In the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic landfall in October 2025, educational institutions across western Jamaica continue operating in severely compromised conditions. Green Pond High School in Montego Bay stands as a stark example, with Principal Oraine Ebanks describing how every rainfall triggers traumatic memories among students who endure classes under roofless classrooms and water-damaged facilities.
The Category 5 hurricane, packing unprecedented 185 mph winds, devastated school infrastructure across multiple parishes including St. James, Westmoreland, and Hanover. Ebanks recounted extensive losses: ‘We lost our sports facility, perimeter fencing, gazebo, and 50% of our library materials. Electronic equipment was destroyed, and every single area flooded due to failed drainage systems.’
Financial giant Sagicor Group Jamaica has launched a significant intervention through its 28th annual Sigma Corporate Run, targeting $150 million in fundraising for five severely affected schools. The initiative will support reconstruction efforts at Green Pond High, Salt Marsh Primary, Mayfield Primary, Hopewell High, and Little London High.
Sagicor President Christopher Zacca emphasized the ongoing crisis during a Jamaica Observer Monday Exchange: ‘Those in Kingston risk losing sight of the profound challenges still facing western communities. While basic utilities are gradually restoring, thousands of students remain without proper learning environments.’
The human impact extends beyond infrastructure, with Principal Ebanks revealing personal tragedies among staff and students: ‘Most lost their entire houses, and I lost my father during that period.’ Despite these hardships, the catastrophe fostered remarkable community solidarity, with schools from distant parishes like St. Thomas and Clarendon providing cleanup assistance.
Scheduled for February 15, 2026, the 5.5-kilometer run represents one of Jamaica’s largest corporate social responsibility initiatives, having raised over $878 million historically for educational and health-related causes. Corporate Communications VP Nicole Campbell-Robinson framed the mission succinctly: ‘While participant numbers and fundraising targets matter, our most important figure is 3,000 students awaiting restoration of safe learning spaces.’