Wrong address - Women’s Empowerment Group aims to change the perception of their communities
Published:Thursday | September 5, 2019 | 12:05 AMVanessa James/Gleaner Writer
In 2007, Etana released the music video for Wrong Address, a song depicting how residents of inner-city communities are often blackballed because of where they come from. It is a familiar refrain in Jamaica and because of this stigma, some residents have much stacked against them, and achieving goals takes tremendous effort.
The Gleaner met up with the Women’s Empowerment (WE) Group, a small gathering of women under the auspices of Women’s Resource & Outreach Centre (WROC), who have had difficulties finding employment because of their age and address.
Of the 10 women present at the meeting, only one is currently employed, and another is currently enrolled in a programme at HEART Trust/National Training Agency (NTA).
Carmeleta Hutchinson, one of the members of the group, explained that she does ‘day’s work’ in order to cope.
“The person I was working for stopped working and since then, me can’t get anymore,” she said.
“I do day’s work, but when I do get the day’s work, they want to pay me $2,500 – and that can’t do anything – and they want me to wash, tidy up and press [iron clothes] in one day,” she disclosed.
As result, Hutchinson operates a roadside stall where she sells sweets, snacks and soaps to passers-by.
She further explained that while her goods do not sell very fast, she is grateful for the little she makes.
“It nuh really pretty with me, but me have to still hold on, because nobody nah hire me again because me a 51 years,” Hutchinson stated.
Opal Dennis, the group’s spokesperson, is employed as a janitor, but still has issues as she believes that the stigma attached to her community has prevented her from getting the kind of job that she wants.
“I recently got employed as a janitor and at my age, the work that I would really love to do because I don’t have the right education; and even if I pursue to get that education, by the time I am finished, when they check out my background and the age, it would not work out,” she explained.
Dennis also thinks that people from innercity communities are not given the chance to prove themselves.
Profiling
“As someone from the garrison, whenever you go out there to do certain jobs, you are being narrowed down; and because of my background, people question, ‘If I give her this position, how would she cope? Would she steal my stuff? Would she come here to cause havoc?” she explained further.
Cynthia Stephenson-Brown, a retired registered midwife, explained that it was just as hard for her when she was working,and she has had to be very smart and secretive to get through in life. With all the struggles, the WE Group has been a safe haven for some of the women who, through talking, have opened up and overcome their own personal issues. They also support each other as the ladies have tapped into skills in order to survive.
“Well, I not working right now, but me find myself can’t work fi people, so me have to do my own thing and me get hair fi do so me can maintain me youth dem same way,” said Sue-Ann Spencer, who is training to become an electrician at the HEART Trust/NTA. “Hair is not really my thing, but me can do it. What me a train for now is what I want to do.”
According to Stephenson-Brown, the group supports each other’s ventures.
“What I see happening is, if somebody doing them little selling or so, we can tell each other, and then we support each other. So like if you do nails or hair, just let us know and we try to support each other,” she stated
What makes the WE Group even more interesting is that they take the little they have and assist others, as they hope to impact and change their communities, just as they have benefited from being members of this group.
“Our last project was a health fair with PROMAC (Programme for the Reduction of Maternal and Child Mortality).
“Many gravitated towards it, so that is a plus for us and the community. We have also done outreach activities in Trelawny, and have pooled our finances together to help children in our community to go to school,” Doreen Knight, secretary for the group, said.
The WE Group is trying to give their community a future better than the one they had, however, they need help to achieve their goals and help themselves and their communities. They are currently looking for sponsorship and can be reached through WROC at (876) 929-8873 or email: wroccommunications@gmail.com.