AHF Contributes $300,000 USD to Jamaica’s Hurricane Melissa Relief Efforts
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
International Day of the Girl 2025: Healthy and empowered girls, stronger communities
It’s time to put girls at the center as future leaders and call on society to ensure respect, safe environments, and real opportunities for them to grow up with health, education, and freedom.
AHF Jamaica Condemns Current State of Crime & Violence Against Children
June 22, 2023 – AHF Jamaica is deeply concerned about the level of violence currently plaguing Jamaican children. Globally, the highest number of homicide levels among children and adolescents are found in Latin America and the Caribbean with Jamaica ranking 4th in the world. Thousands of children across the island have fallen prey to an environment that is saturated with high levels of crime and violence. Statistics indicate an alarming degree to which children are being victimized in our nation through gun violence which is widespread. “Eight in 10 Jamaican children are regularly subjected to violent discipline methods at home, which includes psychological as well as physical violence. About 65 per cent of children in schools say that they have been bullied, and close to 80 per cent say they witness violence in their communities and in their homes” (The Gleaner, 2022). According to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), an average of 47 children are murdered annually, and 150 children, on average, have been victims of shootings over the last five years. These statistics are not only disheartening but are a direct representation of the psychosocial climate we currently live in. According to Dr. Kevin Harvey, Caribbean Regional Director for AHF and Head of the School of Public Health and Health Technology at Utech, “Children have a right to protection from all forms of crime and violence, in all settings. They are entitled to grow up in an environment free from harm in the name of discipline, free from being bullied at school, without being assaulted or raped by predators, and without suffering injury or death by any violent means. Children deserve to reach their full potential and that is the responsibility of us all to ensure that it happens”. Our nation has been rocked by the loss of Danielle Rowe, and as we stand in solidarity with her family we must encourage our people and our leaders to reset our approaches towards fostering the holistic development of our children and expunging crime and violence from our communities with a collective commitment and proactive investments says Harvey. On June 23, 2023, we continue to mourn the loss of Danielle and other children who have fallen victim to crime and violence within our nation. As a country, we must do better to protect our children and start moving away from the “a nuh my pickney” approach. In addressing the challenge of our children’s safety, AHF Jamaica has partnered with the relevant agencies responsible for child care and protection to provide programmatic and financial support in an effort to strengthen their services and reach. Additionally, AHF has launched a campaign entitled “I am somebody” which is geared towards highlighting the violence and abuse our children face within society. A video presentation was created and circulated with credits to Mr. Horace M. Bryant and Ms. Jahnice Solomon, this can be viewed using the link attached. This is a part of our consistent efforts to bridge the gap between social and economic determinants and their impact on our children’s mental and physical health. However, the organization acknowledges that greater support is needed to combat this epidemic. The implications of early exposure to crime and violence have proven to have adverse effects on adult criminality, delinquent acts, drug and alcohol abuse, academic performance, and behavioral, psychological, and, physical challenges. We at AHF Jamaica, call for more action and greater investments to end violence against children this is in alignment with our National Plan of Action for an Integrated Approach to Children and Violence; that way it ensures their healthy growth and future development later in life.