标签： Jamaica

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A landmark corporate investment has unlocked historic athletic achievement for Convent of Mercy Academy ‘Alpha’, an all-girls Jamaican high school, after local food service provider Express Canteen donated $500,000 to cover the track and field team’s travel costs to the 2026 Penn Relays at Pennsylvania’s Franklin Field. The landmark donation capped a years-long turnaround for the school’s program, which earned its strongest performance in the iconic international meet to date.

This year marked the first time in Alpha’s 100-plus year history that the school entered a squad in the Girls’ 4x800m relay, where the team finished 13th overall with a time of 9:51. The team also earned a silver medal in the high-profile International Championship High School Girls’ 4x100m relay, clocking 46.42 seconds in the final after advancing from the preliminaries with a 46.75-second run. Additional standout finishes included a sixth-place placement in the women’s shot put from competitor Sajay Cruikshank and a heat win in the 4x400m relay.

For Alpha’s leadership, the athletic success is the tangible outcome of a decades-long institutional mission centered on nurturing young women’s potential, on and off the track. Principal Kali McMorris explained that the school, founded by the Sisters of Mercy, has always prioritized培育 young women into “change makers” and “visionaries” who can excel across every area of life. Athletics, she noted, has emerged as a core vehicle to help students build confidence, self-discipline, and a clear sense of purpose.

McMorris also singled out head coach Kirk King for his transformative leadership, crediting him not just for refining athletic technique but for mentoring student-athletes into confident leaders who thrive in the classroom and broader community. She emphasized that the half-million-dollar contribution from Express Canteen was not just a gift — it was the make-or-break support that allowed the team to even attend the international meet. While local parents had contributed endless time and effort to support the team locally, covering cross-border travel, accommodation, and event fees required a committed corporate partner. McMorris added that Express Canteen is the school’s largest consistent donor, with a long track record of investing in the growth of Alpha’s athletic programs.

The team’s Penn Relays success is the result of a deliberate five-year turnaround that followed the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. When the program restarted after pandemic lockdowns, only 13 athletes returned to participate. King, who had presented his five-year development blueprint to school leadership shortly after the pandemic, has led the program on a steady climb up the rankings at Jamaica’s premier high school athletics competition, the ISSA/GraceKennedy Boys’ and Girls’ Championships. The team climbed from 31st place to 25th, then 15th, finishing 12th in 2024 and seventh earlier this year — just six points away from a top-five placement.

King credits the program’s rapid growth to both his athletes’ relentless work ethic and the sustained support from Express Canteen, which has gone far beyond covering travel costs. The partnership has provided critical nutritional support for the team, with athletes receiving daily lunches during training sessions — a change that King said led to immediate, noticeable improvements in performance. For King, building a successful program extends far beyond posting fast race times: nutrition, mental health support, emotional encouragement, and motivation are all equally critical to long-term success. He describes his role as a mix of coach, father figure, and mentor, with a core mission of nurturing well-rounded young women who excel academically and socially as well as athletically.

For student-athletes, the impact of the partnership extends far beyond the medal podium. Alia Ross, speaking on behalf of the entire team, expressed deep gratitude for the donation, noting that the opportunity to compete at Penn Relays has been transformative for the entire program. Ross added that participation in track and field has shaped her into a more disciplined, structured person, while also teaching her critical communication and teamwork skills that will serve her for life, both as an athlete and a private individual.

For Express Canteen, the investment in Alpha is part of a broader, long-term commitment to youth development across Jamaica through sports. Simone Foster, managing director of Express Canteen Services, explained that the company recognized Alpha’s transformative vision years ago and chose to engage not just as a one-time sponsor, but as a long-term stakeholder in student growth. She pointed to the team’s steady progress at the ISSA/GraceKennedy Championships and this year’s historic Penn Relays results as clear proof that sustained, consistent investment in youth sports delivers meaningful, lasting change.

Express Canteen’s investment in Jamaican youth sports extends well beyond Alpha’s track program. The company recently served as title sponsor for the All-Star U14 and U16 regional football competitions, supports football programs at two prominent local preparatory schools (Mona Preparatory School and St Peter and Paul Preparatory School), and helped sponsor an overseas football tour for Excelsior High School. For Foster, the company’s core mission is straightforward: to continue empowering Jamaican young people through sports, helping them achieve self-actualization whether they compete in track and field, football, netball, or any other athletic or academic discipline.

On Mother’s Day Sunday, the 10th iteration of Lodge Portmore’s beloved annual ‘Fathers Who Cook for Mothers’ charity gathering unfolded at Ham Stables in St Catherine, drawing widespread acclaim as a resounding community success.

This decade-old Mother’s Day tradition doubles as a fundraising initiative, and this year’s event directed all proceeds toward covering operational costs for Clifton Basic School, a local primary education institution serving the St Catherine region. Roughly 700 community members turned out to support the cause, and they left fully satisfied after sampling an extensive spread of flavorful, expertly prepared dishes crafted by the participating fathers. Attendees also enjoyed lively entertainment throughout the day from performer Dwight Richards.

Several standout moments marked the celebration, including a gift presentation where Leighton McKnight awarded a set of custom pillows to Phyllis Scott, with Courts Brand Ambassador Suthania Henry on hand to share in the joyful occasion. In a highlight of the culinary portion of the day, McKnight also took charge of preparing a large, hearty pot of soup for the gathered crowd, showcasing the hands-on spirit that defines the annual gathering.

For nearly two decades, residents of Oakland Crescent and surrounding neighborhoods in St Andrew South Western have navigated crumbling, flood-prone roads — and their patience has finally run out. The community is issuing an urgent, desperate plea to Jamaica’s National Works Agency (NWA) to intervene immediately, after years of stalled repairs under a national infrastructure initiative have left daily life all but unmanageable for locals.

