OEDD Delivers Emergency Relief to Jamaica After Hurricane Melissa
the team at the Organization for Economic Development and Diplomacy (OEDD), through our Diplomatic Horizons Mock Embassy, had the responsibility of delivering emergency relief to some of the hardest-hit communities in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa.
Over three days in Westmoreland, we delivered donations directly to the Paediatric Ward at Sav-La-Mar Hospital, where the scale of the crisis was immediately clear. Nurses, doctors, and patients are facing the same realities as the surrounding communities: displacement, shortages of food and clean water, and growing mental health challenges brought on by the devastation.
The damage to Jamaica’s educational institutions has been especially painful. Manning’s High School, a nearly 200-year-old institution that has produced generations of engineers, doctors, economists, and legal scholars, was severely impacted. The destruction of Coke’s View Primary School and Maud McLeod High School, both central to the local education system, has left entire communities without access to formal schooling.
When schools close, children lose more than classrooms. They lose access to daily meals, stability, and safety. The interruption of school feeding programs has left many families facing hunger alongside the loss of homes and livelihoods.
We also traveled to Water Works, Darliston, and Bigwoods, remote communities that had not yet received formal aid. In these areas, we witnessed the strength of Jamaica’s people as families and neighbors worked together to clear debris, share food, and begin rebuilding.
OEDD extends our sincere thanks to the Jamaican Consulate in Toronto and Consul General Kurt Davis for working closely with us to ensure that all relief items were cleared duty-free, allowing aid to move quickly to those in need.
We are also deeply grateful to Air Canada, including Manager Beverly and her team in Toronto for handling 14 oversized relief bags on Flight 983, and to Manager Karen in Montego Bay for assisting in locating delayed baggage on arrival.
Thank you to Walmart Canada for providing the durable bags that made this delivery possible, and to the businesses and residents of Windsor-Essex County whose donations and support ensured that essential supplies reached the people who needed them most.
Now more than ever, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals must be activated to Build Back Better for the people of Jamaica.
OEDD remains committed to standing with communities affected by climate-driven disasters and supporting long-term recovery through resilience, diplomacy, and sustainable development.
