Jacks River, St. Mary:

If you drove through Jacks River, St. Mary, on Saturday, April 14, you knew something big was happening.

Scores of residents, with gloves on hands and looks of determination on their faces, had one common goal: to keep the river pollution-free.

These were the participants in the community's river clean-up, an activity of the Jacks River Protection Initiative (JPRI), a campaign organised by final year media & communication student and resident of the community, Kay-Dean Lazarus. The campaign, which ended with the river clean-up, used a variety of communication approaches to educate residents about the effects of river pollution on their health and environment.

The clean-up began approximately 9:30 a.m., lasted for more than four hours and saw residents removing garbage from gullies, the riverbanks and the river itself.

"The protection of the river is our responsibility as we are the ones who use it and we are also the persons who pollute it," said Lazarus. "This activity is aimed at showing residents the effects of our actions, mobilising them to do something about it and also to garner support for the protection of the river."

There was also a river dub competition for the song with the best lyrics against river pollution. The winner of the competition was Taliban, a member of the community.

Other activities of the initiative were presentations at the Jacks River Basic and Primary schools, a community lecture and the distribution of pouches and posters with messages against river pollution.