Black Immigrant Daily News

CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS, OCTOBER 26, 2022 (NIA) — Principals of the seven government-owned primary schools on Nevis were presented with tablets on behalf of their students, a gift from the Windsong Foundation through the Tech Up project.

The 250 Lenovo Tab M10 Plus devices were presented to the principals by Hon. Troy Liburd, Jr. Minister of Education in the Nevis Island Administration (NIA), on October 25, 2022, at the Premier’s Ministry conference room at Pinney’s Estate.

In handing over the tablets, Mr. Liburd encouraged the students benefiting from the gift to take care of them.

“I would want to urge all of the young people who are going to be benefiting from these tablets to treat them with care. They are gifts intended for them, to benefit them in their education and in their development as a whole and we want to encourage the parents also to speak with the children to ensure that when they have possession of the tablets that they treat them with the highest possible regard and that they care them,” he said.

The Education Minister noted that the tablets are the first part of the donation and that some laptops are expected shortly.

He thanked the Windsong Foundation for their long relationship with the NIA, and urged members of the corporate community to invest in young people.

“Windsong Foundation has come forward and they have been partnering with the Nevis Island Administration, partnering with the Ministry of Education, partnering with our schools and our young people here on Nevis and we have to say a very big, warm thank you to them…

“Windsong is a charitable organization but they are an externally charitable organization so…I do want to take the opportunity to encourage some of our corporate entities here in the federation to partner with the government, partner with Education, of course, to partner with the young people.

“The young people are the ones who are going to grow up to become the consumers of the future so I want to ask and encourage you to make an investment in them…It’s for the benefit of the young people and once the young people benefit, the country, as a whole, benefits,” he said.

Ms. Zahnela Claxton, Principal Education Officer, described the donation as a significant one.

“These devices are an important contribution towards our greater vision and mission and we know that we have adopted ‘Education for the Future’ as our key phrase for the Department of Education here and the way forward for education…An integral part of providing our students with some of the skills that they need for the future, of course, is technology…and we want our students to be engaged in technology…

“The intention of these devices is that they would be used for our students who may not have access to devices at home. They might not have the socio-economic background where they can be able to have their own devices for use. So these devices will be made available to them through a check-in and -out system,” she said.

The Principal Education Officer expressed hope that all children would have access to technology as they prepare for their future.

“It is our hope that every child will have the opportunity to prepare for the world of work and the general world that they would have to face and part of that is, of course, their access and involvement as it relates to technology.

“We know how much we have been stressing on ensuring that our students access our various platforms, as we reflect on the days not too long ago when we had to be online for our various classes and so there is no child who should be left behind. There is no child who should be disadvantaged because of their parents’ economic situation and so these devices are here through the Tech Up project, our thrust to ensure that our students have equal access,” she said.

Mr. Kevin Barrett, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Education, chaired the handing over ceremony.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Data from the third quarterly survey of business and consumer confidence have revealed that fewer families received remittances between July and September 2022, due in part to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In addition, those who received remittances were unable to save any of the funds due to the rising cost of living and the need to cover daily living expenses.

Speaking to the comparative third quarter for 2021 and 2022, pollster Don Anderson said while the number of persons who said they were receiving remittances fell to 29 per cent in 2021, the figure fell even further in 2022, to 25 per cent.

Just over 600 consumers and 100 businesses were polled for the Jamaica Conference Board Survey of Business and Consumer Confidence, which was presented by Anderson, the CEO of Market Research Services Limited, on behalf of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC) on Tuesday.

“Fewer households are receiving remittances. Based on the information [that] they used the remittance to cushion their financial situation, in a number of households, the situation will more than likely, especially with the price increases, be difficult…,” Anderson said.

What’s more, “When we asked people if they saved any of this, very few are capable of saving any. The bulk of it is distributed in terms of household expenditure, sending children to school, feeding themselves on a daily basis and taking care of their essential needs,” he said.

Consumers also pointed to the impact of inflation on the cost of goods and services over the last year, with 87 per cent of respondents noting that prices have increased significantly.

“So, when you see a fall off in the number of households receiving remittances, you can therefore match that with the concomitant increase in prices and you can see that consumers, despite all the positives they are expressing, are likely to be feeling a greater pinch now… than two years ago,” the pollster said of the analysis of the data.

The JCC began plotting the data on remittances in 2010, Anderson told attendees to the virtual presentation of the data.

He said over the years, the survey has found that “the volume of remittances received in the country has played a very significant role of helping persons, primarily in the lower sector, to meet their daily household expenditure.”

According to Bank of Jamaica data, total remittance inflows for July 2022 stood at $US 305.5 Million with August posting $US307.2 Million. Data for September is not yet available.

The JCC conducted its survey between July 1 to September 15

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Black Immigrant Daily News

Cattle rustling continues to be a major problem faced by farmers in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), and one farmer is seeking the intervention of the Ministry of Agriculture after 53 of his sheep went missing on Monday.

According to that farmer, the disappearance of animals from within the savannah has forced many farmers to take their animals to residential areas where they live, but this creates other issues with crop farmers.

Oudal Budhram, a cattle farmer of Number 55 Village Corentyne, in venting his frustration over the situation, having recently lost 53 sheep, says it is a significant blow to his livelihood. Budhram said that up until Sunday night, he had 62 sheep. On Monday, when he went to the savannah where he had left his animals, he found only ten of them.

“Abie search round the whole area where the sheep dem ah graze, and we couldn’t find the sheep. When we come, we observe about ten young ones; they pick out the big sheep dem and leff the kiddie dem, an carry way all the big sheep dem — fifty-three what me check,” Budrham said.

