Targeted Cash and Care: 826 Women heading Jamaica’s Most Vulnerable Families in Manchester supported by UN Women after Hurricane Melissa
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UN Women Multi-Country Office - Caribbean reached the entire group of households bearing the heaviest care burdens after Hurricane Melissa - supporting 826 women and their families with targeted cash injections. This was a key point of the UN Women after action review of its response to Hurricane Melissa impact in Jamaica.
UN Women focused its attention on the women who had the greatest family responsibilities with children aged 5 years and under, targeting the support to help the women absorb and recover from the impacts of Hurricane Melissa. Through a mechanism provided by UNICEF in Jamaica, UN Women was able to provide the urgent cash support as a top up to the Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH) social protection system.
Grandmothers ensuring their dependents needs are met (grandchildren and elderly relatives including those living with disabilities), pivoting to new income streams after loss of crops and livestock, and rebuilding their homes and lives while recovering from the devastating impact of Hurricane Melissa. These were the stories of women in Manchester parish in Jamaica.
“It helped me a lot, because I have my grandchildren, it fund them to go back to school, buy books and uniforms. The house top did gone but we got zinc and we put it back”, said one grandmother of four.
One young mother said she used the funds to buy fertilizer and made the switch to quick crops as her banana trees were lost. The price of fertilizer had also increased “but I need my crops… To be honest I would like to own my own parlour”, she shared is her dream.
The UN Women Deputy Representative and Head of Office ad interim said a mission visit to Manchester allowed her and her team to hear firsthand what were the immediate needs the families attended to.
Ms. Iyahen said while, “I have seen measurable and positive impact on the ground through our support post Melissa in Jamaica, there is the need to maintain a long-term view and keep in mind that we are working towards resilience of these communities and the people of Jamaica”.
Building gender-responsive resilience before and after disasters - Manchester Parish, Jamaica: