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HumanityThe International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, born of a desire to bring assistance without discrimination to the wounded on the battlefield, endeavours, in its international and national capacity,
to prevent and alleviate human su!ering wherever it may be found. Its purpose is to protect life and health and to ensure respect for the hu-man being. It promotes mutual understanding, friendship, cooperation
and lasting peace amongst all peoples.
impartialityIt makes no discrimination as to nationality, race, religious beliefs, class or political opinions. It endeavours to relieve the su!ering of individu-als, being guided solely by their needs, and to give priority to the most
urgent cases of distress.
independence The Movement is independent. The National Societies, while auxil-iaries in the humanitarian services of their governments and subject to the laws of their respective countries, must always maintain their autonomy so that they may be able at all times to act in accordance
with the principles of the Movement.
neutralityIn order to enjoy the confidence of all, the Movement may not take
sides in hostilities or engage at any time in controversies of a political, racial, religious or ideological nature.
Voluntary SerViceIt is a voluntary relief movement not prompted in any manner by
desire for gain.
unity There can be only one Red Cross or Red Crescent Society in any one country. It must be open to all. It must carry on its humanitarian work
throughout its territory.
uniVerSalityThe International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in which all societies have equal status and share equal responsibilities and duties
in helping each other, is worldwide.
October 15th was a sad day for the Jamaica Red Cross, with the murder of two of its youngest members, eight-year-
old Rod Brown and his 10-year-old brother Matadio. Their short but inspiring time on this earth was spent providing
service to the most needy in society and reaching out to the most vulnerable, but many times, we forget that children are our most vulnerable and must be protected from violence.
In an outpouring of tributes, Red Cross youth island wide came together and spoke out against this heinous act. We must continue to work in our communities to implement Violence Prevention programmes and advocate for safer
environments for our children. In our response to violence, we must consider empowering our youth through commu-nity groups such as the one in the Windsor Heights com-munity of Central Village. These groups engage our youth in positive activities that embrace the principles and values
of the Red Cross movement and protect them from violent situations.
We dedicate this issue of Link Up eZine to Rod and Mata-dio and their family.
Remember to share Link Up eZine with friends and family.
Happy reading!
tHe SeVen Fundamental principleS
editor’S note
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5
remembering rodd and matado
brown
tributeS to rodd and matado
brown
liSa tHompSon
belieVeS in SerVice
yallaHS primary ScHool
Sylmond 'leroy' Jack:
leading Vincy youtHS to red croSS
plant a tree,
preSerVe tHe enVironment
windSor HeigHtS
red croSS youtH club:
making a diFFerence , FoStering unity
cyber peer education:
iS it tHe Future?
tHe HiV cHronicle:
can you liVe witH HiV?
regional red croSS leaderS
meet to diScuSS HiV preVention
world aidS day 2011:
getting to zero
Why did you join the Red Cross?I joined the Red Cross because I wanted to serve my country and community. I believe in service.
How long have you been a member?I have been a member for five years.
What do you like most about being a part of the Red Cross?What I like most is that we help people when they are sick. I also like participating in Youth Rallies and World Aids Day activities.
What are some of your duties in the Red Cross?I call the meeting to order and carry out the agenda for the evening’s activity. We also plan visits to the hospital and the elderly in the community.
How would you encourage your friends and classmates to join the Red Cross too?By telling them about the things we do and the benefits to be gained from being a member of the Red Cross. I also would tell them about the activities we do, especially the First Aid.
Besides the Red Cross, do you have any other duties at school?Yes, I have other duties. I am a member of the choir and Spanish Club.
What do you want to be when you grow up and why?Ophthalmologist, because I want to help people with their eyes and for them to have sight.
liSa tHompSon
belieVeS in SerVice
4
Volunteer of the Month
Yallahs Primary School, established in 1930, is a co-educational in-stitution with 1309 students on roll and 46 teachers on sta!. The Red Cross has been integral to the school community since 1995 when it was established by link patron, Jossette Smith. Today, the link has 50 enrolled members, with a further 20 to be added in November. On a sad note, the link recently lost two members, brothers Matadio and Rod Brown, who perished in a fire at their home.
Since 1996, the Yallahs Primary link has participated in many Red Cross youth activities across Jamaica, winning several drill and First Aid competitions. “We also have won the banner competi-tions for two consecutive years. We are also overall winners for 2010 and 2011,” Mrs/ Swaby stated. The link meets every Friday at 2 p.m., under the guidance of Mrs. Swaby, the other link pa-tron Andrea Bogle, and president Kaylacia Burton, who has been a member since age six.
