Jamaican Self Help receives grant for anti-violence work
Wednesday October 15, 2003 Natalie Miller
Like many inner cities, illiteracy, violence and involvement in gangs often jeopardize the futures of youth growing up in Jamaica's capital.

Kingston, the city on the southeastern portion of the island that encompasses several smaller communities, is home to more than 500,000.

While parts of the capital attract tourists, Kingston is "a very difficult place" in some respects for the people who live there. Youth are particularly at risk of spiraling into a life of crime, says Marisa Kaczmarczyk.

Marisa is the executive director of Jamaican Self Help (JSH), a charitable, non-governmental organization based in Peterborough that contributes to the development of healthy Jamaican communities.

Established in 1978, Jamaican Self Help has two paid staff, a board of directors of 11 and two pools of volunteers that add up to approximately 50 people. The organization started out by informing Canadians about inner-city projects in Jamaica, which has led to fundraising, collecting goods and organizing awareness trips to the island, its website states. JSH has received funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) since 1983.

JSH works in partnership with sister organizations in Jamaica to help improve the living conditions "by fostering self-sustaining programs such as literacy, skills training, agricultural training, community development, health care and sanitation and institutional strengthening."

The organization received a grant from CIDA Friday for $498,000 over the period of 33 months to partially support a program reducing youth violence in Kingston. JSH has to match the amount through its donors and other fund-raising activities.

"Jamaican Self Help has traditionally always done work around youth," says Marisa.

"We wanted to do a particular initiative to look at youth at risk in Kingston. There's a lot of violence, crime and enticement to get involved in gangs," she notes. "Kingston right now is a very difficult place in terms of crime and violence."

The program will explore the different supports in Kingston for youth at risk, determine where the gaps in service are and develop pilot projects based on what is needed. The endeavor will require research into programs for youth at risk in other areas which may be useful in Kingston. There are six projects which make up the three-year program, including supporting the S Corner Clinic and Community Centre in west Kingston.

The community centre, which has a holistic approach to health care, focuses on youth and the training of young people to become leaders in their community. It focuses on literacy, building healthy relationships and job-finding skills, among other things.

"It's a poor community and people don't have a lot of options," says Marisa. It is an area where drive-by shootings and retribution killings are commonplace. "It (has) spiraled out of control."

The goal is creating "more of a peaceful community and having role models who are more positive," says Marisa. "We have to learn new ways to deal with conflict for youth at risk."

Twice a year, volunteer monitors visit Jamaica for a week and examine the projects, review the reports and identify successes and difficulties. JSH is required to submit reports to CIDA on the various projects. Marisa will visit at the end of November to work on program development and meet with various partners. The partner organizations run by Jamaicans submit proposals to JSH about what is needed. "We define what our limits are" and the work is "carried out by them," notes Marisa.

The Canadian Minister for International Co-operation made the formal funding announcement to JSH Friday morning.

To learn more about JSH, visit www.jshcanada.org

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