Sandals Foundation leads $214-million Hurricane Melissa school restoration

A Sandals Foundation-led restoration of schools across Jamaica’s western and northern parishes affected by Hurricane Melissa is being described as a rebirth.

Valued at just over $214 million, the works have given students a fresh start to the 2026/2027 academic year — spanning full structural rebuilds, re-roofing, solar power, and water security upgrades at schools across the affected parishes.

Within hours of Hurricane Melissa’s passage on October 28 Sandals Foundation mobilised an immediate response — conducting cleaning and clearing operations at 17 schools across the affected parishes. Drawing on the expertise of local and international partners including Team Rubicon, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mercy Chefs, and Sandals and Beaches Resorts team members, the coordinated effort focused on salvaging resources, pest and rodent control, installing temporary roofing, providing meals, and setting up tents as temporary learning spaces to bring a sense of normalcy to students in the storm’s immediate aftermath.