Community-based Projects“The community based project was designed to control the solid waste at the school. There are lots of plastic bottles on the school compound and these were disposed of by burning. This means of disposal a!ected sta! and students with respiratory problems. Hence, the recycling project was born. We contacted a company in Kingston that does recycling and was willing to partner with our project,” Mrs. Swaby said.
Link members are still actively collecting bottles from their class-rooms and on the playing field. There is also an on-going tree planting project, which began on October 4, 2011, which was marked by the Jamaica Red Cross as National Tree Planting Day. Upcoming Plans for the Link
“We see the need to promote the health laws in a fun-filled way, as we observed some unhealthy practices at the school, such as children spitting, running out of the bathroom without washing their hands and urinating outside,” Mrs. Swaby said. The plan will include:
be displayed
on Fridays
enforce at home
Other ProjectsAdopting a needy student. Teachers will be asked to submit names of students and a brief background on their situation. Based on this information, students will be selected.
yallaHS primary ScHool:
promoting community SerVice
5
Link of the Month
Matadio Shine Brown!Only ten wonderful years he spent with
us.He served his school and community well
As a great monitor and friend.Disciplined, dedicated, committed
Member of the Red CrossNever shirked his duty
A budding leader!His beautiful life was snatched from him
October 15, 2011.He loved all, was loved by all
And is fondly missed.
Submitted by Y. Graham, Teacher
Dear Matadio, I am sorry but I am grieved over you. You
are a friend to me. I know you are in Heaven and God will take care of you. Take care now. I am going to
missyou very much.
Aliha Thompson
Dear Matadio, I am sorry but I am grieved over you. You are
a friend to me. I know you are in Heaven and God will take
care of you. Take care now. I am going to missyou very much.
Aliha Thompson
Rod Brown tributesHe is kind and loving.
He was my best friend at basic school.He was a loving and kind friend.
He played with me sometimes outside. He is not rude.
He will do his work. May you rest in peace.
Oneicia Taylor
I will always love you,No one can stop me.I will never forget you. You are my best friend. I love you, Rod Brown.
I will never forget you because you are my best friend.
God knows why He made that happen. We love you Rod; you are a kind boy.
I love you and we will miss you.
Roberta Thomas
You are very kind and funny. We did I not want you to leave us. We played and did nice things, eat with each other. Now that you are
gone, I just want to say I love you.
Classmate
tributeS
7
The quintessential Vincentian, Sylmond “Leroy” Jack has been with his country’s Red Cross for the past eight years and cur-rently serves as the Youth Coordinator as well as an Information Technology and Telecoms O#cer. Growing up in Clare Valley on the Leeward side of the island, Jack got involved in the organiza-tion after friends encouraged him to join as a group leader. “I’m a business student by qualification but a lover of the technical field, so I spent most of my time during college and after college in the woodwork shop and doing IT work,” he shared. “Because of my love for the technical field, after a while I went fully into doing IT as my main occupation and this is what made my link with Red Cross.”
It’s a link that has remained firmly connected for the last couple of years as Jack gets more involved in building the youth aspect of the St. Vincent Red Cross. His work includes a variety of func-tions that call upon his extensive expertise in the area of IT and development. This has also propelled him to do work in Haiti and Curacao. Jack has also worked on projects which train com-munity members in disaster risk reduction, an H1N1 Project that provided education and support and “Project UNO”, which aims to put a First Aid kit in every school on the island.
His work with the Red Cross ultimately sees him planning, imple-menting and undertaking work in capacity building within schools and other youth groups.
It is work that is very rewarding as Jack witnesses the transforma-tion of the young people through their involvement in the organi-zation. He believes they are full of “strength, ideas, vision, poten-
tial and enthusiasm”, which makes them important contributors to the work being done. Males are no exception. “Our young men in St. Vincent love Red Cross; they are involved and the good thing is that they encourage their peers a lot to come out to support,” he said, highlighting their contributions and influence. “I think the greatest challenge is that some are school dropouts and there is a need to help them become better in their reading and writing, and help to educate them more to become someone stronger in this world.” He is further encouraged by their potential, willingness to help and the togetherness that they share.
