Morgan
Joseph Cunningham, Gleaner Writer
'A BREATH of fresh air; bringing change to the inner-city', is the ideal service that Dr. Henley Morgan intends to give to the community of Trench Town in south St. Andrew.
A 'social activist' is how Dr. Morgan likes to be portrayed, and it is his input in the Church and the wider society that has made him the recipient of local, regional and international awards. He is the chairman of the Agency for Inner-City Renewal (AIR), located at 85 West Road in Trench Town, where he has taken the bold step of relocating his business since September 2004.
Simultaneously he is the managing director of Caribbean Applied Technology Centre, which has clients such as Lasco and National Commercial Bank. Originally established in New Kingston, Dr. Morgan decided to relocate to Trench Town "to fulfil his true calling".
Moving to Trench Town, he believes, has been the most effective way to achieve inner city renewal. "I believe that in order to really positively impact in the inner city, the examples of a better life have to be visible to the people."
Consequently, he said, "I have deliberately furnished the building to give it a well-appointed look, to allow these people, though in their depraved state, to remain conscious of what life is supposed to be."
And how does he, an established businessmen navigate the 'terrors' of the inner city? Dr. Morgan replied: "Here, I pay less for rent, and extortion is not a factor."
WHOLESALE OF SERVICES
Dr. Morgan refers to AIR as a 'wholesale of services': "We do not offer handouts," rather, "I believe in furnishing people and their initiatives, who will in turn equip larger numbers of people through their business, employment and mentoring."
Worldwide, he maintains, small businesses suffer a 75 per cent mortality rate within their first three months. Small business operators usually lack market knowledge, capital and other required expertise, and so AIR operates as a business incubator. There are already three local businesses based at AIR: A banana chip factory, a juice factory and an early childhood centre.
LIFE-SUSTAINING ASSISTANCE
"We do this to provide life-sustaining assistance, to help these small businesses to survive against the giants in a specific market," he said.
"Trench Town is a composite of many smaller communities, with a population between 22,000 and 28,000 persons; a typical inner city in location and orientation. It is a community torn by moral and social ills originating from political strife, crime, high unemployment and weak family structure," states the AIR pamphlet.
And apart from helping local business, another AIR role is in mediation, conducting regular meetings with warring gangs in the community. "This is part of the overall development to get the community together," the social activist said.
