UN World Food Programme grant worth US$1.085 million to benefit tens of thousands vulnerable Jamaican families

The funding of US$1.085 million will prove to be a life saviour amount for the vulnerable Jamaicans who have been severely impacted by this contagious COVID outbreak. This fund donation has been provided under the United Nations World Food Programme – (WFP). 

This grant will support those Jamaican families who are not recipients of the – “Government’s Programme of Advancement Through Health and Education (PATH)”. The families will receive $5,000 per month. 

Head of Office at WFP – Regis Chapman handover the cheque to the Minister of Labour and Social Security – Karl Samuda, during a media conference which was held at New Kingston offices of the National Insurance Fund – (NIF) on Tuesday. 

Jamaican Minister, while receiving the cheque, stated, “We thank the – WFP for sharing the Government’s commitment to ensuring that the most vulnerable among us are taken care of, adding that this grant will aid Jamaican Government’s efforts to adaptive social protection as the island country proceeds to implement the Jamaica Social Protection Strategy 2014. 

He further highlighted that more than 11,300 vulnerable Jamaican families had been benefitted from food kits, which were distributed in the month of July and August 2021, adding, “The packages included – rice, oats, pasta, salt, cooking oil and black beans and helped with supplementing the food needs of the recipients & relieved some of the hardships brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic”. 

With this, the Minister appreciated the efforts of WFP and thanked the organisation on behalf of the Jamaican Government and its citizens. He added that WFP has also donated forty tablets to the Labour Ministry to facilitate the automation of its data collection in the field. 

“On behalf of the government and people of Jamaica, I would like to express the sincerest gratitude to the WFP & look forward to a productive partnership in the future,” he cited.