Black Immigrant Daily News

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Staff and Children of the New Beginnings Transit Home now have a safer, greener and more habitable place to call home, due to recent technological retrofits and structural upgrades in the infrastructure of the residential institution.

A beneficiary of the Smart Facility Project, the New Beginnings Transit Home opened its doors to residents in January 2011.

The home is a safe haven for children between the ages of 0 – 18 years who are victims of child abuse, severe neglect and who are in need of care and protection.

The facility works closely with the National Foster Care and Adoption Services to ensure that children are returned to where they thrive best – in secure and loving families.

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The implementation of the Smart Project at the Home is designed to integrate new technologies, improve communication and strengthen the structural and operational components of the facility, thus making it greener, disaster resilient and safer for occupants.

Rolled out in 2018 at a cost of US$100,000.00 and completed in October 2022, the upgrade was funded by the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in close collaboration with the Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment and the Ministry of Health and Elderly Affairs.

New Beginnings Transit Home Manager Avice Inglis welcomed this venture and stated that the service provided to vulnerable children at the Home during disasters would be vastly improved. “Having these upgrades being done enables the Home to be more environmentally friendly and disaster resilient. Due to the recent upgrades and retrofits, we can now say that  we are a smart facility,” noted Inglis.

She went on, “We got support to develop a contingency emergency plan and signage at the home, so therefore the children are now safer because of this smart upgrade. Saying we are smart means that we are safe and green.” 

 The Home was retrofitted with modern secure-proof doors, internet surveillance systems, fire extinguishers and smoke detectors, low level switches or valve systems, roof and floor repairs, ramps at ground level, back-up power and safer electrical systems as well as  a more reliable water supply.

Apart from the New Beginnings Transit Home, sixteen (16) other health facilities around the island were transformed into smart facilities, making them more resilient and energy efficient.

The Smart Facility Project was implemented in seven countries namely Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia and St. Vincent and the Grenadines at an estimated cost of £46.3million.

SOURCE: Ministry of Equity, Social Justice and Empowerment

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DEEP GRIEF: Mourners grieve near the coffin of nine-year-old murdered schoolboy Jomol Modeste at his funeral on Friday which was held at his Enterprise, Chaguanas home. PHOTO BY MARVIN HAMILTON –

MONIQUE Hamilton was overwhelmed with grief and anger as she gazed at the body of her nine-year-old son Jomol.

He lay in a pristine white casket, with a gold paper crown on his head, at her family’s home in Waterloo on Friday.

Jomol was killed in a drive-by shooting at the Africa Recreation Grounds on October 15.

A police report said at around 8.20 pm on October 15, several shots were fired from a white panel van near the basketball court at the grounds, in Enterprise.

Jomol was struck in the back by a bullet, and was taken to the Chaguanas Health Centre, where he died while being treated.

There were originally plans for a viewing of Jomol’s body at Carapichaima RC Primary School, where he was a student, but Newsday understands those plans were scrapped after a relative expressed a wish for no media to be at the school.

Other relatives, who live at Enterprise Street, Chaguanas, said they wanted to view Jomol’s body in private, without the media there.

Several people waited outside the home of Jomol’s maternal grandmother Rosanne Ramdial-Hamilton for his body to arrive. When it did, around 12.40 pm, several people screamed and started crying. Jomol’s casket was placed under a tent outside the house. On top of the casket was a wreath with a silver football with Jomol’s name on it, to reflect his love for the game.

Hamilton had to be held up physically by relatives as she wept and screamed: “Jomol! Jomol! Why? Why? Oh, God. Jomol! Jomol!”

On her Facebook page on October 16, Hamilton posted: “Allyuh jus take my heart and soul they I have nothing left in me anymore seeing my son last night trying to wake up is like I died too.

“Why allyuh take him from us, he was jus ah innocent child, a baby, he ain’t (do) allyuh nothing. Oh gosh fudgie, my child, get up please baby.”

Many who responsed to this post expressed shock, anger and outrage over Jomol’s murder.

Ramdial-Hamilton had to appeal for calm several times as people tried to view Jomol’s body. “We will have a viewing.”

She reminded them that they only had a short time with Jomol before his body was taken to the home of other relatives in Enterprise and later to Londgenville for burial.

Ramdial-Hamilton delivered a brief eulogy of her grandson without any prepared speech, straight from her heart.

“His mother and father are Monique Hamilton and Joel Modeste. He was born right here in my little board house, humble as ever.”

“We really loved him. I thought I would have bawled today and they would have had to put me in an ambulance.”

Other people praised Ramdial-Hamilton for her composure. She attributed this to her steadfast belief in God.

Looking at Jomol’s body, Ramdial-Hamilton said, “We will always love you fudgie.”

Students and teachers from Carapichaima RC School were also at the house to pay their last respects.

One of Jomol’s teachers, who did not give her name, told mourners, “He always had a smile on his face. He was always helping. He was always sharing.”

She said Jomol never had any bad days at school and had nothing to do with the situation which led to his death.

“Every day was a happy day for him.”

She added, “Jomol is going directly where he’s supposed to go with God and the class will miss him.”

Principal Thomas Metivier said, “To the parents who are here: please take care of the younger ones, because this is our future.”

Looking at Jomol’s body, Metivier added, “We love you, Jomol. We are going to miss you, boy.”

A neighbour who identified herself as “Brenda” said she would often see Jomol playing outside Ramdial-Hamilton’s yard.

She remembered seeing Jomol a week ago and telling him, “You’re growing up good.”

Brenda added that the news of his death came as a shock and many people in the community are still in disbelief.

Hymns and songs which Jomol liked were played before his casket was put back in the hearse for its journey to Enterprise and Longdenville. The hearse was accompanied by a police vehicle.

In a statement on October 16, acting Commissioner of Police Erla Harewood-Christopher sent condolences to Jomol’s familyand promised no stone would be left unturned in bringing his killers to justice.

“Over the years the Police Service has invested resources in the Enterprise area and will continue to work and partner with members of the community,” she said in the release.

Christopher promised Jomol’s family wouldreceive support from the police service’s Victims and Witness Support Unit

Hours after the killing, police arrested four men for questioning. Three were released without charge. One man, Antonio Governor, was charged with possession of a 5.56 round of ammunition and granted $150,000 bail.

The other three were released after their attorney, Blaine Sobrian, filed a writ of habeas corpus.

While police believe Jomol’s killing was unintentional, they suspect the murders of two men days later were connected to his death. The men were killed while on their way to meet with Sobrian in relation to the four men who had been held and later released.

Police said they received information of a shooting at Freedom Street, Enterprise around 5.06 pm on Monday. They found the bodies of Marius Guevara, 25, in the back seat of a silver Nissan Cefiro and Tevin Neptune Joseph, 29, in a nearby drain.

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