Fri | Feb 20, 2026

Support for Joy Town social services fair in Hannah Town

Published:Saturday | June 4, 2022 | 12:06 AM
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The Joy Town Community Development Foundation team (from left): Suwayne Trowers, project officer; Keisha Francis, teacher; Camille Johnson, programme co-ordinator; Major Richard Cooke, president; Adelaine King, president’s assistant; Shavelle Davis, soc
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The Joy Town Community Development Foundation team (from left): Suwayne Trowers, project officer; Keisha Francis, teacher; Camille Johnson, programme co-ordinator; Major Richard Cooke, president; Adelaine King, president’s assistant; Shavelle Davis, social worker and Ricardo Williams, assistant project officer and social worker.
NHF health workers carrying out health checks on parents from the Hannah Town Community.
Contributed
NHF health workers carrying out health checks on parents from the Hannah Town Community.
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The first in a series of social services and recruitment fairs, hosted by the Joy Town Community Development Foundation (JTCDF), took place on May 28 at the Chetolah Mel Nathan Education Centre, in Hannah Town, Kingston.

According to Suwayne Trowers, project officer for the upcoming Positive Parenting For A Better Tomorrow programme, the fairs are designed to provide essential social services to the people of Hannah Town, Denham Town and Jones Town, and promote the parenting intervention slated for their communities beginning the end of June.

Among the organisations at the Chetolah Mel Nathan Education Centre were: the National Health Fund, which provided health checks; National Insurance Scheme, which assisted residents in signing up for NIS benefits; and the Registrar General’s Department, which accommodated applications for birth certificates, as well as requests for copies of other documents provided by the department.

Representatives of the Programme for Advancement Through Health and Education programme invited parents to sign up, but advised that assessments would need to be done to gauge families’ eligibility before they could benefit. Visitors to that booth were also introduced to the PATH entrepreneurial programme from which aspiring and existing business operators could benefit.

Visitors to the COK Co-operative Credit Union booth at the fair received financial advice. The credit union also gifted 15 free bank accounts to children in the community and assisted adults in opening accounts. Refreshments were provided by Best Dressed Chicken and Reggae Jammin, while Jamaica Teas served hot beverages.

“The response from members of the Hannah Town community was good, with a steady flow of residents attending the fair throughout the day,” said Trowers.

She said the Joy Town Community Development Foundation fair will be at the Jones Town Primary School on June 11, with the final in the series set for the Denham Town Community Centre on June 18.

Major Richard Cooke is the founder of the JTCDF, which has been working since 2001 to help transform inner-city communities into peaceful, productive, law-abiding and God-fearing habitats through community development, education, training, promotion of economic activities and the practice of healthy lifestyles.

He noted that the Positive Parenting For A Better Tomorrow project is aimed at reducing negative parenting practices and the stress caused by lack of resources. It is expected to equip parents to raise children, who are prone to good social behaviour, to reject violence as a means of conflict resolution and become more productive contributors to family and society.