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Photograph of Teshae Silvera, then aged 10, and Romain Virgo performing 'Dutty Man' at Reggae Sumfest in 2019.

What Dutty Man taught me as a daddy

Health promotion

By Romain Virgo

Photograph of Joy Crawford, co-founder of Eve for Life, speaking to singer Romain Virgo (centre) and his manager Nicko Brown, after donating a portion of revenue from sales of the song Dutty Man to the organisation.

‘Daddy, your bredrin molest me’

Health promotion

By Joy Crawford

Imagine being a little girl who needs to tell your daddy those words? Last year was a rough one for Eve for Life. We have noticed over the past few years, that the girls who are the survivors of sexual abuse are getting younger and younger. We were once dealing with 15 to 16-year-olds, young to be sure. Now though, we are handling… Read more →←

Photograph of Terri-Karelle Reid (centre), UNICEF U-Report Youth Council member Danielle Mullings (left) and National Secondary Schools Council (NSSC) representative Isheba Cornwall (second right), with students at a FLOW Foundation Safer Internet Day event at Merl Grove High School.

How I’ve created a safe space online

Safety and justice

By Terri-Karelle Reid

I do not come across negativity on my social media platforms. Reading that I’m sure you are asking why that happens and, I do also hope, ‘How can I do that, or show my children how?’ For those of you who may not follow me, I’m a voracious user of social media, especially on Instagram, Linkedin and on Twitter. Paying it… Read more →←

Photograph of Father Ian ‘Cowfoot’ Salmon together with his two sons Jevontae, aged 16 (left) and Devontae, aged 13 in their community of Mountain View, St Andrew.

Why as a daddy I choose talking not beating

Safety and justice

By Ian 'Cowfoot' Salmon

The reason I believe in talking to my children … beating doesn’t work! Sometimes when you beat them, you beat them with anger, you beat them with vengeance, and when you tell yourself that you’re licking them here on the arm, it might catch them in the eye – scrape them, leave bruises, welts, marks and all those things. Talking… Read more →←

A girl learns to jump rope at the UNICEF-supported Denham Town Basic School in the Denham Town community in the parish of Kingston and St. Andrew. Nearby, a boy holds a football. Many poor families cannot afford pre-school fees, books or uniforms, so their children do not attend school regularly. In May 2008 in Jamaica, children continue to suffer hardships wrought by a fragile economy, pervasive violence and poverty. Violence in the home, in schools and in communities continues to affect children, who comprise more than 37 per cent of the population of 2.7 million. Girls are vulnerable to sexual abuse, while boys are often the victims of assault. In 2007, more than 1,500 people were murdered (equal to more than four people a day), including an estimated 100 children. In a recent national survey, 60 per cent of 9 to 17-year-old children reported that a family member had been a victim of violence and 37 percent has a family member who had been killed. Only 28 per cent of children thought their community was safe. Gang activity has increased, with gang members enlisting children to conceal their weapons. Children’s rights to education and leisure activities have been compromised by unrelenting levels of crime, forcing school closures due to civil disturbances. UNICEF supports violence prevention, reduction and mitigation programmes and other integrated care and protection services for vulnerable children and young people, including: child-friendly safe spaces in violence-prone communities; mediation, conflict management, peace promotion and life-skills training for adolescents in inner-city communities; improved access to psychosocial services for children and families; remedial education; skills development and counselling; income-generating activities; and rehabilitation and reintegration programmes for out of school children, including those living or working on the streets. UNICEF also supports quality education and early childhood development. The latter programme also aims to improve the quality and accessibility of health services for younger children and their mothers.

Play Day JA: Games for teachers and children to try

Lifelong learning

By Rebecca Tortello

Play is fun, play is learning! We’ve collected some simple games schools can try tomorrow on February 5 for #PlayDayJA. These are just suggestions, and of course teachers can encourage children to create their own games together. For those who would like more information, we encourage you to download the Ministry of Education’s… Read more →←

Photograph of Nadine Bowen, a teacher at Early Stimulation Plus in Rockfort, eastern Kingston together with one of her students.

Helping parents of children with disabilities grow with them

Lifelong learning

By Nadine Bowen

Here at Early Stimulation Plus, we don’t just get to see the children grow, we get to see the parents grow too. Because some are in denial that “there is nothing wrong with my child.” But your child does have challenges, and so do you; and together you need our help. Our school works a lot with the parents, including parenting… Read more →←

Photograph of Tajae Williams playing with her son Tajorie, aged 3.

Never give up on your children, they are the future

Lifelong learning

By Tajae Williams

Never give up on your child because you don’t know where or what the future holds. When I found out that my son Tajorie Taylor had Down syndrome it had a negative impact on me, because of what people said. They would fail to understand, or decide that they would not like to discuss it, because they have grown up in a society where to… Read more →←

Photograph of a Street Play JA session taking place in downtown Kingston.

Kingston streets come alive with play

Lifelong learning

By Rebecca Tortello

Some of the streets in downtown Kingston are coming alive with the sounds of happy children and smiling parents. Welcome to Street Play JA, a pilot initiative by UNICEF, implemented by partner our Fight for Peace, which aims to counter a lack of play spaces for children and foster greater community understanding of the power of play. … Read more →←

Photograph of Lucy Meyer with students at Stony Hill Infant, Primary and Junior High School

Unified sports build a health society

Lifelong learning

By Lucy Meyer

I was born with cerebral palsy because I did not get oxygen for five minutes at birth. When I was just a few days old, the doctors told my parents that there was a very good chance that I would never sit up or swallow. The doctors were wrong! Living with cerebral palsy means that I have both physical and intellectual disabilities.… Read more →←

Photograph of Shaneille Hall, aged 18, who was among a group of children who became the first in Jamaican history to address a sitting of Parliament, on November 19, 2019, the day before World Children's Day.

Witnessing history in Jamaica

Safety and justice

By Laura-Ann Romig

“I share my story here today for every girl and every boy in Jamaica who is subjected to sexual violence, and they are everywhere. There are children who are keeping horrible secrets in Upper St. Andrew, in downtown Kingston, and all across rural Jamaica” As I listened to Shaneille speak, my eyes welled up with tears. Her voice,… Read more →←

Chandis Hamilton

What my daughter cannot see, she can sing so beautifully

Lifelong learning

By Marlene Grant

Early in my pregnancy, I caught chickenpox which damaged my daughter’s eyes. Chandis is afflicted with pigmentary retinopathy, which means her visual acuity is only 8/18 in each of her eyes. Growing up, at times she would walk into people or objects and injure herself and had to use people’s voices to identify them. Yet being… Read more →←

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Health promotion

Boosting health outcomes for infants and adolescents: access to quality services; prenatal and postnatal care; HIV/AIDS; teen pregnancy; and vulnerable groups.

Social protection

Achieving national action to reduce child poverty: strengthen public investment; data collection and reporting on child rights, particularly on disabilities.

Safety and justice

Working to end violence in every sphere of a child’s life: prevention; legislation; barriers and bottlenecks; capacity building; and partnerships/innovation.

Lifelong learning

Improving education for disadvantaged children: access to quality education; safe schools; early childhood development; student-centred learning; and data collection.