United Nations Jamaica 76th Anniversary

Justice Comes to Town provide an attorney for you”. Spearheaded by the Legal Aid Council, the fleet has become a key tool for improving access to justice in Jamaica. Although legal aid has always been free, a 2007 Jamaican Justice System Reform Task Force Report flagged accessibility as a big challenge – pointing to complex and archaic procedures and language; too many barriers to accessing legal information, legal assistance and the courts; and strong perceptions of unequal treatment under the law. Although still a work in progress, gaps related to legal assistance were closing prior to the addition of the two buses: In 2018, one unit visited 196 communities and provided legal advice to 3823 persons. By 2019, community visits went up 42%, and the number of individuals served went up some 30% to nearly 5000, Legal Research and Records Officer, Chadwyck Clarke confirms. The two new mobile units were introduced in January 2020, roughly two months ahead of COVID-19 lockdowns which severely curtailed outreach. Although the number of community visits and clients justifiably plunged in 2020, the two additional units were on track to increase access to legal assistance to persons in need. In 2020, the Legal Aid Council Team served more than 1500 persons across 112 communities. Up to the first 2 months of 2021, the units visited another 27 communities and served 242 individuals, Clarke reports. “With three buses and a complement of two drivers and three legal officers, we are no longer limited to deployment of one bus. We can now simultaneously deploy two units, thus increasing the number of persons we reach”. “It was very efficient, I felt that (the team) spoke to me on my level, the assistance was prompt and affordable,” says Dion Frazer, one of the clients who visited the unit to seek advice on a family matter. Vivienne Allen who had an issue with a company was delighted when “the Legal Officer made the effort to make contact with the office and sorted out my matter right there and then.” A client who preferred to remain anonymous said he sought the clinic to help him with expungement of his criminal record, a popular service offered under specific circumstances. “I am very satisfied with the service. They even assisted with bringing the application to the Ministry of Justice for me. Very helpful.” “Themobile unit went throughmy documents and helped me with how to go about sorting out my father’s land. They even referred me to another office that drafted the documents for me”, says another client who again preferred to remain anonymous. The positive reviews are not just anecdotal. 98.7% of clients were either very satisfied or satisfied with the mobile clinic service and 100% said they would recommend the service, according to exit surveys collated December 2020 to February 2021. CONT’D FROM PAGE 14 The Water Harvesters Farmers, householders and teachers in two Jamaican communities are testing the human security approach to securing a resilient future and are yielding promising results. Taps, where you can find them, run dry in many parts of northern Clarendon, Jamaica. Here, amid miles and miles of green hilly land, small farms, schools and districts fight unrelenting battles with drought. Forty-seven kilometers east, in the heart of the nation’s capital - residents of west Kingston inner cities face battles of another kind – crime. Though distinct in profile and location, both communities share in common, the multiplier effects of youth unemployment, limited opportunities, climate change and Poverty. What if parallel investments are made into a holistic package of interventions targeting major underlying insecurities facing these two vulnerable communities - In short, a human security approach? A joint United Nations/Government of Jamaica project with support from the UN Human Security Trust Fund is now putting the human security approach to the test in two clusters of communities in Jamaica - by investing in water security, climate smart agriculture, community governance, social enterprises and small business support, under an innovative project designed to bolster human resilience. Three years after the programme was launched, the water security and climate smart farming components are yielding positive returns. Water Access multiplies positive impacts Community water harvesting systems have been rehabilitated in the northern Clarendon districts of Mount Airy and Culloden serving a combined population of approximately 3,000, as well as at four primary schools serving hundreds of students and their teachers. In addition, 20 small farmers are now in possession of brand-new water harvesting and irrigation equipment that is delivering water to crops, even when drought is unrelenting. Community water harvesting systems are meticulously monitored and maintained by trained community members, also known as ‘chlorinators’, to ensure the water is cleared for household use. Harvests double on less land The farm irrigation system is a gift which is reversing crops losses due to extended drought declares Euxan Smith, farmer and president of the Mt Airy Farmers Group. “We are planting less but reaping more. I now plant half the area, but reap twice the amount, while harvesting more crops with more weight over a longer time with more weekly income”. He credits the drip system and sustainable agricultural methods passed on to farmers. “It was never like that before. Farmers are saying it’s the way to go, and that if we had more rainfall, we could reap another 200%”. We are now never without water Principals like Davia Johnson Newman of Alston Primary and Infant School praised the intervention at recent handing over ceremonies. “As a result of the catchment system the school has not been without water since we resumed face to face teaching and learning” she reports. “We are now able to accommodate up to 6800 gallons of water. This is important to us, especially since we are now utilizing more water on a daily basis in our sanitization and cleaning efforts. “Prior to this support we had a temporary hand-wash facility which was simply a bucket with a pipe attached. Today we are pleased to have a permanent facility for proper handwashing”. 15 THE 76TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL FEATURE OF THE UNITED NATIONS IN JAMAICA