Britain To Provide About $57K for Employment Program for HIV-Positive People in Jamaica
The British government on Friday announced that it will provide a $56,984 grant to the Jamaica AIDS Support Life's Work program, which runs income-generating projects and helps develop employment skills for HIV-positive people, the Caribbean Media Corporation reports. The grant aims to boost the revenue generated by three ongoing projects in which HIV-positive people create and sell products -- such as candles, soap and greeting cards -- and provide skills training, such as dressmaking and computer training, so that HIV-positive people can increase their chances of finding a job. Under the JAS project, 12 HIV-positive people will make candles in Kingston, Jamaica, and six people will make greeting cards in Montego Bay. JAS Executive Director Robert Carr said the projects will give HIV-positive people "an opportunity to learn a basic skill and to start generating an income, thereby improving their self esteem and sense of self worth." Clara Quantrill, second secretary of the British High Commission Kingston, said, "It is ... very relevant that we should be able to help this project and hope that our small contribution will go some way to make a real difference to those people involved" (Caribbean Media Corporation, 4/9).
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