Attachments
Food and Nutrition Assistance
• In partnership with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, WFP continues to provide critical cash assistance under the Hurricane Melissa Cash Assistance Programme, supporting populations affected by the Category 5 hurricane in October 2025.
• The programme delivers cash support through Western Union, with beneficiaries receiving information and instructions via SMS notifications.
• To date, WFP has issued SMS alerts to 50,238 individuals, reaching 78% of the 64,000-person target and demonstrating strong programme coverage. The operation has continued to scale up steadily, with notable acceleration since late January, surpassing 50,000 individuals assisted by late February 2026.
• 20,644 individuals have redeemed their transfers, with the highest redemption activity in western and north-coast parishes. WFP continues targeted outreach aimed at boosting redemption conversion, particularly in lower-performing parishes.
• WFP continues to work closely with the Government to identify opportunities for complementary interventions. An in-country mission and multi-stakeholder consultations have been completed, and project design is now underway for school meals programming and livelihood activities aimed at strengthening long-term food security among affected populations.
• Under its common services workstream, WFP has fulfilled 281 partner service requests since the start of the emergency, facilitating the movement of 6,643 m³ of relief items, with these free-to-user, on-demand services set to phase out at the end of February 2026.
• Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) measuring 10×8m (33×26 ft) that were originally deployed during the emergency response have been repurposed as temporary classrooms for 12 schools identified by the Ministry of Education, Skills, Youth and Information. With installation support from the Jamaica Defense Force, 10 MSUs have been installed.
• Schools benefiting from these units include Edgehill School of Special Education, Wakefield Primary and Infant, Waldensia Primary and Infant, Hastings Primary and Infant, Salt Marsh Primary and Infant, Hampden Primary and Infant, Unity Primary and Infant, Holland High School (Region 3), Cornwall College, and Herbert Morrison Technical High (Region 4).