Rose Town launches into block making and woodwork

The Rose Town community in Kingston has launched into block and wood manufacturing in Jamaica. Residents from the inner-city area completed a project which will see 300 persons benefit from training in business management and vocational skills, through a partnership between the Rose Town Foundation for the Built Environment and the Digicel Foundation. The collaboration resulted in the construction of a block making work area as well as the provision of material and equipment to make blocks and work wood. Eighteen men and women are currently being trained to produce quality building products. “This is one of many projects the Rose Town Foundation has embarked on as a strategy geared at transforming this community,” said  Angela Stultz, Project Manager of the Rose Town at a hand-over ceremony last Thursday, December 11. “Everything you see here today was built from scratch by the community and the Digicel Foundation has taken it even further.” This project also establishes a mechanism to bridge social and political divides, according to Digicel Foundation Chair Jean Lowrie-Chin “This is no ordinary project because the residents, who will be involved in the manufacturing and various types of training, come from different areas of the surrounding community with quite likely, different political leanings,” she said. “However, they are united in one goal and that is to become skilled workers so that they can be financially independent.” The high level of demand for block making and cabinetry makes this project a sustainable effort, she added. Trainees of the block making and woodwork will also have the opportunity to become employees of the Rose Town Foundation. Going forward, Rose Town residents are looking to leverage support from outside entities to build capacity within the community. “This project affects persons across the board through income generation and employment,” said Gresford Bennett, Business Coordinator of the Rose Town Foundation. “It makes a statement that something good can happen in this community.” The sale of the blocks and woodwork will help fund operations and improve sustainability of the Rose Town Foundation.