In January of 1999, two Polish priests, Fr. Marek Bzinkowski and Fr. Andrew Beltowski arrived in Jamaica and were assigned to a deep rural district in Maggoty, St. Elizabeth. On their arrival they found neither house, nor church so they had to begin from “scratch”. Soon a part of an old shed housing a goat pen was converted into a chapel and the adjoining space served as housing accommodation. The church services attracted more and more people as well as donkeys and goats at times.
Three years later, there is a modest rectory, and church, built with the Canadian Royal Homes prefabricated system, which has now become the pride of the area, being the only church built in this manner in the Caribbean.
Funds were raised by the priests outside Jamaica and the land was donated by a member of the Maggoty community. The building of the rectory and the church were only the first phase of the community project. This was followed by a training and educational facility, and a clinic which are to be followed by economic self-help community projects.
An early childhood education specialist, Marta Socha, has
been recruited
from Poland and has been conducting daily after school classes with both
children and adults for over one year. This program has grown very fast
and now includes literacy, art and craft, math and computer training.
A fully staffed clinic, built in a twenty ft. shipping container, serves some 40 -50 persons weekly. The clinic uses the services of a local physician and nurse and in spite of the tight space, this facility has been attracting volunteer specialist teams from overseas due to arrive frequently.
The crammed physical space could be made much more comfortable
with some expansion.
The Population Served
Maggotty, together with its surrounding districts it has a population
of some 12,000 persons. A small percentage of this population finds employment
in seasonal work involved in cultivation of sugar cane while the greater
majority subsists from cultivating vegetables and fruits on small plots
adjoining their place of abode. Accompanying the staggering unemployment
level (sometimes as much as 70%), there is a very high level of illiteracy
which would limit qualifications for employment if jobs were to exist.
Rural poverty has become even greater since the prospects in the larger
cities have become dismal and unsafe. Formerly, perhaps a few of the members
of the family might go the cities to work and send money home for the
rest of the family.
While there are some quality educational programs available in Jamaica,
the lack of a nearby by location for programs to be presented has left
this population underserved. Taxi service is cost prohibitive and walking
is the primary mode of transportation. So those programs which are potentially
available must be brought to the people. In addition to serving the needs
of the local community the center will also reach or serve as a way for
volunteers to offer their gifts to share in a safe environment which can
have ongoing impact. This supports the notion that we must build a world
community committed to caring for each other.
Needs Assessment
Maggotty, together with its surrounding districts has a population of
some 12,000 persons. A small percentage of this population finds employment
in seasonal work involved in cultivation of sugar cane while the greater
majority subsists from cultivating vegetables and fruits on small plots
adjoining their place of abode. Accompanying the staggering unemployment
level (sometimes as much as 70%), there is a very high level of illiteracy
which would limit qualifications for employment if jobs were to exist.
Community students need to stay overnight for some classes because they
travel for great distances on foot or by taxi service. The daily cost
for taxi service would make classes for which there is a fee, cost prohibitive
in many instances. Another reason for building a dorm is that the expense
of housing guest teachers and consultants would be cost prohibitive if
they had to rely on the sparse local accommodations, and the distances
and transportation issues make it impossible for many potential teachers
and consultants to visit and be safe and provided for while they work.
It allows for a more self contained environment so costs can be better
managed. It can provide a source of income that can offset some of the
expenses of the community service projects. Immersion type mission projects
are very popular with many types of groups and provide a particular type
of cultural experience which can not be replicated in any other way.
The Community Center programs will assist women to become role models to their children and models of hope and self determination. The community center will offer classes and also be a cooperative work place. They will learn how to prepare healthy meals for their children while operating a school feeding program for the children of the poorest families. This will encourage school attendance and improve literacy. Once training in accomplished, the women will be able to move into jobs in the hotel industry or other food service positions. They can participate in programs to learn how to prepare crops and livestock for use in the sausage factory business. They can learn computer skills and use the library resources. Visiting mission teams will bring skills and trade information when they stay at the dorm. Sewing, crafts, child rearing, child care, teen group meetings and education, literacy programs of several kinds, music and the arts can all be taught. Adult education will include literacy, farming, job skills, home making skills, craft, and maintenance skills.
The most urgent need is a location to offer these programs from. Since walking is the only affordable mode of transportation, the programs must be offered on site. Immersion type short term mission work is becoming increasingly popular in the US and other countries, and the association with the church will facilitate the arrangement of various types of skills to be made available as the community sees fit to request them.
This classroom has been built by the traditional block
and steel construction  and
the computers donated from sources abroad and overhauled by a local
company. The shelf on the right contains a tiny library. The children
have shown a healthy and insatiable thirst for knowledge and borrow
and read books voraciously. Kind donations are outgrowing the existing
space. |
The Meat Processing Project
The major community outreach and self-help project now in it’s final stages of planning is a meat processing plant with the objective of producing in Jamaica deli-style sausages for the Jamaican market.
Taking
advantage of his Central European (Polish) background, where sausages
are abasic product, Fr. Marek has begun a pilot production of this item.
This pilot project has shown that with appropriate change in seasonings
and very slight modification of production process, these can be produced
in different styles such as European style, Chinese sausages, jerk sausages,
etc.
The objectives of the project are to:
- Generate employment for unemployed young people in the area.
- Generate income for economic development of the community and sustainable
growth with accompanying spread of benefits to the wider community.
This would spill over into livestock rearing to provide the source of
the meat on contract farming basis. The overall benefits are expected
to encompass some 200 persons.
- A pilot project for the production development and mastering the
production technology.
- A preliminary market demand study for the product which has already
been produced. This has yielded very encouraging results where several
supermarkets have sampled the product and shown their interest. Offers
of professional promotion have been received. (It may be of interest
to note that the only local producer of this type of product is unable
to supply the market adequately. Imports of this product are expensive,
and it loses flavor during lengthy transport).
- Pledges of donations of sausage making equipment have been secured
from the Polish community in Chicago, USA. This is the largest Polish
community outside of Poland and hence Chicago is a major center of production
of deli-type sausages. These producers have volunteered to visit Jamaica
to assist with the installation and commissioning of the plant and have
also indicated the willingness to provide assistance with product development.
- Incorporation of the Community Enterprise. ( The management structure
is now being completed.)
- Physical plan (architect’s drawings ) including buildings and
infrastructure.
More detailed information on the technical and financial feasibility can be made available to any interest wishing to support this venture.
contact us at:
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Maggotty P.O. Box 22
ST. Elizabeth, Jamaica W.I.
tel. (876)963-9774
fax. (876)963-9771
e-mail: holyspirit@cwjamaica.com