Ananda alerts of missing children to be displayed on digital screens in public spaces

As part of efforts to locate missing children, an initiative is to be undertaken to broadcast messages to the public on digital screens under the Ananda Alert system.

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) says the move boosts efforts to get more children home safely.

The alerts will include the child's photo, physical description, and contact details, and will remain on screens until the case is resolved. 

CPFSA has signed separate Memorandum of Understanding with Intelligent Multimedia Limited (IML) and Visual Vibe— subsidiaries of Kintyre Holdings, operators of Jamaica's largest networks of digital display boards, to assist in finding missing children.

The signing took place on June 12.

“Through this partnership, real-time alerts for missing children will now be displayed across Visual Vibe's expansive digital screen network — reaching high-traffic town centres and key community locations islandwide,” CPFSA said.

“This initiative is a powerful step forward in our mission to protect Jamaica's children, using technology and innovation to help bring them home faster,” the agency added.

Chief Executive Officer of the CPFSA, Laurette Adams-Thomas, noted that 1,011 children went missing in 2024, of which 898 returned home and six were found dead.

Some 107 children are still missing. 

"These statistics should rock us to our very core, and as a nation, we have to find a way to make this disturbing reality a thing of the past,” Adams-Thomas said.

"As we continue to modernise the Ananda Alert System, we are making a deliberate effort to collaborate with companies that are aligned with our mission to protect children. The partnerships with Intelligent Multimedia Limited and Visual Vibe are a part of CPFSA's initiative to operate at first-world standards in our approach to child protection and recovery and to collectively lay the pathway to fulfilling our vision of Jamaica becoming the place of choice to raise families.  We welcome others to come on board, and we are calling on Corporate Jamaica in particular to partner with us to protect our children, to keep them safe, and to bring them home,”  she said.

For his part, Tyrone Wilson, Chairman & CEO of Kintyre Holdings, told The Gleaner that he views Visual Vibe as more than just a digital advertising network but as a national platform for impact. 

Wilson said he partnered with the CPFSA and the Ananda Alert Secretariat to help protect Jamaica's children.

“Through this initiative, our screens will share vital alerts and awareness messages, turning public spaces into hubs of vigilance and support. This isn't just advertising — it's about using our reach to tackle one of Jamaica's most urgent issues. Our children are our future, and we all share the responsibility to keep them safe,” Wilson said.

“Our children are the future, and ensuring their safety is a matter for all of us,” said Marc Robinson, General Manager of Intelligent Multimedia Limited. 

“We are proud to use our digital advertising network with over 50 locations islandwide to assist in reuniting children with their families. It is not just a good cause but a necessary one,” he continued.
Ananda Alerts are Jamaica's official child recovery tool for high-risk missing children, and are already disseminated through SMS and the Ananda Alert WhatsApp community. 

- Andre Williams

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