Ground Force Humanitarian Aid Assisting St. James Communities

Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dr. the Hon. Dana Morris Dixon, expressed appreciation to Ground Force Humanitarian Aid, which has partnered with local authorities to provide vital assistance to communities in St. James affected by Hurricane Melissa.

The initiative includes food distribution and rebuilding homes, helping those hardest hit by the Category Five storm.

“We keep saying that this hurricane affected so many parishes, and in eastern St. James, they have found a lot of communities that [need assistance],” Minister Dixon told JIS News, during a visit to Ground Force Humanitarian Aid’s food-packing site at the Montego Bay Convention Centre on Monday (November 17).

“They can do up to 5,000 of these a day… there are a variety of things in there, from rice, to cereal, to even vegetables,” she said, noting the importance of a balanced nutrition for children in the aftermath of the hurricane.

“Even though we’re in a crisis, it’s important that, as best as possible, whatever food we’re giving to individuals, that they are actually quite balanced in nutrition. We don’t want… suboptimal outcomes in terms of their nutrition, and so this work is absolutely fabulous,” she added.

Meanwhile, as the nation marks National Youth Month in November, Senator Morris Dixon noted that the country’s young people have a key role to play in the national relief effort.

“This year, our theme is ‘Youth Can Build Jamaica’. There’s a lot of work we have to do as part of this effort to get Jamaica back to its former glory and even better, and our young people are an important part of that,” she stated.

President of Ground Force Humanitarian Aid, Rob Gaudet, emphasised the organisation’s commitment to hands-on assistance.

“I want to say thank you for having us here in Jamaica to help. We’re doing things like cleaning up homes and packing food,” he told JIS News.

“One of the things we do well is what we call the last mile… where we look the victims in the eye and we’re providing, if nothing else, a hub or a light,” he pointed out.

Mr. Gaudet said that “this is just the beginning of a multi-month and multi-year recovery effort. So, we can’t forget to come and help our Jamaican friends”.