It might not be widely know that most persons who carry out the functions of Red Cross are volunteers. This, he says, is what surprises people most about his work with the organization. “I say
ago, people thought I [had] a better o!er than my role as Net-work Administrator in the company I worked,” he shared. “But it was something I saw that made me believe I can make a di!er-
project is on the ground and I am a part [of it], I am just another volunteer doing my service to Red Cross.”
With that said, he has big plans and hopes St. Vincent will become the leading youth Red Cross society in the region with strong sup-port, and known for developing “the most resourceful youth in the world of Red Cross.”
Sylmond 'leroy' Jack:
leading Vincy youtHS
to red croSS
8
Link of the MonthCaribbeanProfile
9
Environment
Environmental protection is an important issue to people all over the world. We often hear news on the e!ects of global warming, pollution and other major problems and they sound so big that we don’t feel we can do anything to help the planet. But we can. One way to help is to plant a tree. This is exactly what the Jamaica Red Cross did when the various branch o#ces and links across the island teamed up for National Tree Plant-ing Day on October 7, one of the many activities marking Red Cross Month 2011.
One of the parishes with the most activity was St. James, where the team worked with 13 schools to plant saplings. According to Edna Facey, Director of the St. James branch, her team has already been planning a tree planting activity, so all they had to do was change the date they had originally had in mind. “We broke up into little teams and had a Red Cross representative at each school, working with the youth links,” she said. The St. James schools participating in National Tree Planting Day includ-ed Montego Bay High, St. James Preparatory, Herbert Morrison Technical, Anchovy High, Barracks Road Primary, Corinaldi Av-enue Primary Green Pond High and Green Pond Primary and Infant schools. Two of the schools that participated, Cambridge High and Watford Hill Primary, did not have links at the time, so they also used the day to mark the beginning of their partner-ship with the Jamaica Red Cross. Corinaldi Avenue Primary also used the opportunity to revive their link.
Among the saplings planted on National Tree Planting Day were cedar, eucalyptus, poui, Pride of Barbados, acacia, poor man’s orchid and willow. “Some schools got one tree, others got two.
The students, teachers and Red Cross representatives all plant-ed trees,” Ms. Facey said. The students were excited to be in-volved in the activity, so much so that the younger students had to be closely monitored as they used the tools. The students from Anchovy High School “went way out,” she added, with a ceremony that included blessing the ground and ribbon cutting.
The ladies at Montego Bay High School also had a special activ-ity planned. “Students of the JRC society, led by the president, participated in devotion, where the school body was educated on Red Cross Month and what activities will happen,” said link patron Rowena Blackwood. “The tree planting was a symbol of volunteerism, and a passage and prayer were shared. The whole school body including teachers and administrators sup-ported the activity. We planted a yellow poui… The symbolism is significant as it is beautiful and just as the root takes hold, so too can students of our school volunteer themselves for the help of humanity.”
“It is part of our Environmental Awareness activities, helping the youngsters to recognize the importance of trees,” Ms. Facey said. Some schools that don’t have enough land space for big trees are planning to plant flower beds instead. Ms. Facey hopes the activity has made students more aware that humans aren’t the only things on the earth and that they should take care of the other organisms around them. For her part, Ms. Blackwood hopes that National Tree Planting Day will awaken a better spir-it of volunteerism in the students.
plant a tree,
reSerVe tHe enVironment
Students from Montego Bay High School for Girls (right and centre) and Corinaldi Avenure Primary School (left) participate in National Tree Planting Day 2011.
windSor HeigHtS
red croSS youtH club: making a difference, Fostering unity
11
Cover Story
The community of Central Village in St. Catherine doesn’t generally get much positive press. It is typically known as a violent place, and while the community does have its share of problems with crime and violence, it still manages to produce people who have made positive contributions to the Jamaican society, people who are doing their part to spread peace and love.
Realizing the situation in which they and other young people live, Jermain Murray, 23, and Kaswayne Budhan, 22, decided to do something about it. Four months ago, the two young men, both active members of the SASSY Peer Education team, came together to form the Windsor Heights Red Cross Youth Club. “I went to a forum in Old Harbour and there were some booths with information on opportunities for learning and things like that, and it came to me – how can I get this in my community to help out the youths who are not working?” Jermain said. “Getting them together, it is much easier to get the information to them, to sensitize them about HIV and so on.”
