Sharene McKenzie (right), head of USAID's Community Empowerment and Transformation Unit, expresses a commitment to assist the White Marl/Central Village Business and Community Committee in developmental projects for residents of the area. She was participating in the recent launch of the committee. Sharing in the occasion are Lascelles Chin (centre), chairman and CEO of the LASCO Group of Companies, and Sharon Haye-Webster, Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South. - contributed

Representatives from the private sector, political parties, community associations, religious fraternity, state agencies and Jamaica Constabulary Force joined forces recently to launch the White Marl/Central Village Business and Community committee at a special ceremony at the LASCO Group of Companies' White Marl offices in St. Catherine.

The committee will spearhead social intervention activities in that volatile area by giving of their expertise, finances and time in undertaking development projects in the Central Village/White Marl area and its immediate environs.

Some 60,000 residents of the targeted area are to benefit from the programmes of this new organisation.

Crime alleviation

Lascelles Chin, chairman and CEO of the LASCO Group of Companies who was the convenor at this morning's launch explained that the committee will develop active partnerships with the constabulary, business community and the citizenry to plan and implement crime alleviation and social intervention programmes.

"This is a red letter day for community and social transformation in White Marl/Central Village," said Mr. Chin, who is also a member of the committee. "The formation of this Business and Community Committee will certainly ensure that collaborative problem-solving efforts are important features in development for the residents of White Marl/Central Village."

Among the other objectives of this Business & Community Committee are encouraging harmonious relationship between all stakeholders in the area, organising activities to allow interaction between the various residential areas in White Marl/Central Village and allowing the business community to assess and provide assistance in a planned response programme to identified social needs. It will also create a business watch group for the area.

Blessings of political parties

The work of the committee has the endorsements of both the People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party, whose representatives Sharon Haye-Webster, MP for South St. Catherine and Devon McDaniel, JLP caretaker for the constituency spoke at this morning's launch.

The Police High Command has also given its backing to the venture. Deputy Commissioner of Police Javene Bent, who represented the police commissioner at the function, commended the efforts of the new organisation and implored the group to set up a skills bank for the residents, which would assist with easy access to jobs as well as spawn additional skills training.

5-year MoU

All the companies and private sector agencies in St. Catherine as well as the police force are to sign a memorandum of understanding for a five-year development plan for the area. USAID will be guiding the committee members on drafting the plan and setting measurable targets for development in White Marl/Central Village. Sharene McKenzie of the Community Empowerment and Transformation Unit of USAID expressed the commitment of her organisation to work with Central Village to replicate in that neighbourhood, the successes of community policing and poverty eradication, which were taking place in Grants Pen in St. Andrew.

Prior to its official launch, the committee assisted in diffusing tension in the area and preventing reprisals, following a recent shooting. The group also previously hosted a summer camp. Among the projects which the group will shortly be spearheading is a residential summer camp at GC Foster College for teenagers and young adults of White Marl/Central Village, a teenage pregnancy workshop and a three-year social engineering programme which will see the placement of a social worker in the community to work with families in solving some of their socio-economic problems.

Summer camp

The summer camp, which will run for three weeks, is to commence on July 9. It will include sports, drama, public education programmes and life skills and is open to youth from all communities in White Marl/Central Village.

In regard to the pregnancy workshop, this will be operated from July 24-26 at the Red Cross Headquarters in Central Village.

The White Marl/Central Village Business and Community Committee will be ploughing half of a million dollars into the summer programmes.

Committe reps

The following organisations have representatives on the committee: LASCO Group of Companies, Wisynco, Sherwin Williams, HI-Pro, VAP, Jamaica Broilers Group of Companies, Social Development Commission, Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Sammy's Shoes, Mi Foam, Suntrax, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), ASHTROM Building Systems Ltd., the Registrar General's Department, Red Cross, the St. Catherine South Police Division, communities and churches in White Marl/Central Village, People's National Party and the Jamaica Labour Party. Other private and public sector entities are expected to join the organisation shortly.

An important development for the White/Marl Central Village area is that JSIF and USAID have a social and educational programme respectively, which are running concurrent to the work of the White Marl/ Central Village Business Watch and Community Committee.