Fri | Sep 19, 2025

JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation supports youth development through Calabash sponsorship

Published:Monday | July 28, 2025 | 12:06 AM
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Student performers the Lightning Drummers captivate the audience with a powerful display of rhythm and tradition during the Child Month 2025 production of A Calabash to Save the World, held at the Little Little Theatre.
Contributed
Student performers the Lightning Drummers captivate the audience with a powerful display of rhythm and tradition during the Child Month 2025 production of A Calabash to Save the World, held at the Little Little Theatre.
Kim Mair (right), chief executive officer, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, takes a selfie with members of the Lightning Drummers at A Calabash to Save the World.
Contributed
Kim Mair (right), chief executive officer, JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, takes a selfie with members of the Lightning Drummers at A Calabash to Save the World.
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The JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the JMMB Group, supported the participation of schools with storytelling clubs in A Calabash to Save the World, a Child Month 2025 production by Ntukuma, The Storytelling Foundation of Jamaica. Written and co-directed by Amina Blackwood Meeks, the play celebrated Jamaican heritage while promoting environmental awareness and youth empowerment through the rich tradition of Caribbean storytelling.

The foundation sponsored a special performance held in May, dedicated to 120 students from 10 schools that had launched storytelling clubs on World Storytelling Day. This show allowed students to engage with themes of cultural identity, science, and community through interactive performances featuring music, drumming, and folklore. In addition to being captivated by this display of tradition, students received a hot lunch and keepsakes, which included books.

Titles included Hello, We Need To Build A New Nation, Makeda Loves Bridges, That’s A Good Idea, and Don’t Hurt That Bird. Participating schools included Central Branch Infant, Dupont Primary & Infant, Unity Primary & Infant, Mona Heights Primary, Spanish Town Primary, Birnamwood Primary, Brown’s Town Primary, John’s Town Primary, Tranquility Primary & Infant, and Merlene Ottey High.

“We are honoured to support A Calabash to Save the World, which so beautifully aligns with our vision of empowering individuals and building communities through education, culture, and self-expression. This production not only celebrated our rich Jamaican heritage but also inspired our youth to see themselves as active contributors to a better future,” said Kim Mair, CEO of the JMMB Joan Duncan Foundation.