The club is still in its infancy, so there are several hiccups. Initially, the biggest hurdle was getting the young people from the various neighbourhoods to come out to meetings. “The first meeting was basically me alone. The second one was a little better,” Jermain stated. The club now has about 30 registered members. Now that it is slowly building up a following, it is faced with the problem of finding a permanent meeting place. The club used to meet at a basic school in the community, but the arrangement has fallen through. “We had written confirmation from the property owner, but the workers at the place don’t want to cooperate. The gatekeeper [ran] us out of our last meeting. It is giving us a hard challenge. We haven’t been able to meet since our fundraiser on October 28,” he explained.
Young members of the Windsor Heights Red Cross Youth Club, work on their their World AIDS Day 2011 banner.
12
Cover Story
Jermain’s colleagues at the Red Cross headquarters, located in Central Village, have proposed that they use the common room on the premises to hold their meetings, which they are in the process of arranging. In the meantime, “Sometimes we just see the mem-bers on the road and update them on what is going on.” Notwithstanding these challenges, the young people have still managed to make their mark on the community. In addition to their fundraising event held in October, they engage in community clean-up drives, taking care of the elderly and several members work as SASSY peer educators. They also recently had a book drive for the Gwen Neil and Black Harmony basic schools. Of course, they also do a lot of work in violence prevention. “[This] is what the club is all about, even though you have some people who you can’t really change,” Jermain said. “We mostly focus on the badness part with the guys and the partying with the girls. That’s why we formed the club in the first place. Instead of [going on] the corner or [going] to the club on a Saturday, they can come to our club.”
The Windsor Heights Red Cross Youth Club is also preparing for the upcoming World AIDS Day by creating a banner for the art competition, made from recycled materials. The members are also planning a visit to the golden age home in the community. So far, Jermain said, they have seen a drop in the level of discrimination amongst residents of the di!erent neighbourhhods. “There is a high interest in the club too,” he said. “A girl even said to Kaswayne that the club is the best thing that ever happened to her.”
Young members of theWindsor Heights Red Cross Youth Club, work on their their World AIDS Day 2011 banner.
13
With the ubiquity of computers and the internet, the Inter-national Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has seen the value of connecting with people through a medium that is instant, interactive and easily accessible from any location. The Societies in di!erent countries has been using cyber peer education as a form of behaviour change communi-cation that provides education using online sources such as blogs and social media sites. Lois Hue, Deputy Director General of the Jamaica Red Cross, highlighted in a presentation titled “Training Cyber Peer Educators: Skills Building Workshop”, that it is an ef-fective education initiative since it is usually communicated from peer to peer. Adding to its e!ectiveness, she said, cyber peer education initiatives are informative, interesting and the peer ed-ucator is most likely in touch with the trends of the target group. Hue had the following tips for individuals interested in becoming cyber peer educators.
Why Cyber Peer Education?Firstly, it is low cost. There is absolutely no need for any purchas-es or money spent organizing meetings at di!erent locations. To benefit, individuals simply need to have reliable internet access. Also, because it is pervasive and popular, it is easier to reach several target audiences and to track the volume of the audience receiving the information. It is also interactive, which is useful since peer educators require feedback to know if they’re e!ec-tively communicating the message.
Platforms to Communicate MessageSocial media options such as Twitter, Facebook, blogs, Black-Berry Messenger (BBM), Skype, What’s App, etc. are useful and very e!ective platforms for cyber peer education. For blogs es-pecially, it is important to establish a clear goal with a timeline, identify and research the intended audience, determine who will post and establish the frequency of posts. It’s good when people know that they can expect information from you at a set time and date.
Developing MessagesWith the many distractions on the internet, it is important that messages are interesting and attention-grabbing. Simple language is always best and it is important to put a high value on accuracy, sensitivity and appropriateness. Messages should also be catchy and interactive in order to engage the audience. Especially as it relates to HIV and AIDS, possible peer education topics can include HIV 101, stigma and discrimination, managing risks, as-sertiveness, sexuality and safer sex.
If you’re a trained peer educator or interested in becoming one, you might want to consider becoming familiar with cyber peer education techniques. For more information, contact the Jamai-ca Red Cross at: [email protected]
Technology
cyber peer
education:
iS it tHe Future?
14
There has been a negative image of how individuals with HIV should look, feel and live. Many have succumbed to the devas-tation of the disease while others have made the best of their situation. It has been encouraged for many to get tested, for the earlier you know, the better it can be for you. Furthermore, you can never tell by looking at a person whether they are HIV positive. As such it is possible to continue living a healthy life with the virus.
