NCB Foundation spreads Christmas cheer, aids hurricane relief with Christine Haber Ministries
KINGSTON, Jamaica — A $250,000 Christmas donation from NCB Foundation’s Grant a Wish initiative is helping to strengthen hurricane relief efforts led by Bishop Christine Haber and her team at Christine Haber Ministries International.
NCB says the grant will provide targeted assistance to two of the most vulnerable groups affected by Hurricane Melissa: seniors and infants in several hard-hit communities.
“With this funding, I want to give back especially to our seniors, said Haber. “Many are not working, and a number of them lost their roofs during the hurricane. Roofing is costly, and many simply cannot manage that expense on their own.” The remaining funds will be used to provide essential supplies for infants, including food, clothing and diapers.
“A lot of babies are not getting what they need right now,” Haber added. “We are going to purchase these items and distribute them directly in the communities where we have been working.”
Disaster response is not new to Haber or her ministry, whose outreach spans church missions, community development and international humanitarian support.
“After Hurricane Matthew, I was in Haiti working alongside doctors to provide support on the ground,” she shared. “More recently, following Hurricane Melissa, we have been in communities across Jamaica holding church services, offering counselling and mediation support, and distributing relief supplies.”
NCB Foundation Director Sheree Martin said the decision to support Christine Haber Ministries International was both timely and deeply personal.
“When I thought about Hurricane Melissa and the need for trusted, organised partners who could respond quickly and effectively, Christine Haber immediately came to mind,” said Martin.
“I have known Christine since we were 18 years old. This work is her life’s mission. Given the ministry’s structure and reach, supporting their hurricane relief efforts aligned perfectly with what Grant a Wish is meant to do at this moment.”
Current relief efforts are focused on communities in Middle Quarters, St Elizabeth; Mile Gully, Manchester; Liverpool, Trelawny; and rural St James.
The NCB Foundation’s Grant a Wish programme is open to all Jamaicans and residents islandwide, not only NCB customers. Nominations close at midnight on December 31, 2025. Wishes may be submitted online at www.jncb.com/grantawish or at participating NCB branches across the island.