As schools and students continue moving forward after the impact of Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica, UNESCO continues to support them along the way.
On 15 September 2026, the UNESCO Office for the Caribbean with the Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network visited four schools in St. Elizabeth, a parish located in the southwestern region of Jamaica, to hand over textbooks, storybooks and school supplies,
This marks the closing of #ExamReady, a youth-led Hurricane Melissa recovery project supported by UNESCO, aimed to support students preparing for Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations while also strengthening access to educational resources within schools and communities.
The initiative combined targeted academic support with concrete actions to help address broader educational resource gaps affecting students.
The visit brought a meaningful full-circle moment at St. Elizabeth Technical High School (STETHS) and Maggotty High School, where students who had participated in tutoring sessions earlier this year proudly shared their exam results.
I want to give my thanks for the help and support provided. Me and my family are overjoyed in light of these results and I’d be lying if I said the program didn’t help me. I would recommend you all a thousand times over the way how my gratitude has stretched as I am full of thankfulness. Love to the team!
Marcolet Wiliams, STETHS student
Students were also back in restored learning spaces, beginning the new school year with a fresh start.
The handover continued at Siloah Primary School and Mayfield Primary & Infant School, where the children were very excited about the books, full of questions and curiosity.
UNESCO hopes these handed over resources will keep that curiosity growing and support their learning throughout the school year.
At its heart, the project showed the role young people can play in recovery when they are supported to act on the needs they see in their own communities.
It has been incredible to see what young people can do when given the space to lead. Young people can be part of solving the challenges in our communities and creating the change we want to see, especially when we have the support of committed stakeholders. We are deeply grateful to UNESCO for believing in our vision and supporting us throughout this project. We hope this project encourages others to see what is possible when young people are trusted to solve community issues.
