What can Jamaican's overseas do to help shape the economic and political future of Jamaica? Are they doing enough now?

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"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." - Matthew 5 v11 KJV

Very waggish indeed.

Here are a few suggestions:

1. Remittances - sending money back home to family.
2. Investing in Jamaican businesses - starting new ventures, building up existing ones.
3. Investing on the Jamaican Stock Exchange
4. Adopting a school, hospital or church and helping to supply essential items such as books, medical supplies, or funding.
5. Donating computer equipment for schools, post offices, community centres etc.

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"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." - Matthew 5 v11 KJV

Very waggish indeed.

As a Jamaican, try your best to create a positive and productive image of yourself. So as to help diminish the negative qualities that people [mostly none Jamaicans] say defines a Jamaican.

Its the ultimate investment we can all make to our HOME!

Especially if you are on a financial budget like myself

What should the role of Jamaicans overseas be in building up Jamaica?

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"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." - Matthew 5 v11 KJV

Very waggish indeed.

Personally speaking I want to help build a community center in my area...

Very good question and one Ive often had on my mind.

Some good suggestions there Bounty x. Some I never actually had thought off.

I think Jamaicans abroad with the money we put into the economy when we go back home to stay or visit can have a big influence on how Jamaican develops. I think it is a fair crtisism to say that too many of us when we leave Jamaica and go foreign/ in our new lives often feel powerless that we cannot influence Jamica directly.

But if you look at the Cuban comminity in the US they have a direct/ positive or negative effect on Cuba.

My immdeiate concerns are the spiralling crime rate. Nothing hurts me more to read every other day Black man killing Black man in senseless killing. How can a country survive and have an international profile with a high murder rate. Its not good.

Me I plan to go home in time anyway/ to start a enginering business in which I can train a few youth hopefully /my ties to my parish are immpossible to break. However there are many British born Jamaicans who would love to relocate back to Jamiaca to do business.. but are put off by the crime situation. This is having a worse impact than many of us can see into the longer term future.


My humble suggestion is that we must find an organised way to enable those communities to take back their areas from criminals.

Longer term there must be some form of programmes such as a Community centre (as mentioned above) where we can educate our youth about their history and give them real skills.

Same time we as Jmaicans abroad can put pressure on the government to develop the economy and stop selling our soul to foreigners who want to invest and make a quick buck at our expense.

With this new Chinese deal in Aluminum why is not more emphasis being placed on manufacturing this raw material for sale.
The Chinese must want it for something. So we cant do the same thing and build a manufacturing industry..??

Joke dem a joke out di business.

Anyway good subject. Ill be watching this thread.

those are all good suggestions i do my best by sending money home.

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Karma is a ..............so be careful what u do in life!.

Anymore ideas?

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"Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake." - Matthew 5 v11 KJV

Very waggish indeed.

Use this site and members (purely voluntary) and we adopt a school or some educational event, enough people go down on a regular basis to monitor anything we do, just pick one school and use the framework already existing, we dont need to form any new organization unless one clearly does not clearly exist. I am from Kgn so I am targeting my old basic school and as I progress next is primary then high. We need to link up with other Overseas jamaican and see how they get supplies down there without reinventing the wheel, you would be surprised how much members here have useful info that we can share.

Ok here's my 2 cents. I just happened to be reading an article about Remittances and the Philippines a few days ago and it reminded me about an idea I had a few years ago. A significant portion of the foreign exchange in Jamaica enters via remittances. Most of this money is used in consumption (food, school supplies, house hold items, Christmas gifts). The other area is construction (houses, housing expansion). Unfortunately most of the money goes into inflating the economy as the real economy is being supported by income that the economy did not gain (exports, etc). In fact, a poor person who does not receive remittances is at a greater disadvantage because of this inflation.
I don't live abroad so you Jamaicans who do please help me out here. Let us say for example the desire of the Jamaican-expat is to own land and a retirement house in Jamaica. Have a Jamaican bank with branches/links in the USA, Canada, etc have an investor account/bond where tax exemption is granted as part of the money is lent to a venture capital fund (not consumption). Promote purchase of Jamaican Blue-chip stocks (Grace, Pan Jam, etc). Create debit cards with overseas accounts where the owner (Jamaican expat) can monitor the usage. Jamaicans living overseas, what are your personal economic goals (if any) about Jamaica (owning home, etc)?

