Tagged: Jamaica

From living in state care to becoming a social worker

Safety and justice

By Karen

From living in state care to becoming a social worker

My mom left me at a bus stop when I was six years old. She just said, “Stay here. Don’t move.” Being an obedient child, I sat and didn’t move. I waited and waited, and eventually I got up and started walking, which was when the police found me. At first I was lucky to go into foster care, but lucky was only until Grade 9 when my… Read more →←

Dear dads, here’s 10 ways you can support breastfeeding

unicef jamaica breastfeeding

Health promotion

By Novia Condell

Dear dads, here’s 10 ways you can support breastfeeding

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 →←

‘My mother tells me I’m walking dead because I have HIV’

eve for life Unicef jamaica

Health promotion

By Alicia

‘My mother tells me I’m walking dead because I have HIV’

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 →←

Youth & U-Report: Don’t talk about us, without us

christopher harper, u-report, unicef, jamaica

Health promotion

By Christopher Harper

Youth & U-Report: Don’t talk about us, without us

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 →←

All Jamaican mothers deserve baby-friendly hospitals

shelly-and fraser-pryce breastfeeding mother

Health promotion

By Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

All Jamaican mothers deserve baby-friendly hospitals

Not many people know this, but my degree from UTech was in Child and Adolescent Development. So I know about the benefits of breastfeeding and it’s always been something I wanted to do when I was ready to be a mother. So it’s doubly important for me as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador that more mothers are able to breastfeed. We’re… Read more →←

Effortville Primary: a safe haven, and a place for STARS

Effortville Primary School

Lifelong learning

By Christine Russell-Lewin

Effortville Primary: a safe haven, and a place for STARS

Usually when I arrive at school, there are about five or six students who are waiting for me at my office door. Oftentimes they start unloading even before I open up. Most times my breakfast is left uneaten. Effortville Primary is their safe haven; the place where they can enjoy their childhood without fear. After traumatic events of the… Read more →←

What if all Jamaican hospitals were baby-friendly?

baby friendly hospitals alexandria

Health promotion

By Novia Condell

What if all Jamaican hospitals were baby-friendly?

Being a daughter of St. Ann, it was heartening to travel down to see Alexandria Community Hospital get certified as baby-friendly. This is a wonderful first for the parish! Alexandria and Princess Margaret in St. Thomas are now the only two hospitals in Jamaica officially designated as baby-friendly. Being baby-friendly is about ensuring… Read more →←

Helping Jamaican children fight for a better future

fight for peace kingston jamaica unicef

Safety and justice

By Ross Sheil

Helping Jamaican children fight for a better future

Fight for Peace doesn’t teach children to fight. It uses combat sports as a way to channel their energies, to instill discipline and values; and help them escape the violence in their communities. To do so effectively – to do so safely – it’s vital that when a child enters the programme, they have a clear understanding what it is… Read more →←

A happy space for Jamaican children to play and learn

Treasure Beach Sports Park Happy House

Lifelong learning

By Mark Connolly

A happy space for Jamaican children to play and learn

Imagine you’re a child. Now imagine if you had a chance to go to a place of natural beauty to be yourself: to play, learn and be safe. The Breds Foundation now offers that unique space for children in Treasure Beach, St. Elizabeth, and surrounding communities. Over several years, the Foundation has developed the expansive Treasure… Read more →←

#FacesOfUNICEF: A new chance for young people’s voices to matter

Christopher Harper UNICEF Jamaica U-Report Coordinator

Lifelong learning

By Christopher Harper

#FacesOfUNICEF: A new chance for young people’s voices to matter

Message JOIN to @ureportjamaica on Facebook Messenger to sign up! Christopher Harper joined us recently as our National U-Report Coordinator. Jamaica will be the first Caribbean country to launch U-Report — a free tool that gives young people a way of sharing their views via weekly polls they respond to via their favourite social media… Read more →←