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GTECH Partners with women’s centre

Published:Sunday | September 28, 2014 | 11:48 AMKeisha Hill
Contributed Photo GTECH's Ann-Dawn Young Sang (third left), hands over a ceremonial plaque to Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation's Eleth Mulai (third right), the centre's manager for Spanish Town. Looking on from left are GTECH brand managers, Helen Irving and Anthony Cooke, Oneilia Miller, Dr Zoe Simpson, acting executive director of the centre; administrator at GTECH, Theresa Cmpbell, Philip Howard, network administrator, and Suzette Palmer (right), GTECH Jamaica After School Advantage Programme Chairperson. Occasion was the launch of GTECH's After School Advantage Programme partnership with the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation, at the Foundation's headquarters in Kingston on Wednesday, September 24.

Leading global commercial operator and provider of technology in the regulated worldwide gaming markets, GTECH, continues its outreach activities in Jamaica with an announced partnership with the Women's Centre of Jamaica Foundation (WCJF).

GTECH will be providing an education technology boost to the foundation through its After School Advantage Programme. The company will be outfitting WCJF's main centres in Mandeville, Savannah-la-Mar and St Ann's Bay, with six computers each, while the centre in Spanish Town will receive seven computers and each of them will also receive an accompanying workable printer.

GTECH's partnership with the WCJF is in alignment with the core functions of the company's after-school programme which is GTECH's signature corporate philanthropic initiative, that equips non-profit agencies with computers and specialised educational software in the countries where the company operates. Assistance under the programme is geared at donating computer centres, thereby improving accessibility to technology by youths aged five to 18 years.

Debbie Green, general manager of GTECH Jamaica, said, "We are pleased to be able to partner with the WCJF through our After School Advantage Programme to provide young women access to computers and technology.

"With the help of the foundation, thousands of mothers under 18 years old have been given a second chance to acquire the necessary education for advancement in society. These young mothers are granted another opportunity and with the donation of computers and printers they will be able to learn important computer skills that are necessary to compete in this digital age," she added.

GRATEFUL

Dr Zoe Simpson, acting executive director of the foundation, expressed gratitude to GTECH. "The computers provided will undoubtedly assist in the educational advancement of our young mothers. The world is a global marketplace, and with the increased access to technology through GTECH's After School Advantage Programme, these young mothers will be more equipped for this fast-paced technological world," Simpson said.

The WCJF is a national social programme, which was established in 1978 to provide continuing education to adolescent mothers. The foundation currently operates under the Office of the Prime Minister and serves all 14 parishes from seven main centres and nine outreach sites. To date, more than 44,000 teen mothers have been assisted since the commencement of the foundation.

keisha.hill@gleanerjm.com