Solidarity across borders

When Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, devastating western sections of the island, it unleashed not only destruction but a powerful surge of global solidarity.

Within hours of the catastrophe, millions of dollars in aid – cash, supplies, and volunteer labour – were being mobilised worldwide, with the Jamaican Diaspora leading the response.

In Canada, the Jamaican community moved swiftly. High Commissioner Marsha Coore-Lobban and her team helped coordinate relief efforts, supported by long-standing community institutions.

With more than 200,000 Jamaicans living in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), as they have done in other times of calamity, the Jamaican Canadian Association (JCA) in Toronto was integral in the relief efforts.

Founded in 1962, the JCA is one of the GTA’s most prominent non-profit organisations, advocating for and empowering Jamaican, Caribbean, and African-Canadian communities. It also serves as a vital community hub, offering programmes, services, and physical space for gatherings.

Coore-Lobban, who is based in Canada’s capital, Ottawa, told The Gleaner that the JCA once again rose to the occasion.

“It was, ‘How can we help?’ Immediately thereafter, everyone went into mobilisation on how to support. The JCA opened their facility to start collecting items,” Coore-Lobban said. “They also opened an online account and organised a benefit concert, held on November 6, which raised CDN$51,000.”

Support poured in from across the country. Donations of goods arrived not only from the GTA, but from Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Montreal, and Ottawa. Brampton alone became a major drop-off point as Jamaicans and friends of Jamaica contributed supplies for shipment.

Jamaica and Canada have shared a friendly relationship for decades, and hundreds of Jamaicans travel to Canada annually on government and private farm workers programmes.

When Melissa hit Jamaica, several of these breadwinners were on farms across Canada, and they, too, wanted to help their families back home:

“For the farm workers who are here – we have nearly 10,000 – the employers have rallied because again, many of them become like family, so they have filled several containers to help their families rebuild, to get their family homes back up, and so forth,” the high commissioner noted.

And even as goods were coming in by the container loads, Jamaicans across Canada were banking up cash.

“A benefit concert hosted by the tourism authority [recently] raised $2.3 million. The JCA Toronto raised $51,000; Montreal raised $28,000, and $650,000 in online pledges; Ottawa raised $8,000, with employees and their companies also making monetary donations, with more streaming in every day,” Coore-Lobban said.

But the high commissioner noted that in addition to the goods and cash that could be quantified, there were also intangibles.

“There are people who sacrificed manpower hours to sort and pack, to conduct inventory, drive trucks across cities and provinces to ensure we were compliant with shipping rules and Customs regulations” Coore-Lobban said.

And Jamaicans living in Canada are also making their way to the island to offer on-the-ground support.

Some diasporans have also travelled to Jamaica to provide hands-on assistance. This month, a group of 14 to 15 volunteers flew to St James at their own expense to assist with rebuilding efforts.

Working through the Jamaica Tourist Board and in partnership with the National Education Trust, the group is helping to repair three storm-damaged schools identified by the Ministry of Education, with the goal of reopening them for students in January.

Ensuring that aid reached the island required extensive coordination. Companies and organisations, including Atlas Shippers, Sea Freighters, Grace, Air Canada, WestJet, Air Transat, Global Medic, and Food For the Poor Canada, all stepped forward to assist with transportation and logistics.

Coore-Lobban also confirmed that the Canadian government had pledged to match donations of up to CDN$1.5 million made through the Canadian Red Cross, further amplifying the impact of the relief effort.

karen.madden@gleanerjm.com