What makes the current crisis particularly acute, residents explain, is that even light rainfall turns the community’s main thoroughfare into a rushing makeshift river, thanks to an undersized, chronically clogged drain upstream that overflows with every storm. When floodwaters surge, they carry discarded household appliances, rotting dead animal carcasses and old mattresses downstream along the damaged road, leaving behind debris, foul odors and even more potholes that worsen the street’s decay.

One long-term resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, recalled that the road’s decline dates back at least to 2004, when Category 4 Hurricane Ivan tore through Jamaica, destroying the original road surface. While state crews have carried out patchwork repairs over the years, those temporary fixes never last, he said, and the road always reverts to its dangerous, impassable state within a short time.

Beyond the flooding, the deeply pockmarked, uneven road has disrupted nearly every part of daily life for residents. Vehicle owners struggle to navigate the craters, taxi drivers refuse to enter the neighborhood, and essential service vehicles including garbage trucks and emergency vehicles are blocked from accessing most streets. Locals are forced to haul their household trash half a mile uphill to the main road for collection, visitors have no choice but to park on overcrowded sidewalks, and even construction supply trucks can’t reach properties to carry out home repairs. For the Bible Apostolic Church based in the community, the crisis has kept worshippers away: many congregants now refuse to travel to the church, instead parking at distant neighboring churches or skipping services entirely.

Resident Kerry-Ann, who joked that the persistent flood pools on the road are big enough to turn into a fish pond, said locals held out real hope for change earlier this year when workers from China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) arrived to repair neighborhood sidewalks. CHEC is the primary contractor for the Jamaican government’s $45-billion SPARK (Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network) programme, a national initiative managed by the NWA designed to rehabilitate Jamaica’s crumbling road network, upgrading both local community streets and major national highways to improve safety and accessibility across the island.

But that hope quickly faded. Months after sidewalk work wrapped up, full road repairs have not started, and the road’s condition has only deteriorated. “When you take taxi, they don’t want to come on this road. When people are coming to you, they cannot access you. You have to drive on the sidewalk,” Kerry-Ann explained. “And then the main issue is the gully, when rain falls, all the water comes right down on this road. Everything floods out. It’s terrible.”

Fellow resident Harrison said that while he understands the project is part of a larger infrastructure programme, the community can no longer wait for work to resume. “We want the road now, we really want it. Vehicles can barely enter my yard. I see my neighbour doing construction and the truck that’s carrying the material cannot make it inside the yard. It’s almost like the tyre was about to burst. We‘re asking the authorities to start the work now,” he said.

Area Member of Parliament Dr. Angela Brown Burke, of the People’s National Party, told the Jamaica Observer she has repeatedly pushed the NWA for answers after the project stalled. After residents began raising alarms about worsening flooding and road conditions once preliminary work began, Brown Burke said she sent multiple formal inquiries to the NWA but has never received a formal response.

“I was glad to see the road started because I know just how much persons in that area were looking forward to the work being completed,” Brown Burke said. “Several months later, they are nowhere because they basically abandoned the work as far as I am concerned; totally stopped the work and we cannot get a proper update.”

Brown Burke criticized the government’s approach to the stalled project, saying officials appear to treat public infrastructure work as an arbitrary backyard project rather than a core responsibility to impacting residents’ daily lives and livelihoods. “It’s totally unacceptable,” she stressed. As of press time, repeated attempts by the Jamaica Observer to reach the NWA for comment on the stalled project and residents’ complaints have been unsuccessful.

KINGSTON, Jamaica — At a ceremony marking 50 years of Jamaica’s membership in the International Maritime Organization (IMO), senior government officials have reaffirmed the island nation’s dedication to building a more inclusive maritime sector that unlocks the full potential of under-represented groups, particularly women.

Kedesha Rochester, Permanent Secretary of Jamaica’s Ministry of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications, outlined the country’s commitment amid stark global data: women currently hold just over 1% of all seafarer roles worldwide, making the sector one of the most gender-imbalanced professional fields globally. To mark the annual International Day for Women in Maritime (IDWM) on May 18, Jamaica will join international efforts to shine a light on women’s often-overlooked contributions to the industry, while drawing attention to the persistent barriers they face in this male-dominated space.

Rochester explained that the day’s core mission extends far beyond celebration. It is designed to drive tangible progress: boosting recruitment of women into maritime roles, supporting their long-term retention and stable employment, raising public and industry awareness of women’s work in the sector, and reinforcing the IMO’s alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5, which targets full gender equality globally.

There are already encouraging signs of progress on Jamaica’s end, Rochester noted. Currently, women make up 23% of all students enrolled in the seafarers programme at the Caribbean Maritime University (CMU), a figure far outpacing the global average for women working in the field.

Beyond entry-level training, Rochester emphasized that IDWM serves as a critical global platform to push for systemic change. The initiative encourages male colleagues to act as allies in building more inclusive workplaces, and fosters the diverse, sustainable industry that the global economy needs. Crucially, it highlights that women’s value to maritime extends far beyond on-ship roles: they bring essential expertise to shore-based offices, policy development teams, and C-suite leadership positions across the sector.

Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith echoed this enthusiasm, welcoming the IDWM initiative and noting that Jamaica is already proud to see women holding senior leadership positions across multiple areas of the domestic maritime sector, including regulation, education, and public administration.

“I want to take this opportunity to salute the women in [the] maritime sector. We thank them for their sterling and ongoing contribution to the development of the industry,” Johnson Smith said.

Looking ahead, the 2026 observance of IDWM will center on the theme “From Policy to Practice: Advancing Gender Equality for Maritime Excellence”, focusing on turning formal commitments to inclusion into tangible, on-the-ground change for women across the global maritime industry.