Norwood Community Centre Upgraded With Solar Power And Labour Day Paint Project

The Norwood Community Centre in St. James has received new improvements, including a Labour Day painting project on May 25 and a $4.5-million solar power system to supply electricity to the building.

The Jamaica Social Investment Fund completed the work at the facility.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, told JIS News that upgrading the centre is important to community growth and to improving daily life for residents.

The solar installation, which was developed over a four-month period, is expected to widen how the centre can be used.

“It (the development) means they can have their committee meetings in the evenings; they can introduce activities that require power, without a problem; they can have a homework centre because there’s light available, and they can introduce other activities,” the Minister said.

Dr. Chang, who also serves as Member of Parliament for the area, said the solar system must be properly maintained so that more programmes can be offered to the community.

He said plans are being considered for music-related activities at the centre, including opportunities for young people to build skills that could help them earn an income.

“We intend to make this a very dynamic centre – looking at establishing, in the very near future, a steel band here, and a regular band as well,” the Minister said.

“Jamaicans like music, and if they learn to play guitar, the drum and steel band, they can get a job,” he added.

Dr. Chang said the investment in the centre also supports peace-building by giving residents a place to meet, interact and use shared services, which can help to lessen disputes.

“There is a safe space here. We can introduce computers that you can use to go online for educational purposes. All that will create the ecosystem for peace, and at the same time for productive use, and allow them to really work together,” he noted.

JSIF has had a long presence in Norwood, beginning with work under its Inner City Basic Services Programme. That programme is aimed at inner-city communities and supports upgrades to important infrastructure, including roads and safe spaces linked to schools.

After entering the Norwood community, the agency was able to carry out its work without major difficulty.

With three Zones of Special Operations now in place, attention has moved beyond physical infrastructure and towards social support services. These include economic empowerment projects and city certification efforts, where several government agencies assist residents with documents and registrations such as birth certificates, passports, Ministry of Labour registration, the National Insurance Scheme and other social security services.