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One World, One People

The opinions expressed by Samba are not the official opinions of ETJ or its owners.

Mi goal is to own properties rather than a house that I can either develop later as my income increases in america or sell for a profit or pass to future generations (especially if the land is in areas mi see ago tek off).

My generation I call us the barrel generation who born late seventies and early eighties come america and realize seh, dis yah country no really mek fi yu enjoy quality of life, mek money yes, peace of mind ..no way, so mi naw wait till mi cripple and old den mi a chat bout "mek mi move go jamaica after farrin suck mi dry, and mi cant relate to yard cause it change so much. Mi keep track of the runnings a yard, and a tek time buy piece a land a country, so far mi and mi fada lucky we get piece a land a runaway bay and anadda piece in a Ochi cheap cheap during the 90's now dem a build hotel near one of the land and dem not stop try contact us fi sell, view of the sea and tings.

Plus nuff jamaican now in New York so mi might open one likkle patty shop or sinting and mek sure seh farrin exchange a flow even if mi move back. Realistically mi no see miself a come back a Jamaica full time fi now, too much money a farrin fi mek and mi still in a mi late twenties, goal is to live half a year a yaard, half a farrin, and develop a business community in a NYC fi westindian people like the chinese and Korean dem do amoung themself..we ago call it Half way Tree or likkle Kingston. Dat is mi plan, and who no have plan but deh a farrin a idle better wake up quick.

Ok here is a question (or 2). What is your main dream for Jamaica and how would you like to earn money from Jamaica? I'm trying to think of a way to link the two so that remittances could be channeled into more productive means.

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One World, One People

The opinions expressed by Samba are not the official opinions of ETJ or its owners.

My main dream for Jah mek yah is prosperity and economic wealth so that we can unlock our full potential as world leaders in all aspects of life not only music and sports but business, science and technology. I think people down on the rock and up here dont really have the means to which they can cooperate and help each other, the framework is there ...who never play "pardner" when them growing up, but we need to formalize a way in which individuals who have some money set aside a farrin and want to link with a man pon the rock who have a business plan and the person a farrin help fund it similar to your venture capital idea. A Jampro website could accomplish this, people submit ideas for funding and once you get commited third parties, Jampro assit with paperwork and getting licences and such.

You would do your due process to get rid of the ginals and have controls in place to monitor how the funds are spent. Jamaica also need more incubators fi small bizness too, tek the pan chicken man dem off the street a new kingston and give him a small building downtown with deferred rent, see up like faiths pen where they can pool their resources and see that man business blossom and start to pay taxes. Not enough forward thinking deh a yard when it come to tings like this. instead of a chase people off a street and beat dem, provide an alternative and help dem grow it. That is one of my dream for Jamaica, only through commerce and micro business will the country move forward, Jamaican people love the buy and sell ting too so it no tek much fi harness the potential, just poor leadership mi blame fi this.

How would I like to earn money off jamaica -

Well my goal is to open a small business a farrin, once I finish my research and see where I can make the most profitable spread, you see the Jamiaca brand is so strong that I dont need to physically be in jamaica to mek money off a it, but mi not a selfish youth and want to mek sure everybody can eat so like mi see other ethnic groups in America, I would buy mi raw material in jamaica from the local farmer/tradespeople I can trust and sell to farrin and now with Caricom union a come online, the rest of the caribbean start look good too. Mi travel all ova and see farrina a try sell brand jamaica, and mi know seh people love when it auhthentic so mi know mi will succeed. Selling in a mi blood from mi help mi father and mother sell vegetables out a Molynes Road from we van back when mi bout seven year old, mi like the rush of talking somebody into buying something like mi tell the first lady mi ever sell to at age 7.." excuse mi mam buy my piece a pumpkin nuh, best pumpkin dis look how it pretty, almost pretty like a yu"....mada seh mi did have sweet mouth at age 7, so mi naw work fi nobody too long iya, in a farrin dis yah country mek fi you start own business.

I plan to give back

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