KINGSTON, Jamaica — As the country observes the Christmas season, the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities (JCPD) is reassuring that they will continue to provide relief support to persons with disabilities who have been impacted by Hurricane Melissa.

“I want them to lift their spirits [and] know that the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities is here for them. There are hundreds of thousands out there that we are not aware of, and so, we ask if persons are going down on their relief efforts and they meet persons with disabilities, let us know,” Executive Director of the JCPD, Dr Christine Hendricks, told JIS News.

She informed that the council has been providing psychosocial support to staff members, as well as persons with disabilities.

“As part of Disabilities Awareness Week… we had a day of prayer at the Bethel Baptist Church in Half-Way-Tree. Then… we had psychosocial sessions, both with persons with disabilities from the west, as well as persons who work with these persons with disabilities who have been traumatised,” Dr Hendricks said.

“They really have been walking a journey of trauma, so they got the opportunity to really share and de-stress and learn, be provided with tools to help them to recover steadily. And we are partnering with different organisations to ensure that as the need arises, it can be addressed, because we know that this was a frightening experience,” she added.

Dr Hendricks pointed out that Jamaica had never experienced such a strong hurricane before, with winds of 185 miles per hour.

“So, even our social workers and our team members who have been going down to provide relief support, we have had to also have them in the sessions as well, because it is traumatic just seeing and participating in all of the devastation that would have taken place. We have been going down consistently, and after a while, you have to pause and do some self-care, before moving along again,” she said.

As part of the planned activities for December, the JCPD handed over grant funding to individuals who would have already applied and gone through the process of approval for the Economic Empowerment Grant (EEG).

The EEG is an entrepreneurial grant designed and administered by the JCPD to provide unemployed or low-income-earning persons with disabilities with financial support for starting or expanding a business.

Caregivers of persons with disabilities may apply on their behalf. The individual grant offers a maximum of $200,000 and $400,000 for group applications.

“It is a ripe opportunity… to ensure that they can get their grants [to] start their business and to move into the new year with a brighter look,” Dr Hendricks said.

The executive director noted that for individuals  who would have been impacted by the hurricane, and would want to apply for this grant, they will not be able to do so at this time, as the funds are now depleted.

“We have written to the Ministry of Agriculture [Fisheries and Mining] to ensure that as they distribute [aid], our people with disabilities who are farmers, can really get back on track with their planting and their animals, their farms… get those going. So, we are working alongside the ministry to ensure that they are not left out of the distribution to build back their farms,” she said.

“For those who would need businesses otherwise that would take funds, currently… we have depleted our funds, so we would refer them to the Ministry of Labour and Social Security under their grant project for support. Our support will begin rolling again in the new financial year, come April, May, thereabouts,” she added.

For persons with disabilities who need assistive aid, Dr Hendricks said that “UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is also helping us to procure assistive aid, so that our people can have.”

For more information on how to register with the JCPD, individuals can send a message via WhatsApp to 876-447-0444, or 876-299-7393, or call the landline at 876-968-8373.

“They can send us messages on our social media pages at jcpd.gov.jm, or our website. We also have an app – the ‘I Am Able – My JCPD’ app – through which persons can either make a complaint, they can send us a message, they can apply for registration, or they can apply for a benefit, but persons need to know that benefits are only applicable to those who are registered with the JCPD,” Dr Hendricks said.

“So, registration is the first point of providing support, not relief support, but benefits in terms of financial benefits, grants and so on. We encourage the churches –people with disabilities in the community, in your congregation – encourage them to log on, download the app on their Android devices, and upload their documents for registration; make application online. They will get a message, and everything is there on the app to guide the process for everyone,” she added.

—    JIS