The Intersection of Gender, Culture and Education: Jamaica: The Next 50 Years!

The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that every year nearly a quarter of a million people die as a result of drowning, and almost 82 000 of them are children aged 1 to 14 years. The WHO adds that more than 90% of drowning deaths occur in rivers, lakes, wells, domestic water storage vessels and swimming pools in low- and middle-income countries, with children and adolescents in rural areas disproportionately affected. The job of a lifeguard tends to be underrated. The lifeguard is one of the first responders to come to the rescue of those who get into difficulties. Whether at the beach, a water park, resort or your neighborhood pool or aquatic facility, lifeguards are ready and qualified to monitor and assist swimmers and perform life-saving measures when necessary. These public safety professionals stay alert, vigilant and attentive so others can have fun in the water. Lifeguard Appreciation Day is celebrated on July 31 annually. The day is set aside to honour and show appre...

"Hepatitis B and C are silent chronic infections that can progress to cirrhosis or liver cancer. The good news is that there are medications that can cure hepatitis C, as well as effective treatments to control hepatitis B," - Dr. Jarbas Barbosa, Director of PAHO. An estimated 304 million people worldwide live with hepatitis B or C. For most, testing and treatment remain beyond reach. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) viral hepatitis is the second leading infectious cause of death globally, with 1.3 million deaths per year. Of these, 83% are caused by hepatitis B and 17% by hepatitis C. Each year, 28 July is observed as World Hepatitis Day (WHD) . It provides a platform for advocacy, education and engagement with governments, health professionals and the public to drive awareness and action to eliminate viral hepatitis. The day offers an opportunity to reflect on the ongoing fight against all types of hepatitis, and to encourage stronger commitment at local, ...

“Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is self-preservation.”- Audre Lorde. Every year on July 24, we celebrate International Self-Care Day , which emphasizes the importance of self-care for our health and wellbeing. This day highlights the significance of making self-care a priority and incorporating it into everyday activities in order to enhance long-term health. What is self-care? . The World Health Organization (WHO) defines self-care as individuals, families and communities’ promoting and maintaining their own health, preventing disease, and coping with illness and disability, with or without the support of a health worker. Self-care is not selfish. One cannot pour from an empty vessel. In order for us to effectively take care of others, we must first take care of ourselves. The idea of self-care and the practicality are oftentimes out of balance. This is likely to manifest itself in frequent bouts of burnout episodes and depression. Caregiver burnout is a state of phys...

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”- Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela is in a class of his own. Although many of us have never met this man it feels as if we have known him all our lives. Mandela was not haughty nor was he caught up with power. He could have easily held on to power once he became president of South Africa. But, he did not, he walked away. Mandela lived his life in the public’s view. Whether it was his unjust imprisonment, or his family life he was always in the public’s domain for all to see. Mandela was a statesman with a strong spirit of forgiveness. His eloquence and decorum placed him in a category above all others. His voice was not course, but his presence was mo...

“'Love your neighbour as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.”- St. Mark 12:31. To a large extent the positive qualities surrounding the ideal of being a good neighour has been lost over the years. There are those who will argue that the caring and warm-hearted spirit of being a good neighbour still exists in the rural areas. However, there are vast and striking differences between rural and urban living. One does not need to have a doctoral degree in Sociology to know the differences. The recent passage of Hurricane Beryl once again brought into sharp focus the state of neighbourliness or lack thereof in the society. Many of us in the urban space do not know the names of our neighbours. The reality is even when we know the names of our neighbours we do not speak with our neighbours. Interestingly, this was not the Jamaica of old. A lot has changed over the years and decades. Maybe urbanization and globalization have divided us and now we have become strange...

“Today, and every day, let’s work to transform education. And let’s ensure that youth have what they need to build skills for shaping a more peaceful, sustainable future for all”- UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The world is facing an urgent skills crisis. The United Nations (UN) adds that only around 1 in 4 of the world’s young people are on track to learn the skills they need for employment and decent livelihoods. Too often, this pushes them into a life of further disadvantage and a cycle of poverty. The plight of young men in particular should be of concern. In many instances young men leave educational institutions prematurely in order to find work so as to maintain their families. In patriarchal societies males are expected to be the breadwinners as well as to carry out traditional roles assigned to each sex. Many of these young men will have developed survival skills; unfortunately, only few would have developed sustainable skills. Therefore, the discussion surrounding ...

Hurricane Beryl has gone but we are left to pick up the pieces. Those Caribbean islands which were impacted by Hurricane Beryl are now in a state of assessment and rebuilding. Jamaica, Grenada, and St. Vincent are the countries in Caricom that have been impacted the most. Barbados was impacted to a lesser extent. The hurricane which lashed the southeastern Caribbean with life-threatening winds and flooding made history before it even made landfall. Beryl became the earliest hurricane to reach Category 5 strength on record in the Atlantic Basin. Beryl also became the earliest Atlantic hurricane on record with winds of at least 150 mph. Perhaps, the two most riveting lessons to be learnt from the passage of Hurricane Beryl are that Caribbean governments must pay more attention to climate change and the rebuilding process must include technologies associated with renewable energies. Climate change has a very tangible impact on Small Island Developing States (SIDS). This impact is loca...

Eczema tends to be one of those nagging recurring skin disorders that impact most if not all of us at various intervals. Eczema is a skin condition that causes dry and itchy patches of skin. It’s a common condition that is not contagious. Symptoms of eczema can flare up if you contact an irritant or an allergen. It is a type of dermatitis, which is a group of conditions that can inflame or irritate your skin. The most common type is atopic dermatitis or atopic eczema. “Atopic” means that you're more likely to get allergic conditions such as asthma and hay fever. Most people can manage their symptoms by getting treatment and by avoiding irritants, things that can affect your skin when you come into contact with them. Extreme itchiness is the most common symptom of eczema, and scratching that itch only makes it worse. Alarmingly, over 31 million Americans have eczema. The periods when symptoms are at their worst are called “flare-ups.” These can last days or even weeks. One of the...