Cambridge gets a refreshing taste of Operation GRACE

WESTERN BUREAU:

Residents of Cambridge and surrounding communities in St James, many of whom are still reeling from the impact of Hurricane Melissa, recently got some much-needed infrastructural, medical and psychosocial support last Saturday, thanks to the Northgate Youth and Family Development Foundation’s (NYFDF) Operation Grace initiative.

Approximately 124 families benefited from Operation GRACE (Gifts, Relief, Access, Care, and Engagement), which saw the NYFDF volunteers working alongside the local medical team from the Cambridge Health Centre to provide counselling and comfort to the residents.

Tanesha Scott, one of the residents who benefited from the initiative, told The Gleaner that she was glad for the outreach initiative, especially because citizens of Cambridge got very assistance in the early days following Melissa’s devastation.

“The workers with Operation GRACE were at the health centre, and many people were able to get their health checks and medication, and some people were able to get some clothes and food also,” said Scott. “The volunteers came by my home to see my present situation, to do some measurements and so forth, and they also did that for some other people, and they are coming back again to assist in whatever way they can.”

Scott, who has been sheltering her mother and two neighbours despite partially losing the roof of her house, said the days after the storm were quite challenging.

“After the storm, we were trapped here and could not come out for days, because when some persons came to Cambridge to assist, they stayed on the main road, and nobody turned off into the lanes. Our road had rivers high in it, so we could not even cross it to come out and get food,” said Scott. “I am happy that these people are here to give us assistance, and I really appreciate it.”

SOFT LAUNCH

The NYFDF, a local charity, which has operated in Jamaica since 2008, had previously held a soft launch of Operation GRACE via the online Zoom platform on February 26.

Over the NYFDF’s planned six-month period of ministry to the Cambridge area, the group plans to concentrate on specific outreach avenues each month. These include male-focused counselling and assistance for farmers, as well as addressing digital poverty, or the lack of connectivity arising from Hurricane Melissa’s damage in the area.

NYFDF Chairman Wesley Boynes told The Gleaner that, based on his team’s assessment during Saturday’s activities, people who endured Hurricane Melissa need avenues to express their concerns coming out of that experience.

“A lot of people of all ages are still traumatised from the hurricane. I met some older folks who have been through many hurricanes, but they said this one was different, and it had a really terrible impact on them. We did a lot of counselling and spent time reassuring the people, and what we found is that, for a lot of them, other groups came and gave them care-packages in the past, but nobody listened to their stories, so the whole mental health aspect is being ignored in many instances,” said Boynes.

“We have designed our outreach in a way, where we are going to come with care-packages and assist persons, but we are going to spend about six months in the community, going into the area at least once a month, and we will be working with different groups and listening to the people. A lot of people are saying that they want to be listened to, and to be able to say ‘This is what I’m going through’,” Boynes explained.

christopher.thomas@gleanerjm.com