfly Handheld Ultrasound Devices and 24 iPads were presented to physicians in A&E and maternal health sites across the island. The AFJ funded the training and integration of these portable ultrasound devices in eight hospitals i.e., Victoria Jubilee, Spanish Town, Princess Margaret, St Ann's Bay, Cornwall Regional, May Pen, Mandeville Regional, and Savanna La Mar.

Additionally, mother-baby products including diapers, breast pads, thermometers and 100 Snuggle Nests were distributed to pregnant mothers. This transformative twofold initiative which included the deployment of diagnostics was well received across the island. The Snuggle Nest is a comfortable, safe, and portable bassinet for newborns.

Thank you Butterfly Global Health Team, Jacobi Emergency Medical Team, University Hospital of the West Indies, Bailey’s Medical Supplies, the planning team including Minister of Health Juliet Cuthbert Flynn, Dr. Melody Ennis, Daileann L. Hemmings, and all the other stakeholders for your contribution.

wanttoknowmore?

Click here!

Maternal Mortality Trends in Jamaica

Infant Mortality Trends in Jamaica

The UN's Sustainable Development Goals for 2030

Grants

sportsfordevelopment

y

Through this initiative, young girls are equipped with the resources to develop their athletic talents and advance the sport for women in Jamaica.

US$25,000

southern basketball

The AFJ continues to support Sports for Development through Southern Basketball Conference. This inner city community program helps with tutoring, conflict resolution, life skills and parenting programs.

US$12,500

The AFJ awarded to Southern Basketball Conference to fund coaching, training and equipment for basketball.

Click here to read about the benefits of sports in developing countries.

The AFJ presented a grant in the amount of to "Football is Freedom".

Grants youthnutrition

The AFJ presented 52 grants during the 2023 Grant Award Ceremony in May, three of which were youth nutrition

youthnutrition grantees

A New Jamaica of Peace

Busy Bee Educational Enrichment

Rose Town Foundation

US$10,000 66 students

This grantee received to provide meals and cooking lessons to involved in training and academic classes.

Read more about YOUTH here!

What is AFJ President Emeritus, Ambassador Sue Cobb's favorite Jamaican dish? A

Ackee

Curried Goat

Stewed Chicken

Go to our LinkedIn page for the correct answer.

As part of St. Ann's Bay Regional Hospital's Labor Day Project, Carnival Cruise Line renovated the Pediatric Ward Learning Center. Crew members volunteered and disembarked Carnival Horizon in Ocho Rios to paint walls, plant trees, and reorganize the mini library. As a partner of Carnival Cruise Line, the AFJ facilitated this volunteer project to improve the environment for young children in the pediatric ward.

Project STAR is an initiative aiming to bring about meaningful change through targeted intervention in communities in-need throughout Jamaica. The AFJ continues to fund Project STAR. This initiative created by the PSOJ in collaboration with the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and other stakeholders works across communities in Jamaica. The AFJ supports Project STAR through Donor Advised donations and also through our online giving platform "Choose A Cause".

stemforgrowth

The mission of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) for Growth Foundation is to ignite a passion for STEM among the youth of Jamaica, fostering innovation and paving the way for a future driven by knowledge and creativity. The Mico University College in partnership with the Ministry of Education, 21st Century Ed and STEM for Growth Foundations hosted the first Mico STEM Century International Conference July 5-7, 2023. The conference theme was "Transforming Jamaica through STEM Education". Local educators were joined by school superintendents and teachers from the US to develop a vision for 2033.

eventsattheafj thehardertheycome

On March 16th, friends of Jamaica, donors, and other stakeholders gathered at the Public Theater in New York City to watch the play adaptation of the 1972 film, “The Harder They Come.” The AFJ was delighted to welcome actress Sheryl Lee Ralph who delighted the guests with her rendition of “Long Time Gal Mi Neva See You” joined by AFJ donor Janice Hart. A specially curated art auction catalog was on display. The Art Auction funded two Henzel Family Scholarships at Edna Manley School for the Arts.

2022newyorkgala

Cedella Marley was honored with the International Humanitarian Award at the annual Hummingbird Gala in the Fall '22 where her support for women's football was highlighted - "Football is Freedom". The Gala featured a silent auction, a performance by Grammy Award winning band Steel Pulse featuring lead singer, David Hinds and Grammy Award winning artist Skip Marley did an amazing performance.

2023miamigala

Douglas Orane and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce were honored with the International Humanitarian Award at the annual Jamaica Charity Gala in May 2023. The Pocket Rocket Foundation and Wolmers Safe Shelter were both highlighted.

Wendy Hart, Kathleen Newman, Honoree Cedella Marley and Amb. Pamela Bridgewater

Steel Pulse lead singer, David Hinds

Honorees Douglas Orane and Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Christopher Martin performing

The AFJ welcomed Sarah Hsia to the board of directors. Sarah Hsia graduated from Brown University with a degree in International Relations and went on to Harvard Law School. She is currently an Intellectual Property and Entertainment Practice Attorney based in Kingston, Jamaica. The AFJ is delighted to have Sarah on the board. Welcome, Sarah!

The AFJ welcomed Alexandra Clarke to the staff as a Program Analyst. Alexandra graduated from Northeastern University with a degree in Politics, Philosophy, and Economics. Born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica, she is passionate about social equity, reform, and human storytelling. Welcome, Alexandra!

ourteam

Board of Directors Administration

President

Wendy Hart

Presidents Emeriti

Amb. Glen A. Holden, Ret.

Amb. Sue M. Cobb, Ret.

Amb. Brenda Johnson, Ret. Treasurer

Chris Ohrstrom

Secretary

James A. Cada

Amb. Pamela E. Bridgewater, Ret.

Paula Campbell Roberts

Barron Channer

Amb. J. Gary Cooper, Ret.

Glenn Creamer

Pat Falkenberg

Radford W. Klotz

Monica Ladd

Kathleen Newman

Laura Tanna

Sarah Hsia

Executive Director

Caron Chung

Program Analyst

Alexandra Clarke

Executive Administrative Assistant

Sarah-Caitlin Wagner

Co-ops & Interns

Griffin Sabatini

Chidi Olewuenyi

Tina Vo

James Zarni Volunteer!

Do you enjoy making a positive impact? The AFJ is calling all volunteers! Come help facilitate a series of events hosted by the AFJ. Interested? Click here!

Don't Miss It!

How to Donate

To donate visit our website: www.theafj.org

Use our website to see if your employer will match your gift!

You can:

donate to a charitable organization in Jamaica through our donor directed grants. donate to our discretionary fund that supports our annual grants program. donate to our endowment. The AFJ Endowment Fund is crucial to the survival of our organization and helps our programs become stronger and more impactful.