KINGSTON, JAMAICA (November 5, 2025) In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s unrelenting destruction, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world’s largest non-profit public health organisation, has pledged $300,000 USD toward Jamaica’s ongoing hurricane relief and recovery efforts.
The commitment begins with an initial shipment valued at US$300,000, delivering vital supplies to the communities that bore the brunt of the Category 5 storm. The shipment, containing generators, tarps, water purification tablets, medical equipment, food kits, and hygiene and sanitary products is being distributed through the Western Regional Health Authority (WRHA) and Southern Regional Health Authority (SRHA) to ensure that relief reaches where it is needed most.
Today, November 5, AHF Jamaica officially handed over a 40-foot container of supplies to the WRHA, which serves the western parishes hardest hit by Melissa, Hanover, Westmoreland and St. Elizabeth. While tomorrow, November 6, the next phase of distribution will continue in the southern region, through the SRHA, benefitting Manchester and Clarendon.
“Our initial shipment is just the first step in a broader recovery effort,” said Dr. Kevin Harvey, Deputy Bureau Chief of Latin America and the Caribbean. “AHF remains deeply committed to working alongside our government and regional partners to restore healthcare infrastructure, strengthen resilience, and ensure that Jamaica emerges from this tragedy stronger, safer, and better prepared for the future.”
Among the beneficiaries of AHF’s relief drive is the University of Technology, Jamaica Western Campus, nestled in Montego Bay, where students and staff are receiving essential supplies to restore stability after the storm. AHF has also pledged assistance to the correctional facility in Manchester, which sustained heavy damage during Melissa’s passage.
Yet this is only the beginning; future shipments will include large tents to serve as makeshift clinics, temporary treatment spaces, and safe holding areas for those displaced, as well as food and water supplies for vulnerable communities still struggling to recover.
“AHF has a robust history of proactively responding to the needs of individuals and communities in need. We are deeply saddened by the recent devastation to so many communities, as a result of Hurricane Melissa,” stated Michael Weinstein, AHF President. “Having supported many disaster relief efforts, we know that the road to rebuilding a community is a long journey. We remain committed to working to provide the critical resources that the Jamaican people will continue to need as they work to recover from this natural and humanitarian disaster.”
AHF’s response is also deeply personal. Across the island, the organisation is supporting its own patients and staff who have been directly affected by Hurricane Melissa, standing firm in our commitment to advocacy and serving the nation.
For nearly four decades, AHF has led with compassion in moments of global need, from mobilising relief after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, to deploying emergency supplies to the Bahamas and Puerto Rico after Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and now, to Jamaica. Each act of aid reaffirms AHF’s enduring belief that public health is not only about medicine, but about humanity, advocacy, and solidarity.
As Jamaica rises from the wreckage of Hurricane Melissa, AHF stands with the nation, committed to relief, recovery and rebuilding.
About AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF)
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is the world’s largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organisation, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 2.6 million individuals across 49 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe.
Since 2011, AHF Jamaica has worked alongside the Ministry of Health and Wellness and local partners to expand access to HIV testing, treatment, and care, while championing public health, equity, and community resilience across the island.
Media Contact
Sannia Sutherland, Country Programme Manager // AHF Jamaica
Email: [email protected] / Tel: 876-218-1317
