HANOVER, Jamaica — A significant recovery initiative has provided substantial economic and humanitarian support to women-led businesses and families devastated by Hurricane Melissa. The Youth for Development Network (YFDN), in collaboration with the Think Human Fund, distributed recovery grants and essential supplies totaling over $630,000 Jamaican dollars to bolster community resilience.
The comprehensive support package targeted female entrepreneurs operating businesses critical to community welfare, including wellness product vendors, natural juice producers, and suppliers of personal care items. Beyond direct financial injections, the program delivered immediate relief through care packages containing food, drinking water, and essential household supplies to affected families and children.
André Wilson, Founder and Executive Director of YFDN, characterized the effort as transformative: “This represents more than a simple handover—it’s a genuine hand-up. Through supporting women-led enterprises and addressing urgent family necessities, we’re facilitating comprehensive community recovery on both economic and emotional fronts.”
The innovative “Gifts That Give Back” model creates a dual-impact ecosystem: women entrepreneurs receive crucial business restart support through income and inventory assistance, while vulnerable families simultaneously obtain essential goods and services from these same local businesses.
This initiative operates within YFDN’s Valuing Our Women (VOW) program framework, which positions women’s economic empowerment as fundamental to community disaster resilience. The undertaking received additional support from The Syensqo Fund, the Hanover Chamber of Commerce, and various community partners.