Ruth Jankee (left), general manager at Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation, donates a cheque for $3 million to the Violence Prevention Alliance's (VPA) chairman of the board of directors, Dr. Elizabeth Ward, and director, Professor Barry Chevannes (right). The handover took place at the Courtleigh Hotel in New Kingston on Tuesday, September 11. The foundation's donation will be used over three years to assist the VPA in its work to increase the success of violence prevention programmes in Jamaica. - Contributed

The Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) Foundation has announced a $3 million sponsorship commitment to the Jamaica Chapter of the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA), with a special cheque presentation held at the Courtleigh Hotel on Tuesday, September 11.

Commenting on the initiative, Ruth Jankee, general manager of the JNBS Foundation, said: "The JNBS Foundation is intent on fulfilling its mandate of building partnerships and changing lives."

She added: "We see the work of the Violence Prevention Alliance as a critical tool which can change the lives of all Jamaicans. This partnership with the VPA is one important avenue through which the foundation can assist in finding solutions to the issues which affect us all as a people."

The funds will be allocated over the next three years and will assist the VPA in implementing extensive work plans, which are geared towards increasing the success of violence prevention programmes in Jamaica. This includes projects in the areas of research and develop-ment, education and reporting, technical assistance for associated programmes, funding acquisition, policy development, and advocacy.

Dr. Deanna Ashley, executive director of the VPA, said: "We are extremely happy that the JNBS Foundation is supporting the work of the alliance, in identifying best practices for violence prevention interventions in Jamaica."

She added: "We have always found JN to be a supportive organisation that recognises the importance and benefits of our work."

Risk factors

The VPA is a non-governmental organisation, under the umbrella of the Institute of Public Safety and Justice at the University of the West Indies. It was launched by the Ministry of Health in 2004, and is a member of the World Health Organization's Global Violence Prevention Alliance, which takes a public health approach to violence prevention, by targeting the sources and risk factors that influence individuals who become involved in violence.

The Jamaica Chapter is made up of approximately 30 member organisations, as well as persons from the public and private sectors. It operates under the auspices of Governor General Professor Kenneth Hall, and is governed by a board of directors and trustees.

The VPA has had significant success in working with at-risk communities by partnering with several public and private sector organisations to implement projects which also aid in community development.

These projects include social intervention and capacity-building modules, which are aimed at improving the economic status of residents in these communities.

According to Jankee, "the inclusion of capacity-building modules in these violence pre-vention programmes results in long-term solutions to many issues which influence violence. These components further establish linkages between the work of the foundation and that of the VPA".

National development

Jankee noted that "while the foundation's primary focus is identifying and supporting projects and programmes that contribute to national development and positively impact on communities served by the building society and its subsidiaries, the matter of violence prevention is also relevant to the work of the organisation".

She disclosed that the foundation previously supported the work of the VPA by providing technical assistance to the Jamaica Constabulary Force and the Jamaica Defence Force in the use of geographic information systems for community-based interventions.

The VPA established Jamaica's first Crime Observatory, and is credited with the development of several evaluation tools for school and community-based violence prevention interventions.