Jones Avenue hopes for development

Karen Sudu, Gleaner Writer

SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine: Enid Thompson has never experienced life outside the inner-city Jones Avenue community, adjacent Shelta Rock and Dempshire Pen, in the Old Capital.

The 79-year-old mother of 12 children, eight alive, is a firm believer in self-reliance. So, after her tenure as an office helper at the defunct Jamaica School of Agriculture ended in the 1960s, she established her own business.

Nowadays, she spends most of her time at her small wooden shop, selling ground provision, vegetables, seasoning and other items.

"Sometimes the sale is bright, sometimes it is dull and sometimes when mi ready fi go buy stock, mi can't find the money fi buy it," she laughs.

Of course, she buys most of her goods in Kingston.

"Mi have a gentleman in Coronation Market. Anything mi want, him give mi - even if I don't have the money on spot," said Thompson, dressed in her bib and a bandana head tie.

Depressing state

The senior doesn't believe in 'no credit'. "But mi have a hard time when mi trust," she chuckles. "Sometimes when mi trust, mi don't get the money, but I still do it."

However, she is not worried about those who forget to pay. Her greatest concern, she tells The Gleaner, is the depressing state of the community which oftentimes experience a flare-up of violence.

"Mi woulda like to see some development. Mi born and grow here, and there is no development, the road want to fix. The place just dull and depressing," she laments.

She is also disturbed by the lack of employment opportunities.

"When mi was growing up, mi coulda get all kind a work, like domestic work, tidy up office and so on. So mi woulda like to see the young people dem get some work because dem want work and dem can't get no work," she said, as she sold one of her customers a pound of cabbage.

Claudia Gooden, in her 20s, knows all too well what the senior is talking about. The Spanish Town High School graduate obtained four passes in the Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate exams, including mathematics, and aspires to be a certified professional secretary.

"I got training as a receptionist. I have my certificate and I made several applications. I went on several interviews, but I haven't heard anything. What I really want to do is work and save some money to go after my career goal," she told The Gleaner.

Then, there are others who believe there is no hope. They spend most of their time playing bingo or engage in other activities.

"Nutten nah gwan, no work nuh deh!" a female in her 30s who wished to remain unidentified declared.

Employment opportunities

While others like Albert Staples, Winston Gray and Jermaine Flemmings say they just need help from the relevant authorities to create educational and employment opportunities.

They guided our news team to a building once used to hold remedial classes and a homework programme. Several desks, chairs, tables and other pieces of furniture - most of them in a state of disrepair - were strewn in different places.

"This building was a Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the church turn it over to us that we can use it as a community centre to do remedial education and skills training ... but wi need some form of help to fix it up because is the only spot in Jones Avenue that wi can find to do some things that mean something to the youths and the older ones too," Staples told The Gleaner.

Jermaine Flemmings, a marshal in the Jones Avenue Cadet Unit, said his group is providing a ray of hope for youths.

"We target the kids because of the violence which flares up sometimes; we trying to save the kids from a tender age, take them at a tender age where you can control them and guide them," Flemmings explained.

He indicated that renovation of the building is critical to the success of the unit's operations.

"In everything there is good and bad and we are willing to do something good. All we need in Jones Avenue is somebody or a company which has the power to help us to make something good out of ourselves. We are willing, but we need help. Right now, we need help to repair this building, so we can have the class and the cadets can have a home," Flemmings pleaded.