Helping Jamaican Nationals to Find A Way

A mutual society is about members, and at the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) our mantra is “Our Members Are Everything!” It is against this background that the Society has designed its outreach and developmental programmes to inform our corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives.

JNBS recognises the critical need for implementing lifestyle-changing projects, which impact on Members in communities at home and overseas. As a result, CSR programmes are geared towards stimulating rural regeneration, building social capital and providing financial services in under-served communities.

“We believe in helping our Members to find a way to more than home ownership. As such, we have worked to improve the lives of Jamaicans everywhere, because, in helping our people to excel, we also help our country to grow,” Michele Pollard Gonzalez, Member Ombudsman at the Jamaica National Building Society (JNBS) asserts.

Rural Regeneration

Tristan Rodney shows off his first place photograph.

In 2007, more than $50 million was disbursed by the Jamaica National Building Society Foundation to fund a myriad of projects that benefit Jamaicans living in rural parishes. Paramount among these projects are community-based initiatives led by JNBS Branch Advisory Councils, which comprise longstanding Members and employees who have altruistic interest in community activities.

“These Councils nurture volunteerism and advocacy at the community level. They provide an opportunity for well-meaning residents to make meaningful contributions to their communities,” Saffrey Brown, JNBS Foundation General Manager says.

Designed to encourage youth advocacy and expression on community issues, the Youth Zoom Photography competition has enabled high school students to tell stories about their community and country, through the lens of a camera.

“The students are taught photography skills to help them capture their environment in creative ways. And, through photography, some have positively impacted the lives of their subjects,” Ms. Brown informs.

The winner of the 2007 competition, Tristan Rodney, now a fifth former at Clarendon College, was able to influence the Foundation to enlist support from Food for the Poor to provide housing for the elderly women in his photograph.

Serving Under-served Communities

Saffrey Brown, General Manager, JNBS Foundation helps Rushsean Simpson to browse the Internet at The Source.

A quick glance at the map of Jamaica will confirm that financial institutions are generally located in urban areas and the vast majority of citizens in rural parishes and inner-city communities have to travel long distances to access financial services.

“JNBS is reversing this trend with a community banking approach which provides access to financial services and other facilities that support economic empowerment at the community level,” Philip Bernard, Senior Manager, Community Banking and ATM Services states.

Using this concept, JNBS operates special hybrid branches in several communities across the island. These locations are called JN Money Shops and are located in Whitehouse, Westmoreland; Port Maria, St. Mary; Barbican and New Kingston, St. Andrew; and, Spanish Town Road, Kingston. Each JN Money Shop provides a suite of services tailored to meet the needs of the residents in that locale.

Leesa Kow, JNBS Marketing,Promotions and Sales Executive congratulates Captain of the Port Maria Primary School cricket team,John Campbell as he receives the National Champions award. JNBS has been a proud sponsor of primary school cricket since 2001.

The Community Banking approach has also given life to The Source, an all-inclusive community resource and information centre, operating in August Town, St. Andrew. The facility provides residents of the volatile community with empowerment and capacity building services. Through partnerships with the University Township Committee; JN Small Business Loans Limited and the Jamaica Business Development Centre (JBDC), the community members have access to services that improve their income generating potential.

Building Social Capital

“Every year, 14 youngsters, one from each parish, and seven children of JNBS employees are granted financial assistance to cover the cost of their secondary education,” Mrs. Pollard Gonzalez discloses, adding, “This is in addition to 13 students at the tertiary level who receive scholarships.”

The awards are part of the JN Scholar Programme, through which approximately $3 million was disbursed in 2007. More than 200 students have been awarded scholarships since the programme’s inception in 1983.

The JN GSAT Scholars 2007 Cohort

“It’s about more than corporate profitability. We believe in giving back to our country. Therefore, we have structured our role to meet the educational, cultural, and social needs of our current members, even as we plan for future generations. And, with more than a century of expertise and experience as strong financial organisation rooted in the community and serving Jamaicans at home and abroad, we can attest to the efficacy of this strategy,” she states.