60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNITED NATIONS
IN 1996 world leaders meeting at a World Food Summit at the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) Headquarters in Rome, recognised that freeing people from poverty and malnutrition was too great a task for governments alone and required a concerted effort on the part of all sectors of society.
Subsequently, in 1997, FAO launched TeleFood - a global television event, of media celebrities and concerned citizens with the double objective of raising awareness of the scourge of hunger and raising funds to finance grassroots projects in developing countries and countries in transition.
TELEFOOD MEGA CONCERTS
Following on the success of the first two TeleFood events held in Italy in 1997 and in Senegal in 1998, the FAO approached the Government of Jamaica and offered it the opportunity to host the Third Annual TeleFood concert, 'Youth Against Hunger'. This was the first time the event was produced in the Western Hemisphere.
Millions of viewers, around the world, saw the dusk-to-dawn live Mega Concert from James Bond Beach, Oracabessa, in St. Mary, Jamaica, on Saturday, December 4, 1999.
WHERE YOUR DONATIONS GO
Since its start, the campaign has generated close to US$14 million in donations. Money raised through TeleFood pays for small projects that help small-scale farmers produce more food for their families and communities, improve family incomes and nutrition and reduce hunger. The projects, which cost between US$5,000 and US$10,000 pay for inputs such as seeds and simple farming tools. TeleFood funds are not spent on administrative cost.
Projects are proposed by FAO member governments and reviewed by FAO's technical experts. They must be appropriate for the beneficiaries, locally sustainable and environmentally safe.
JAMAICAN BENEFICIARIES
Since the inception of TeleFood, Jamaica has benefited from 13 TeleFood projects costing US$88,000.00. Projects range from a school orchard in Rock Hall All-Age School in St. Andrew, to a poultry-raising business project in St. Thomas, to the Fishers Gear Store in Rocky Point, St. Thomas. Most of these projects have achieved their objectives.
THE FISHERS GEAR STORE
The parish of St. Thomas with approximately 500 registered fishers and 150 registered vessels was in need of a gear store and was assisted in achieving this with a TeleFood Special Fund Project.
The St. Thomas Fishers Gear Store was funded at a cost of US$10,000.00 and was developed and implemented in 1997 by the Fisheries Division in collaboration with the Jamaica Co-operative Union.
The objective of this project was to:
reduce the cost and increase the availability of fishing gears to fishers;
encourage fishers to purchase shares in the company, in order to benefit from the dividend;
sell at a 20 per cent mark-up on the wholesale price of goods;
identify and train the management personnel, in order to have full control of inventory stock and monitor daily sales.
The Gear Store continues to meet the needs of the fishers through efficient management by the Jamaica Fisherman's Co-operative Union and the Fisheries Division of the Ministry of Agriculture. The initial investment has been realised and funds have been made available to open three other gear stores in St. Mary, St. Elizabeth and St. James.
WORLD FOOD DAY/TELEFOOD EVENTS
TeleFood events are now linked to the observance of World Food Day on October 16, 1945, the founding of FAO. This year's World Food Day/ TeleFood theme is 'Agriculture and Inter-cultural Dialogue'.
