Ministry of Labour & Social Security Press Release - November 27, 2025.
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(L-R) Chief Technical Director (CTD), Ministry of
Labour and Social Security (MLSS), Mrs Audrey Deer-Williams; Director Social Services, MLSS, Ms Suzette Morris, World Food Programme (WFP) Representative for the WFP Caribbean Office, Dana
Saccheti. |
The Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) has intensified its partnership with the World Food Programme (WFP) as Jamaica continues its national response to Hurricane Melissa.
Through this collaboration with the MLSS, WFP proposes to assist 200,000 people over three months with food, cash, logistics, and emergency telecommunications, support which requires expenditure of USD $30 million.
So far through this partnership 24, 500 food kits have been distributed to people across St. Elizabeth, St. James, Trelawny and Westmoreland parishes. Each kit is designed to support a household of three for one week. WFP aims to reach 46,000 people in the coming days as it continues to scale up its efforts.
Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr., noted “the collaboration with the WFP has enhanced the Ministry’s capacity to conduct field assessments and respond rapidly to identify needs. Further, this partnership also supports integration with the Jamaica Household Disaster Impact and Needs Assessment (JHDINA) platform, where 22,340 household assessments have already been completed, ensuring efficient data-driven decision-making.
Additionally, this strategic collaboration with the WFP has facilitated the review of the MLSS’ existing Community Feedback Mechanism for individuals affected by Hurricane Melissa, with a particular focus on identifying challenges and recommending targeted improvements.
For further information, contact: Ms. Rochelle Mitchell – Chief Execution Officer, Office of the Minister, Minister of Labour and Social Security, Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. MP, JP| 876-278-5115
By supporting these enhancements, WFP is helping to strengthen government-led systems for accountability and responsiveness—ensuring that assistance is delivered efficiently, transparently, and to those who need it most. Through this partnership critical assets have been delivered to enable emergency operations, including trucks, generators, forklifts, storage units, pallets, and sector-specific equipment.
To strengthen fit for purpose support and build on-the-ground response capacity, WFP established seven emergency staging areas in strategic locations such as Montego Bay, Kingston, and Black River, ensuring rapid deployment and distribution of relief items to affected communities.
Representative for the WFP Caribbean Office, Brian Bogart commented on the WFPs role in supporting the GOJ’s Humanitarian response to Hurricane Melissa said, “WFP has been fully committed to supporting the national emergency response – even before Hurricane Melissa made landfall. Our work is embedded within the national system, ensuring that multilateral support is aligned with Government of Jamaica priorities and through our efforts today we aim to contribute to strengthening disaster response capabilities for future emergencies. To date, WFP has provided emergency food kits to more than 35,000 vulnerable people across the most heavily impacted parishes with plans to double the number of people reached over the coming days.”
The MLSS has delivered some 59,320 food packages across multiple parishes, supported by WFP’s expertise in logistics, supply chain strengthening, and digital assessment tools. WFP continues to assist Jamaica in improving real-time data collection and humanitarian delivery mechanisms. Coordinated relief efforts involving the World Food Programme (WFP), the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS), and the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) are ongoing and successfully provide essential supplies to residents across several affected communities.
The MLSS and WFP remain committed to coordinated national recovery efforts following Hurricane Melissa.
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