Minister urges beneficiaries to be ‘smart and sensible’ with relief money

Pearnel Charles Jr, Minister of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), has appealed to recipients and persons who will be receiving cash grants from the government to be accountable, responsible, and ensure that the money is spent wisely.

The Government began the distribution of relief grants to persons whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Beryl on July 3 during Monday’s launch of the Rebuild Jamaica initiative.

The emergency grants, which are awarded in three categories according to the extent of damage incurred, are intended to help with recovery and rebuilding activities. Homeowners whose homes were destroyed will receive grants of up to $400,000.00.

Those whose properties have suffered severe damage will receive up to $150,000.00 and those with minor damage will receive grants of up to $50,000.00.

The Rebuild Jamaica initiative was launched in partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM).

Speaking at the ceremony held at the MLSS North Street office, Charles Jr warned that the cash grant was “not to be wasted on foolishness”, but that he expected that “households that are assessed will be honest and truthful in ensuring that they work together with us.”

He noted that the ministry would not have the time or resources to “go in and parent every house”.

The minister also emphasised that the goal of the initiative was to be a project that could be revived as needed in the future rather than a one-time occurrence.

He stated that “if the Ministry of Labour and Social Security provides for a beneficiary a $150, 000 and you have lost your roof, you can now elect, throughout partnership, to put that (money) towards the labour cost and GEM will come in and provide the material and resources that are necessary to give you a new roof.”

He continued: “That is turning the billion into two and three billion. That is what we call real purposeful partnership. But it requires you as beneficiaries to be smart and to be sensible, because you have the responsibility of ensuring that you get into those programmes.”

Charles Jr. shared further that the ministry would continue to partner with GEMs, Food For the Poor and others to “make that $150, 000 have an impact of $600, 000 [and] to make that $400,000 have an impact of a million.”

DISASTER RELIEF MISSIONS

The minister acknowledged also the contributions from the Private Sector of Jamaica (PSOJ), the Jamaica Manufacturers and Exporters Association (JMEA), the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce (JCC), local churches and other individuals and groups who have aided those impacted by Hurricane Beryl and are in need.

“Several of you without any call or beckon from us have come forward and have been providing support in several communities in our country and I want to say thank you to you,” he added.

Deika Morrison, GEM country director said it was the agency’s objective to deliver the most aid, to the greatest number of people in the shortest amount of time and with the least amount of cost to its donors.

“With speed, efficiency and local expertise, GEM has deployed over 355 disaster relief missions in 69 countries and all 50 states,” she said.

In July, a cargo plane carrying relief supplies worth US$150,000 (J$23.4 million) courtesy of GEM arrived in the island.

To date, they have provided support through the distribution of generators, tarpaulins, emergency kits, care packages, and solar lamps to help the communities in St Elizabeth, Manchester, and Clarendon.

More recently, GEM signed on to the National Commercial Bank (NCB) Foundation’s Building A Better Jamaica Fund to deliver roofing solutions, Morrison said.

The foundation aims to raise $300 million for a disaster relief fund to support affected areas. The fund will be established with an initial pledge of $20 million from NCB. All donations received will then be matched by NCB up to a maximum of $150 million.

“We’ve been in discussions with the ministry, based on a model that we have had in The Bahamas following the 2019 experience with [Hurricane] Dorian...where GEM partnered with the Government of Bahamas to work on medium and light roof repairs for hundreds of Bahamians. We look forward to working together with the government and the respective ministries...and social partners to rebuild Jamaica in a more resilient manner,” she said.

EMERGENCY TELECOMMUNICATIONS CLUSTER

According to Dennis Zulu, the United Nations (UN) resident coordinator, a cash distribution from a multi-donor pool which includes contributions of up to $3 million from the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom is expected to commence in the upcoming weeks.

He stated that this is in addition to the funding to be provided by the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund.

Zulu also noted that the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) has procured and contributed 30 generators to support the government of Jamaica’s ongoing emergency response. Additionally, warehouse infrastructure including a forklift will be procured based on a request made from the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM).

Zulu said further that the WFP established an emergency telecommunications cluster in reaction to the power outages in the impacted communities in order to manage Wi-Fi distributions and provide internet connectivity services for affected individuals and humanitarian responders.

“Coordination with the MLSS [and] the PSOJ is ongoing and (there) is an emphasis on expediting interventions, particularly roof repairs as we approach the peak hurricane season in September,” he said.

Zulu stated that in addition, other UN agencies working in Jamaica, such as UN Women, Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO), World Health Organisation (WHO), United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), and European Federation of Psychologists’ Associations (EFPA), are implementing a variety of initiatives to help the people of Jamaica recover from Hurricane Beryl.