FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA RELEASE
Food For The Poor Jamaica Partners with Ministry Of Labour & Social Security To Provide Housing Solutions For Poor Families
Kingston City, Kingston (May 18, 2012) – Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), yesterday afternoon signed a partnership agreement for the provision of housing solutions for poor Jamaican families who are beneficiaries under the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH). The signing ceremony took place at the North Street Office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.
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(L-R)
Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, Food For The Poor Jamaica, and Derrick Kellier,
Minister of Labour and Social Security, get ready to sign the Memorandum of
Understanding for a Social Housing Project on Thursday May 17 at the North
Street Office of the Ministry of Labour. Faith Innerarity, Director General in
the Ministry also participated in the Signing Ceremony. Under the agreement
housing will be provided for PATH families that are unable to provide suitable
housing for themselves based on their socio-economic conditions.
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Mr. Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, FFP Jamaica and Hon. Derrick Kellier, Minister of Labour and Social Security, were the major signatories to the agreement. During the Signing Ceremony, Minister Kellier announced that the value of the project this financial year is J$20 million and it will be implemented as a pilot venture across the island. Minister Kellier elaborated on the important features of the FFP -MLLS partnership: “Today represents an example of how public-private partnerships can create greater efficiency in service delivery as the Food for the Poor Jamaica has discounted the total cost for the units by 30% while also providing labour free of cost. The cost for the foundations will be absorbed by the Ministry.”
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Derrick
Kellier (centre), Minister of Labour and Social Security had the rapt attention
of (L-R) Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica, and Ron
Burgess, Senior Director, Recipient Services, FFP Jamaica, as they engaged in
discussions. Sharing in the occasion was Nicholas Ziadie, Director of
Construction Services, FFP Jamaica. The group was at the Signing Ceremony for a
Social Housing Project on Thursday May 17 at the North Street Office of the
Ministry of Labour. The project is a partnership between FFP Jamaica and the
Ministry of Labour and Social Security, for the provision of suitable housing
for poor families, who are PATH beneficiaries.
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Mr. Andrew Mahfood explained that FFP is delighted to be partnering with the Ministry on such an innovative, multi-million dollar social housing project, which would benefit the most needy and vulnerable in the society. “It is our strong belief that as this project improves the living conditions of the most needy and vulnerable in Jamaica, it will make a significant difference to the country’s social infrastructure,” Mr. Mahfood stated. He pledged his charity’s commitment to ensuring that the houses are “built with the strictest adherence to ensuring equity, transparency and accountability.”
The FFP Jamaica Chairman said each recipient PATH family would receive a one or two bedroom home from FFP, with each home having a personal sanitation unit and a kitchenette. FFP will be providing labour and technical expertise for the construction of the houses.
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Andrew
Mahfood (left), Chairman, Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica, and Derrick Kellier,
Minister of Labour and Social Security, exchanged pleasantries and
commendation, after the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding for a Social
Housing Project on Thursday May 17 at the North Street Office of the Ministry
of Labour. Participating in the event were (L-R in background): Jacqueline
Johnson, FFP Jamaica Senior Consultant, Ron Burgess, FFP Jamaica Senior
Director - Recipient Services, and Nicholas Ziadie, Director of Construction
Services, FFP Jamaica. The project is a partnership between FFP and the
Ministry of Labour and Social Security, for the provision of suitable housing
for poor families, who are PATH beneficiaries.
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Describing the collaborative housing initiative as a “life-enhancing project,” Mr. Mahfood added, “We at FFP are optimistic that this housing initiative will break the cycle of poverty in the lives of many Jamaicans.”
The man at the helm of FFP Jamaica said this latest social housing project, fits into the mandate of the charity, which has since its inception been building low-income houses for the poorest of the poor islandwide. He indicated that since the start of this year, FFP Jamaica has built 346 such homes. “Over 22,000 Jamaicans now have a secure and comfortable place to call home, thanks to these efforts. In 2011 alone, we built 1,298 houses across the island for victims of fire and other distressed families, most including children,” Mr. Mahfood outlined.
Access to this social housing project will be facilitated through the MLSS’s 13 Parish Offices. FFP and the MLSS will jointly review the list of potential recipients, but FFP will make the final determination of the recipients.
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A team from
Food For The Poor (FFP) Jamaica and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security
(MLSS) posed for the cameras, after the signing of a Memorandum of
Understanding for a Social Housing Project by the two organizations on
Thursday, May 17 at the North Street Office of the Ministry of Labour. The
major signatories were (front: L-R) Andrew Mahfood, Chairman, FFP Jamaica;
Derrick Kellier, Minister of Labour and Social Security; and Faith Innerarity, Director General in the
Ministry. Among those who shared in the occasion were: (background: L-R)
Marlene Miller, MLSS Representative; Phyllis Mitchell, Special Consultant to
the Minister; Jacqueline Johnson, FFP Senior Consultant; Alvin McIntosh,
Permanent Secretary, MLSS; Dunstan Bryan, PATH Project Director; Ron Burgess,
Senior Director, Recipient Services - FFP Jamaica; Nicholas Ziadie (partially
hidden), Director of Construction Services, FFP Jamaica; Denzil Thorpe,
Director of Social Security and Everton Pryce, Consultant, MLSS. Under the
Memorandum of Understanding, housing will be provided for PATH families that
are unable to provide suitable housing for themselves based on their
socio-economic conditions.
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The Minister views the Food For the Poor and Labour Ministry partnership as a necessary and effective step in making suitable housing solutions more accessible to those families which have serious socio-economic challenges. “We thank Food For the Poor’s Board, Management and Staff for their willingness and express our gratitude to them for their unwavering support and dedication to our mutual goal of breaking the intergenerational poverty cycle,” Minister Kellier pointed out.
Among persons witnessing Thursday afternoon’s Signing Ceremony were: Mr. Alvin McIntosh, Permanent Secretary, MLSS; Mrs. Faith Innerarity, Director General, MLSS; Mrs. Jacqueline Johnson, Senior Consultant, FFP; Mr. Ron Burgess, Senior Director, Recipient Services, FFP; and Mr. Nicholas Ziadie, Director of Construction Services, FFP; and representatives from the media. Mr. Dustan Bryan, PATH Project Director, gave an overview of the PATH Project during the Signing Ceremony.
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Food For The Poor (FFP)-Jamaica is the largest charity organization in the country. Food For The Poor Inc., located in Florida, USA, was named by The Chronicle of Philanthropy as the largest international relief and development organization in the United States. It is an interdenominational Christian agency that does much more than feed the millions of hungry poor in 17 countries of the Caribbean and Latin America. FFP provides emergency relief assistance, clean water, medicines, educational materials, homes, support for orphans and the aged, skills training and micro-enterprise development assistance, with more than 96% of all donations going directly to programmes that help the poor. For more information visit our Web site at www.foodforthepoorja.com
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