The Ministry of Culture, Gender, Entertainment, and Sport will be coordinating fund-raising initiatives such as the I Love Jamaica Telethon and Concert Series to support Jamaica’s recovery efforts following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The telethon will take place on Sunday, November 23, from 1:00 pm to 7:00 pm.

Portfolio minister Olivia Grange announced the details of the activities during a media briefing held on Thursday, November 6 at the ministry’s New Kingston offices.

“The need is great, and we must answer the call to show care, compassion, and love by using our gifts and talents to make a difference in the lives of those Jamaicans who have been worst affected by hurricane Melissa,” Grange said.

“In this regard, we have mobilised the men and women of our creative and sports sectors towards the national hurricane relief effort. We intend to leverage the power of the creative and sports sectors to source the necessary resources to assist our brothers and sisters, particularly those in the western parishes,” she added.

The telethon will be a made-for-television event that will be broadcast live on CVM TV and TVJ and streamed across multiple local and international digital platforms.

“Throughout the telethon we will be uplifted by performances from some of our most loved artistes including Chris Martin, Masicka, Alaine, and Tarrus Riley, and many others… The music will remind us that even in our hardest moments, Jamaica’s rhythm, our courage, our faith, and our resilience, never stops,” she noted.

Sports icons such as Usain Bolt, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, and Asafa Powell are expected to be part of the telethon, even answering phones as donations and/or pledges come in.

“Every dollar raised will go towards hurricane relief,” she assured, indicating that the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security will have oversight of donations.

For the concert series, it will begin in London on Thursday, November 13, at KOKO Camden. There will also be a mega concert at the O2 in London on December 21, 2025. The concert at the O2 will feature UB40 and Culture Club, among other artistes.

Miami/Miramar will host a concert on December 7, led by Roger Lewis (Inner Circle), Shaggy, and Sharon Burke.

New York will host its I Love Jamaica concert on December 12, at UBS Arena, and will be produced by Bobby Clarke of IRIE JAM.

Additional concerts are being explored for Toronto, Washington DC, and Los Angeles. Serbia has also expressed an interest to host a I Love Jamaica concert.

Damian Marley and Ghetto Youths International, and other friends of Jamaica, are also putting together a series of fund-raising entertainment events in the US to raise funds for the relief efforts.

The ministry is in talks with the Jamaica Football Federation to host international friendly games featuring the Reggae Boyz in the United States and the UK to raise funds.

Caribbean Premier League and Chris Gayle are also partnering to raise funds for the cause.