He has since made a report to the Police. Budram, who also has 20 goats and 15 head of cattle which he keeps at the savannah in the backlands of Number 56 Village, said this is not the first time he has lost sheep as a result of theft. The loss of the animals, he said, has dealt him a tremendous blow, since he depends solely on his stock to make a living.He explained that he has invested over $1M in sheep.

Budhram has been rearing sheep for over four years. He says this is the heaviest loss he has suffered.

“From the big flood, thirty-seven head dead from the flood,” he said while noting that he also lost eleven at one time as a result of theft.

“Last March that gone, I buy five Alsace cow to get milk, because me na wuk no way, so I say I gon milk dem cow and get lil money. It cost me $1.5M, and dem man go away with all five, and now they go away with over $1M worth in sheep fo me. Me na know wah fo turn to now,” he continued.

Cattle rustling and the theft of small ruminants has been one of the major issues affecting animal farmers on the Upper Corentyne.

According to Budhram, other farmers in the community have been losing small animals, but this is the first time so many were stolen at one time.

Apart from this, farmers have to deal with attacks by jaguars, pythons and alligators, even dogs which go to the savannah and feast on the newly born.

However, Budhram strongly believes his missing animals were the victims of theft.

Only recently, Police officials in the region said they would be paying more attention to cattle rustling, and promised results before the end of October. This was after farmers had complained that the law enforcement officers seemed inept in dealing with the situation.Meanwhile, a butcher from New Amsterdam has been placed before the court for cattle rustling and related charges.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

In an effort to further develop the health care system in Guyana, the Government of Guyana through the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Service has partnered with the Schulich ExecEd at Canada’s leading business school, the Schulich School of Business at York University, to develop capacity training for Hospital Leadership.

The programme is designed to teach management and leadership skills to work professionals, aspiring leaders, managers, and senior leaders in the health sector and will be delivered on a virtual platform to participants from all ten (10) administrative regions.

The virtual launch was held on October 13, 2022, with attendance from Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony, Minister of Public Service Ms. Sonia Parag, distinguished faculty from Schulich ExecEd, Schulich School of Business, and representatives from both Ministries and all participants.

Minister Parag in her remarks added the importance of training citing the “Government’s commitment to provide quality training to all Guyanese” but especially so to those serving in the health care sector of our country.

These comments were further emphasised by Minister Anthony who added that the Ministry of Health has embarked on an aggressive campaign to develop the healthcare sector through the construction of several hospitals including the country’s first Maternal and Paediatric Hospital and several other projects to build and rehabilitate hospitals in the hinterland areas.

This, he said, creates the need to develop the capacity of the administrators who will be assigned to these hospitals. The programme he further stated will provide this training.

This training is just one of many training programmes which the Ministry of Health has embarked on to develop skills training not just for the medical staff but for all staff attached to the Ministry of Health in a combined effort to enhance and develop health care delivery in Guyana.

“We are delighted to partner with the Ministry of Health, Government of Guyana as they overhaul the delivery of healthcare services by developing their top hospital administrators across all 10 regions, equipping them with the skills necessary to lead this transformation,” says Rami Mayer, Executive Director of Schulich ExecEd.

“Our goal is to help the Guyanese Government transform its health care system and develop better hospital administrators and provide innovative health care solutions to improve patient outcomes.”

Mayer added that “The Schulich ExecEd-Guyana Masters Certificate in Hospital Leadership Programme is customised for Guyana’s hospital administrators providing them with the necessary interpersonal skills and hands-on business tools to improve their management, leadership, and service delivery skills at all levels.”

“At Schulich ExecEd, we help organisations like Guyana’s Ministry of Health, build and foster a high-performing, collaborative workplace culture with a strong emphasis on promoting leadership, communication, and innovation to help achieve organisational and performance goals,” he said.

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Black Immigrant Daily News

CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS, October 25, 2022 (NIA) — Mr. Royston Queeley of Newcastle village, the winner of the first Men Can Cook Grill Master Edition hosted by the Department of Gender Affairs placed 3rd from a field of seven participants at the Dr. Packer Annual Backyard BBQ contest in Palm Bay, Florida on October 15, 2022.

His participation was the prize offered to the winner of at the Men Can Cook Grill Master Edition, an event which formed part of International Men’s Day 2021 activities on Nevis.

Mr. Queeley described his participation in the Florida contest as a delightful one.

“The experience was a wonderful experience. It felt good competing against other chefs outside of Nevis. The competition was a fierce one.  This was my first time attending and I gained a lot of experience which will help me to win the trophy next year,” he said.

The Newcastle villager expressed his gratitude to all who gave him the opportunity to participate in both contests.

“I want to thank the Department of Gender Affairs for giving me an opportunity to showcase my talent not only in Nevis but also in Florida. I also want to thank Dr. Donald Packer-Manners for his warm Nevisian hospitality,” he said.

Ms. Catherine Forbes, Training Officer who represented the department, described Mr. Queeley as being eager to compete in the competition in which he was required to barbecue in the categories of chicken, pork and fish.

“He was very enthusiastic, very meticulous, paid great attention to detail and exhibited creativity. It was the first time he had been to something like that. It was easy for me to work with him. He took criticisms and ideas in a positive way and improved in areas suggested. He was cooperative and interacted well with other grillers and exhibited good social skills before and after the contest,” she said.

The Department of Gender Affairs thanked the St. Kitts-Nevis-Anguilla National Bank for what it termed as “their generous sponsorship” towards Mr. Queeley’s participation in the overseas grilling competition. They also expressed gratitude to Dr. Packer, his wife Edna and Mr. Steve “Piggy” Parris for the kind hospitality extended to Mr. Queeley during his stay in Florida.

Registration for the Department of Gender Affairs 2022 Men Can Cook: Grill Master Edition, scheduled for November 13, 2022, is open.

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