Tried to get a job today but
When dem see the application dem say
If this is really where you reside
Please step outside
She asked them why
And they replied…

We don’t want no trouble
We don’t want no trouble, no day
Cause lady where you come from
People die there everyday
For our safety that’s where you should stay
“Wrong Address” – Etana

During January, Your Money has turned the spotlight on organizations and persons that are helping others to conquer their challenges and succeed despite setbacks. Under the theme Mission: H.O.P.E. – Helping Others to Prosper and Excel, we have shown that it is possible for us to combine positive thinking with practical training to achieve our financial goals.

There are still major challenges facing some Jamaicans, who in spite of demonstrating the right attitudes, face overwhelming roadblocks along their journey to economic achievement. For many inner city residents, being born in poverty may seem like a verdict that sentences them to forever remain in financial distress.

It’s a perfect case of the chicken and egg – which comes first? Does poverty lead to violence and crime, or does the delinquent lifestyle foster continued deprivation?

Sticking firmly to my belief that all persons can become financially successful if presented with the proper guidance and access to opportunities, I discovered two institutions that are making tremendous headway in combating the curse of poverty in the inner cities.

A Guiding Light in Grants Pen

The Stella Maris Foundation was established by the Stella Maris Catholic Church in 1997, in response to the needs of the persons living in the community of Grants Pen. The foundation offers skills training courses in data operations, information technology and early childhood education; and provides special intervention programmes in conflict resolution, continuing adult education and grooming and life skills.

Manager Omar Frith explained that the institution’s programmes are supported by the HEART Trust NTA, and students will receive a Level 1 certification upon graduation. With the help of outside agencies, the foundation has also offered small business guidance with workshops focusing on business plan writing, financing and other entrepreneurial topics. Business development is also fostered through their garment manufacturing and woodwork co-operative efforts.

Although the target group is the Grant Pen community, Frith revealed, they also serve others who might be school dropouts or high-risk individuals seeking a change in lifestyle. The foundation takes a holistic view on training, Frith confirmed. This is done by providing the academic and social skills needed by each student, and teaching them how to deal with their problems and conflicts. “Each student leaves a better human being, not just someone that can work.”

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Frith shared several examples of persons whose lives were completed turned around after completing the foundation’s courses. A woman who initially came in to beg money, eventually enrolled in the literacy class after being counseled by the team, and later joined the data operations programme. Today, four years later, she is gainfully employed at the office of one of the foundation’s directors.

A Breath of Fresh AIR in Trench Town

Several years ago when business consultant Dr. Henley Morgan moved his office to Trench Town, many persons thought that he was both courageous and crazy to do so. When asked why he had risked everything to relocate to the inner city, Morgan replied “I went because I saw the possibility of utilizing wasted human assets, by investing in them to bring them to their wealth-creating best.”

Today, Dr Morgan’s vision of transforming a community by transforming its people is bearing fruit. Over three years ago he founded the Agency for Inner-city Renewal (AIR) to effect the spiritual, social and economic upliftment of Trench Town. With the guiding philosophy of teaching a man to fish instead of giving him a fish, Morgan’s agency is providing an oasis of hope for the inner city.

AIR has four main service areas: enterprise development focusing on the promotion of a business incubator concept; youth development through a mentoring programme called the Miracle Club; peace brokering with prayer patrols and informal dispute resolution; and a people empowerment thrust that connects community members with employers through a referral unit.

Morgan revealed that AIR has provided earning opportunities for over 400 hundred previously unemployed or under-employed persons, negotiated a multi-million dollar scholarship programme to give the residents access to university education, and facilitated the establishment of retail franchises in the community. He believes that the model can be successfully replicated across the island, as he declared “if you can save Trench Town you can save Jamaica.”

There are several other organizations that are quietly working to help people to help themselves and to help others. Indeed there is plenty of reason for hope, as out of the ashes of abject poverty can rise the phoenix of prosperity!

Copyright © 2009 Cherryl Hanson Simpson. No reproduction without written consent.

Originally published in The Daily Observer, January 29, 2009

Cherryl is a financial consultant and coach, founder of Financially S.M.A.R.T. Services. See more of her work at www.financiallyfreenetwork.com and www.financiallysmartonline.com. Contact Cherryl