Working in child protection, one of the things that concerns me most are the messages that we give our children about safety and particularly, who is safe to be around. In Jamaica we have the “stranger danger” phenomenon where young children are taught that it is strangers that you need to be wary of. Yet, we need to open up a… Read more →←
Topic: Health promotion
Girls Who Know Ja came from being in school where sexual and reproductive health was something to be tiptoed around and could not be openly discussed in class. As an adolescent, there is such a short list of people who you can go for information and an even shorter list for safe and reliable information. What is being taught in schools… Read more →←
If someone had asked me six months ago about the fastest way to reach young people in Jamaica, I would probably have said Instagram. If you asked me today, I would likely say U-Report (provided by UNICEF), albeit with the caveat that it depends on your needs. As we pulled together our communication strategy and action plan for dengue at… Read more →←
A year ago today I was discharged from the hospital where I had spent the past month. Yet I did not feel much better than when I entered. I did not believe in myself, my happiness, or my own self-worth. Yet somehow I found my superpower, the ability to take responsibility for my recovery – to make me work. Before, I had listened to… Read more →←
Eleven years of Eve for Life is a time of real reflection. When we started on this journey, my co-founder Pat Watson and I, we were giving up the comfort of our careers because we knew this work had to be done. We could never have known that we would reach this far. We are at our Mentor Mom retreat as I write this, and on our special day… Read more →←
Whenever I think of healthcare, three things readily come to mind – affordability, access and quality. As a young person in Jamaica, accessing healthcare comes with its challenges. Many young persons, irrespective of their status, struggle with accessing affordable and quality health services, particularly relating to sexual and… Read more →←
The energy in the room is light and there is laughter. There are no hints that the young women gathered in this space are anything but ordinary. They are relaxed and open. Until the conversation turns to forgiveness. The girls suddenly flounder. Smiles give way to knitted brows and slumped shoulders. Now, the room aches with the… Read more →←
Breast milk is the best food babies can get during the first six months. However, many babies don’t benefit from this best start in life: on average, women in Jamaica breastfeed exclusively for only about 3 weeks. In the first 1,000 days of life, a baby’s brain develops the fastest – a process which benefits… Read more →←
Young women and girls who are HIV positive are often victims of repeat victimisation. Many were sexually abused as children, and were shunned after trying to name their abusers, who are often family members. For them, stigma against persons living with HIV is one more thing to overcome. Alicia (alias), shares her story below about… Read more →←
Most – if not all – conversations in Jamaica about youth exclude them from the discussion. Launching U-Report Jamaica recently gave me a “wow” moment: I realised this is finally a chance for youth to take charge of the narrative and start their own conversations. More than 1,300 young people have already signed up to become… Read more →←