Page 27 - JSIF Magazine Approved-v2-web4
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“…Social Policy
Cannot Be
Implemented
in Isolation,
It has to be
Integrated…”
Governor General, His Excellency, The Most Honourable, Sir Patrick Allen, ON, GCMG, CD, and requires partnerships. “Any social policy cannot
KSt.J presents Managing Director – JSIF, Scarlette Gillings, with a special award for the be implemented in isolation, it has to be integrated,”
Jamaica Institute of Management, Past Manager of the Year competition. she said. “There must be level of social intervention,
let communities be acknowledged, and communities
the staff to work on it, which paid off and we got to be certified.” The need to involved.”
certification has helped to bring added credibility to JSIF and benefitted
the organisation in numerous ways – attracting funding from donors She strongly advocates on negotiating with the
and partners. communities, getting to understand their needs, know
what and where are the gaps and how they can be
“It has helped us to get more money from World Bank,” she said. addressed. “Talk and listen to them, don’t talk down to
After decades of working on community development across them,” she said. “When I worked in Africa, I had a hard
the world, she is a strong proponent of integration of grassroots look into the budget, and aligned the development
development as a catalyst of national growth and development. But, with agriculture.”
she says, it is a long and sustained process for the results to be visible
To achieve the desired results, information
dissemination, she said, is also critical. “There should
be regular workshops and conferences,” Gillings said.
“The people in the communities would learn what they
should know when they are at the workshops, and
conferences solidify that knowledge base nationally.”
Gillings said JSIF has a great role to play in Jamaica’s
development and called on the institution to be
transformed into a national project implementation
agency.
“I would love to see that systems are in place for JSIF
to build feeder roads, basic schools and health centres
and even implement small water supply projects,” she
said. She is hopeful that the younger generation would
build on the legacies and to contribute to tangible
development of Jamaica. She reiterated, it is an effort
that has to begin at the ground level.
The Most Honourable Portia Simpson Miller, Former Prime Minister of Jamaica presents a Gillings is old school - articulate, meticulous,
citation to Scarlette Gillings, Former Managing Director – JSIF, at her farewell event held at constantly striving for perfection and championing
the UWI Mona Visitors’ Lodge. collective action for growth and development.
“Build each community,” she said. “It will build the
nation.”
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