Mark* found out he had the virus after gaining encouragement from a friend to just do a simple HIV test. He found out he had been living with the virus for eight years not being on medica-tion. Not everyone who is HIV positive will go on medication as most will have a high functioning immune system. Unquestion-ably, there have been hard days, and he has faced challenges regarding employment and relationships. “I don’t necessarily disclose my status to my partners. However, I do ensure the practice of safe sex,” he said. “Also, you find disclosing your status to someone you might love can create a concern and worst, they probably won’t accept it. In the workforce, it can inhibit you from getting the job even though you’re more quali-fied than other persons.”
Mark has dealt with the situation by furthering his education and gaining a skill in order to remain employed and making the best of his possibilities. There is still a lot of discrimination and stigma associated with the disease. “What has helped me to
move forward with the diagnosis is telling myself I don’t have it, I think of it as a normal illness such as a cold,” he said.
Many individuals in society with and without the disease seem to have the wrong concept of it. “Normally when you say HIV, is like you think the world is going to end. People living with HIV are now realizing you can live longer and positively,” Mark stated. Positive thinking, exercising, taking medication for those who need it and eating right are major reasons for continued success among people living with HIV. “I always pray and have to tell myself I’m not going to die. I also go to support groups provided by the Jamaica Red Cross. This helps me a lot, just to know that there are others like me who are going through the same and surviving the condition.”
Individuals in society, however, still discriminate and place a stig-ma on HIV & AIDS. Mark has encountered such answers from respondents while doing information sharing for the Jamaica Red Cross. “Most people have the information mixed up, some understand the illness, and others have a misunderstanding of the illness. Some may include, can you get HIV from a mosquito bite? Some persons will answer yes,” he said.
HIV is life threatening, but no di!erent from other illnesses. As such, we urge the public to get tested, learn the facts on HIV & AIDS and end the discrimination against those with the disease.
tHe HiV cHronicle:
can you liVe witH
HiV?
HIV and AIDS
Red Cross programme coordinators from across the region, recently converged at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Jamaica to participate in an annual exchange meeting geared at shar-ing methodologies and knowledge about the implementation of HIV prevention programmes.
The Caribbean HIV & AIDS Project (CHAP), which started last year, was one of the main topics of discussion. “[It] is a two-year project funded by the American Red Cross being implemented in the Bahamas, Jamaica and Guyana. Each with very similar targets but working with di!erent populations,” said Amanda Lewis, CHAP Project Coordinator at the Bahamas Red Cross. “In the Bahamas we work with out-of-school high risk youth…Last year we had the same meeting in the Bahamas and it was the first one, so now we’re back again to review the first year of the project for everybody, to learn about best practices, les-sons learned, challenges that we faced, and work together for the way forward.”
The programme is primarily aimed at preventing HIV & AIDS, especially in countries with high prevalence rates. Speaking spe-cifically to youth and the importance of targeting this group with HIV prevention campaigns, Lewis said the Bahamas has one of the highest prevalence rates in the Caribbean region, making it a generalized epidemic. “AIDS was the number one killer of youths in the Bahamas between the ages of 15-29, so this is a population that really needs to be reached with these messages and these bahaviour change approaches, because they’re that population that’s going to grow up and take the country into the future, so we need to reach them now before it’s too late,” Lewis shared.
The situation is more or less the same in Haiti, according to Sherley Bernard, a medical doctor and National HIV Project Coordinator with the Haitian Red Cross. Bernard said in ad-dition to the CHAP programme, there are other HIV & AIDS prevention programmes supported by the American Red Cross and the International Federation of the Red Cross.
“HIV in Haiti is…a public health situation; in the country, we have the prevalence of 2.2 percent of the population, which is high for us,” said Bernard, who started out volunteering with the Haitian Red Cross in 2001, eventually working her way up to her current position
HIV and AIDS
15
regional red croSS leaderS
meet to diScuSS HiV preVention
Special
16
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WORLD AIDS DAY 2011 – GETTING TO ZERO
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Jamaica Red Cross Headquarters Central Village , St Catherine
Tele: (876)984-7860-2Fax: (876) 984-8272
Email: [email protected]
published by
(876) [email protected]
Suites # 11-12 Technology Innovation Center
University of Technology237 Old Hope Road, Kingston 6
Jamaica Red Cross
