Basil Jarrett | World Children’s Day and a broken Jamaica

IF YOU grew up in the ‘90s, you remember them. Those heart-breaking UNICEF ads that just seemed to ambush your conscience as you settled in for some mindless Fresh Prince of Belair or WWE Smackdown. The slow pan across a dusty village, the sad, straining violin weeping in the background, and the tearful wide eyes of little Elian as he peered through the TV, reached into the very depth of your soul, and dared you to not find the one dollar a day it takes to provide clean water for him and his entire village.

Those ads arrested your senses. They were emotional booby traps that forced you to admit that, despite your complaints about traffic, the price of gas and the Reggae Boyz, you lived quite a privileged life.

Fast-forward to October 2025 and Jamaica finds itself at the centre stage of the greatest humanitarian crisis in its modern history, one which, as with all disasters of this magnitude, ultimately plunges children and other vulnerable groups into a unique crisis of their own.

NOT A TV COMMERCIAL

As Hurricane Melissa ripped through St Elizabeth, Westmoreland, Hanover, St James and Trelawny, it left thousands of children and their caregivers in the kind of limbo we once only saw in those commercials on cable. Except, this time, the children aren’t “over there”. They’re ours and they’re right here in our backyard.

Like little Jordan in Westmoreland who has Type 1 diabetes and faced the grim challenge of keeping his insulin safe and cold without a refrigerator, much less electricity, after Melissa. Not quite the same as little Elian peering through the screen of your old big-back TV, but Jordan’s story went viral, touching countless hearts across social media. Thanks to UNICEF highlighting how the storm had upended his life, generous donors and philanthropists have since stepped forward, providing essential items to help keep his insulin safe and ensure he can manage his condition.

Jordan’s story is a powerful reminder of how children continue to persevere and how communities can come together to support them, even in the wake of disaster. It’s also a reminder of the critical role that UNICEF is playing in supporting recovery in child education and child protection, as well as the provision of clean water and sanitation for our most vulnerable citizens.

LITTLE BOOTS ON THE GROUND

UNICEF’s mandate is to advocate for the protection of children’s rights, help meet their basic needs, and expand their opportunities to reach their full potential. In the context of Hurricane Melissa, this means ensuring special protection for the most disadvantaged children, especially those with disabilities. As such, the agency has been one of the most visible and impactful entities on the ground.

Drawing on its global emergency expertise and strong local partnerships, UNICEF has delivered more than 47 tonnes of relief supplies to support the relief and recovery effort which began three weeks ago. Through a pop-up health clinic in Darliston, one of the hardest-hit communities in Westmoreland, the agency has supported the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MOHW) with tools to support malnutrition screening for over 15,000 children, and delivered micronutrient supplements to more than 10,000 kids and 3,600 pregnant women. The agency has also delivered mental health and psychosocial support to another 900 children, among them more than 300 in state care.

In coordination with the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the MOHW, Food For The Poor, the Jamaica Defence Force and other partners, UNICEF has delivered collapsible water tanks, hygiene kits, safe drinking water, learning materials, and emergency shelter items such as high-performance tents and tarpaulins, to needy youngsters and their families.

BRINGING LEARNING BACK

In the aftermath of the hurricane, life-saving and life-sustaining activities have been the agency’s key priorities. But Olga Isaza, UNICEF’s Jamaica representative, says that getting back to school is also high on the agenda.

“Even as we attend to our children’s most pressing needs”, she says, “we are also focused on establishing child-friendly spaces to get kids back in school as quickly as possible. Our box kits and early childhood kits are helping to ensure that children continue to learn amidst the tragedy. Like us, they are positive and optimistic and you could see determination in their eyes as they remind us that Jamaica will build back stronger.”

To that end, UNICEF has provided teaching and learning materials along with up to 100 temporary learning spaces to support around 10,000 children in the most affected areas. Additionally, 1,500 teachers will be trained in the Return to Happiness methodology, a programme that provides psychosocial assistance to approximately 18,000 students and equips them to support their own recovery.

UNICEF is particularly relevant today as the world celebrates World Children’s Day, commemorating the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Child, a regulatory framework that countries are obligated to fulfil, affirming that every child has the opportunity to grow up safe, supported, and heard. As we mark the event, it is clear that UNICEF and its partners are doing their part on the frontlines of that promise.

The question is whether the rest of us – government, private sector, churches, diaspora and ordinary Jamaicans – will match that urgency with our money, our influence and our time.

Or, will we simply change the channel?

Major Basil Jarrett is the director of communications at the Major Organised Crime and Anti-Corruption Agency (MOCA) and crisis communications consultant. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, Threads @IamBasilJarrett and linkedin.com/in/basiljarrett. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com