ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica—The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has pledged $80 million toward Jamaica’s ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts.

According to AHF, the commitment begins with an initial shipment valued at US$300,000, delivering vital supplies to the communities that bore the brunt of the Category 5 storm.

“Our initial shipment is just the first step in a broader recovery effort,” said Dr Kevin Harvey, deputy bureau chief of Latin America and the Caribbean. “AHF remains deeply committed to working alongside our government and regional partners to restore healthcare infrastructure, strengthen resilience, and ensure that Jamaica emerges from this tragedy stronger, safer, and better prepared for the future.”

Hurricane relief supplies are being loaded onto a truck as AHF pledged $80 million toward Jamaica’s ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts.

The shipment, containing generators, tarps, water purification tablets, medical equipment, food kits, and hygiene and sanitary products is being distributed through the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) to ensure that relief reaches where it is needed most.

AHF Jamaica on Wednesday officially handed over a 40-foot container of supplies to the WRHA, which serves the western parishes hardest hit by Melissa, Hanover, Westmoreland and St Elizabeth. On Thursday, the next phase of distribution will continue in the southern region, through the SRHA, benefitting Manchester and Clarendon.

Representatives from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) assist in loading hurricane relief supplies onto a truck as AHF pledged $80 million toward Jamaica’s ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts.

Among the beneficiaries of AHF’s relief drive is the University of Technology, Jamaica Western Campus, nestled in Montego Bay, where students and staff are receiving essential supplies to restore stability after the storm. AHF has also pledged assistance to the correctional facility in Manchester, which sustained heavy damage during Melissa’s passage.

Future shipments will include large tents to serve as makeshift clinics, temporary treatment spaces, and safe holding areas for those displaced, as well as food and water supplies for vulnerable communities still struggling to recover.

“AHF has a robust history of proactively responding to the needs of individuals and communities in need. We are deeply saddened by the recent devastation to so many communities, as a result of Hurricane Melissa,” stated Michael Weinstein, AHF president.

“Having supported many disaster relief efforts, we know that the road to rebuilding a community is a long journey. We remain committed to working to provide the critical resources that the Jamaican people will continue to need as they work to recover from this natural and humanitarian disaster,” he added.