NAJASO to rebrand and relaunch

WASHINGTON, DC:

NEWLY ELECTED president of the National Association of Jamaican and Supportive Organizations (NAJASO) Dr Joyce El Ali plans to rebrand and relaunch the 47-year-old diaspora organisation in an effort to respond to the changing needs of the community.

Addressing the annual general meeting of the association, El Ali told the membership, “It is time to reassess NAJASO’s performance and develop plans and programmes geared towards reintroducing its relevance and attractiveness to existing and potential members. We must reset NAJASO’s trajectory for attaining a sustainable future. We must review where NAJASO has been and where it is heading. This administration must seize the opportunity to create a new path for NAJASO and modernise its structure, its focus, and its engagement efforts.”

El Ali declared, “We need to find new ways of reaching prospective members. We need to be prepared to change the structure of NAJASO by acknowledging that what worked almost five decades ago may not work going forward. Consequently, we must be prepared to work hard at developing plans and programmes aimed at rebranding and relaunching NAJASO.”

CONTRIBUTIONS

Over the years, the organisation has contributed numerous scholarships to students at The University of the West Indies; mounted numerous medical missions to Jamaica; and contributed to early-childhood projects in St James, St Catherine, and Kingston.

Recently, NAJASO, in responding to Jamaica’s COVID-19 telethon ‘Together We Stand’, contributed US$11,000, plus an additional USD$2,000 earmarked for meals to children in depressed areas of Jamaica.

The NAJASO president applauded Ambassador Audrey Marks and Culture, Entertainment and Sport Minister Olivia Grange for their tireless work on the telethon and the tremendous success their efforts engendered. “NAJASO is extremely proud to have been a part of this significant effort to provide needed equipment and resources to address the COVID-19 pandemic in Jamaica,” she said.

In a letter congratulating the president, Marks commended El Ali and her board for their dedication and vision to moving the organisation to a new level and pledged the support of the Jamaican Embassy to work alongside the organisation.