KINGSTON, Jamaica — Caritas, the social action agency of the Roman Catholic Church, has launched an international emergency appeal and a year-long support programme to assist Jamaica’s recovery following Hurricane Melissa.

Regional Director Marcia Haywood, based in St Lucia, said the organisation began coordinating with the Archdiocese of Kingston and the dioceses of Mandeville and Montego Bay even before the hurricane made landfall. Caritas represents more than 30 Caribbean territories and is part of a global confederation present in over 200 countries.

The organisation has distributed tarpaulins to more than 600 households in Magaty and Balaclava and is carrying out assessments in Montego Bay. Haywood said food kits will be donated by Caritas Puerto Rico and supplies — including solar lanterns, hygiene kits, women’s hygiene items and children’s activity sets — have been shipped from St Lucia.

“Caritas will remain involved in Jamaica’s recovery for at least 12 months,” she said.

That support will include replenishing supplies previously donated to the island and implementing a one-time cash intervention for the most vulnerable households, in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. The agency is part of the national Cash Working Group and Shelter Working Group, which coordinate assistance across government and NGOs to avoid duplication.

Haywood noted that the cash transfer will be multipurpose and unconditional, based on vulnerability criteria. It will also use a “social protection calculator tool” developed last year, which factors in existing government benefits to determine the level of additional support needed.

“It will be a top-up for households already receiving assistance, or adequate support for those who are not,” she explained, adding that the payment will be issued once to avoid creating dependency.

She described the destruction she witnessed in Montego Bay and Mandeville as “unequaled,” despite her previous experience responding to Category 5 hurricanes in Dominica, the British Virgin Islands and the Bahamas. She noted that many affected Jamaicans live in remote, still-inaccessible communities and that some persons with disabilities have been unable to reach food distribution points.

Caritas has also deployed technical support from its partner organisation, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Empower, and plans to hire local staff as part of the long-term response.

“ We have a local team, and we’ll also be hiring local persons to be able to take this work throughout the 12-month period,” she shared.

“We love Jamaica. We are so sorry that this has happened to our brothers and sisters, and we are committed to supporting the Jamaica recovery process,” Haywood added.

— Carlysia Ramdeen