KINGSTON, Jamaica – The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), in partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), has launched a cash assistance programme to support Jamaicans severely affected by category 5 Hurricane Melissa in October. The initiative will reach approximately 50,000 people and forms part of WFP’s phased response, which initially focused on providing emergency food packs to 123,000 vulnerable residents in the parishes of St Elizabeth, St James, Trelawny, and Westmoreland.
The programme will also extend to Hanover, targeting households identified as vulnerable through the Jamaica Household Damage, Impact and Needs Assessment (JHDINA) tool. The cash support aims to aid recovery, restore livelihoods, and improve food security, offering families the flexibility to meet their most pressing needs. Brian Bogart, WFP Representative and Country Director for the Caribbean Multi-Country Office, emphasized that cash assistance empowers affected households by giving them choice and dignity during recovery.
As local markets, shops, and small businesses gradually reopen across western Jamaica, the cash assistance is expected to stimulate economic activity, support local vendors, and accelerate the return to normalcy for communities affected by the hurricane. Jamaica’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr., highlighted the importance of timely and compassionate support, noting that the partnership with WFP ensures vulnerable households receive assistance efficiently while preserving their dignity.
Beyond immediate relief, WFP is supporting Jamaica’s long-term recovery by implementing initiatives to restore farmlands and fisheries, revive incomes, improve nutrition, and stabilize markets. Additionally, US$1.9 million from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF) will be disbursed to vulnerable people impacted by Hurricane Melissa through the national social protection system, reinforcing disaster risk financing measures.
The cash assistance programme has been made possible through contributions from WFP donors, including Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, the European Union, the Inter-American Development Bank, the Central Emergency Response Fund, and private donors such as the XO Fund, Bank of America, and Flex/Twilio Inc., alongside the WFP Immediate Response Account.
