KINGSTON, Jamaica – In a bid to bolster the Government of Jamaica’s initiatives to restore schools and hospitals in the wake of Tropical Storm Gustav, JN International Money Transfer has undertaken to waive remittance fees on donations received locally and overseas for these efforts.
The waiver applies to donations sent via JN Money Transfer agents in the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and The Cayman Islands. A similar post-Gustav restoration remittance effort is being undertaken by Grace Kennedy Remittance Services.
These remitted donations, which will be sequestered in a specially established account (number 10272794) at the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS), and will be handed over to the Government of Jamaica through the Finance Ministry.
Earl Jarrett
According to Earl Jarrett, General Manager at JNBS, “After the recent storm, Jamaica National streamlined its recovery assistance programme in a manner that will enable Jamaicans in the Diaspora to support the Government in facilitating more immediate turnaround of country’s educational and health services.”
It was reported by the Ministry of Education that major damage was sustained to the roofs of school buildings in the parishes of St Thomas, Portland, St Mary, and rural St Andrew. Severe flooding was also reported. The reopening of school, previously planned for September 1, was pushed back to September 3 as a number of the institutions were being used as temporary shelters for displaced families.
The JNBS General Manager remarked that before Gustav, more than 200 schools were earmarked to be repaired by the government, “but the bill has been upped by the onslaught of the storm. Notwithstanding earnest efforts to prepare the schools for accommodating students, JNBS as a private sector partner in the education system, wishes to aid the recovery process as best as possible through this remittance project.”
He added that the gesture is a part of a multi-level response programme being implemented by other entities within the JN Group.
Meanwhile, there have not been reports of widespread impact on hospital infrastructure but the health services, owing to the need to stretch resources, were reduced to emergency care only. With this, ambulatory care and elective surgeries were temporarily put on hold by the Ministry of Health during the passage of the storm.
“The donations will bolster health care resources that will bode well for the sector’s ability to withstand heightened demand, especially during the course of natural disasters,” Mr. Jarrett said.
He informed that “the remittances will be powered by the award-winning E-Money software which will transfer the funds quickly, and for good measure, maintain a database of monies received, into the special account.” This mechanism, Mr. Jarrett noted, will be instrumental in the financial reporting of donations.
