KINGSTON, Jamaica—The Jamaican government has unveiled a substantial financial assistance program for religious institutions devastated by Hurricane Melissa last October. Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie confirmed that 419 churches will receive restoration grants in April through the government’s Community Church Clean-Up and Restoration Initiative.
The announcement came during McKenzie’s keynote address at the Kingston and St Andrew Governance Conference, held Wednesday at the Jamaica Conference Centre. The minister revealed that approximately 6,000 churches across Jamaica suffered damage during the hurricane’s passage, prompting extensive damage assessments through the Social Development Commission (SDC).
The $75 million initiative forms a critical component of the broader post-Hurricane Melissa National Clean-Up Programme. Assessment teams evaluated religious institutions across the most severely affected parishes with support from municipal corporations and community organizations. The SDC received applications from churches in St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, St James, Trelawny, and Hanover, with the highest concentration from St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, and St James.
Minister McKenzie specified that the formal handover of checks will occur in St Elizabeth, which contains the largest number of impacted churches. The grants target institutions that completed the official assessment, evaluation, and authorization process following the October disaster.
The governance conference, themed ‘Civil Society Organisations (CSO) on a Mission: Reset the Vibe…Build Our Future…Reignite the Fire’, provided the platform for this significant recovery announcement, highlighting the government’s commitment to community infrastructure restoration.