KINGSTON, September 20 (JIS): The Ministry of Labour and Social Security has, to date, completed 14,516 household damage assessments under the ‘Rebuild Jamaica Initiative’.

Portfolio Minister, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., who made the disclosure during a statement to the House of Representatives on Tuesday (September 17), added that the Ministry will complete any further assessments, as necessary, within the next two weeks.

“Of the assessments that have been done, a little more than 7,000 have been validated. This means that the information collected has been verified and the Tax Registration Number (TRN) could be validated to allow for the printing of cheques,” he informed.

“Of all of those that have been validated, all cheques have been printed… [and] 100 per cent of those cheques have been distributed to parish offices across the country. Of those cheques which have been distributed, to date, based on average across the parishes, more than 80 per cent of our beneficiaries [have] received those cheques. The value of [those] is more than $646 million,” he added.

The Rebuild Jamaica Initiative is aimed at restoring households and communities that have been severely impacted by Hurricane Beryl.

This engagement has been pivotal in ensuring that the most vulnerable Jamaicans receive the support necessary to recover from the resulting devastation.

Meanwhile, a partnership involving the United Nations (UN) World Food Programme (WFP) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has facilitated the provision of financial support to persons whose homes were either destroyed or rendered uninhabitable.

Minister Charles said this financial relief is being disbursed in phases to ensure accuracy and timeliness.

“The UN World Food Programme has provided $219 million in cash grants for 3,400 of the worst affected households. These are families with young children (0-6 years old), persons with disabilities and elderly members. Over 11,500 individuals will receive that support,” he indicated.

Mr. Charles further informed that the payments are being disbursed in two tranches over a period of two months, through Western Union.

The first half of these funds was disbursed between September 12 and 13, with the second tranche slated to be dispatched to the same beneficiaries in October.

Mr. Charles said that under a second partnership, UNICEF has provided $42.75 million in support for 7,000 households in the parishes of St. Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester and St. Elizabeth.

Of this amount, $36.5 million has been designated for families on the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) with children ages zero to six years and pregnant/lactating women, and a further $6.25 million for persons with disabilities.

“I can confirm that disbursal of funds under the UNICEF partnership commenced on September 16,” the Minister said.

Mr. Charles added that the first phase of cheques disbursed has been focused on families whose homes were destroyed, single-parent households, senior citizens and persons with disabilities who have lost their dwellings or belongings.

CONTACT: LATONYA LINTON

RELEASE: JIS

Garfield Ekon

Staff Writer

September 20, 2024 – The United Nations (UN) Tuesday expressed continued concern at the number of families being displaced in the Haitian capital of Port au Prince due to the ongoing violence and criminal activities in the French-speaking Caribbean Community (Caricom) country.

Stéphane Dujarric, the spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told the daily media briefing that the latest clashes between armed groups in the neighborhoods of Cité Soleil and Delmas displaced more than 2,000 people last week and “that is just in two days between September 11 and 13”.

“More than 170,000 people are now displaced in the capital. While most of them are staying with host families, three new temporary sites have sprung up,” Dujarric told reporters, adding “we and our partners in Haiti continue to support people in need across the country, including by providing food, water and sanitation, as well as health care support”.

He said that the International Organization for Migration (IOM) also continues to distribute blankets, solar lamps and kitchen kits to displaced people and that with the new school year approaching, the World Food Programme (WFP) plans to provide school meals to 495,000 children.

Dujarric said many of these meals will be sourced from local smallholder farmers.

The UN said that the US$674 million Humanitarian Response Plan for Haiti is currently only 39 per cent funded with US$263 million actually received.

“We continue to call for increased support for the humanitarian response to help the Haitian people,” Dujarric said.

Over the past several months, more than 380 Kenyan personnel have arrived in the country to support the Haitian National Police (NPH) in a United Nations sanctioned Multinational Security Support (MSS) mission to restore peace and security and dealing with criminal gangs and other undesirables.

Kingstown, St. Vincent and the Grenadines (September 18^th, 2024) – The Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation (CWCF) is pleased to announce a US$50,000 grant to the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, aimed at supporting the restoration of computer labs in primary and secondary schools across Union Island, Canouan Island, and Mayreau Island.

This initiative will directly benefit over seven hundred students, providing them with essential resources to aid in their educational development following the recent destruction caused by Hurricane Beryl.

The grant will fund the purchase of new computers and related accessories, helping to re-establish a vital part of the students’ learning environments. The computer labs were severely damaged during the hurricane, disrupting digital learning and access to educational tools.

“Our partnership with the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines demonstrates our ongoing commitment to supporting the long-term recovery of communities across the Caribbean. Supporting the re-establishment of these computer labs will not only restore learning spaces but also provide students with the digital tools necessary for their education and future growth,” said Inge Smidts, Chief Executive Officer, C&W Communications.

“The devastation caused by Hurricane Beryl disrupted education and digital access in many schools. With this grant, we are not just restoring infrastructure, but we are also providing hope and the opportunity for students to continue their learning journey in a rapidly evolving digital era.”

The restoration efforts will play a critical role in empowering students on these islands, ensuring they have access to modern learning technologies and can continue their education despite the challenges posed by natural disasters.

The Cable & Wireless Charitable Foundation remains dedicated to its mission of supporting disaster relief, education, and digital inclusion projects across the Caribbean, positively impacting the lives of individuals and communities in need.