Chalky Hill residents receive relief, support through VPA community outreach

For many residents of Chalky Hill in St Ann, the recent community outreach activity organised by the Violence Prevention Alliance (VPA) and partners provided both practical relief and reassurance that they had not been forgotten months after the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Hundreds of community members turned out at the Chalky Hill Primary and Infant School to receive care packages, hot meals and medical services, while also participating in psychosocial counselling sessions designed to help residents process the emotional impact of the disaster.

Shanakay Porter, a Chalky Hill resident who attended the outreach, said the initiative was well received by the community.

“I really enjoyed the session because I learned a lot about the body and how to react to different situations,” Porter said after participating in one of the counselling discussions. She added that residents were grateful for the support provided.

“I really appreciate it, and I know other people appreciate it as well.”

A 16-year-old student who attended one of the health education sessions said the discussions offered valuable information for young people.

“I thought it was very insightful, and I learned a lot of things about sexually transmitted infections and how women should take care of themselves,” the student said.

According to VPA representative Andre McNab, who led on the initiative, the outreach was the final in a series of disaster relief activities organised by the Alliance following the hurricane.

“This is the last of our disaster relief efforts for these communities. While they [Chalky Hill] may not have received the full blunt force of the hurricane, they were still impacted and needed additional support,” McNab explained.

He applauded Sakura Express who partnered with the VPA at all the outreach efforts including Chalky Hill, where they provided 600 hot meals for residents.

“The residents showed their appreciation, and particularly for the psychosocial services, many of the men were asking if we could return more frequently because they don’t often have spaces where they can talk about what is bothering them,” McNab said of the reasoning session done with the men of the community.

AFFECTED BY HURRICANE MELISSA

Guidance counsellor at Chalky Hill Primary and Infant School, Patricia Pottinger-Bailey, said the community had been affected by the hurricane, especially because of its hillside location, which exposed homes to strong winds.

“Many persons lost their roofs and are still trying to put the pieces together,” she said. “A number of residents work in the tourism and hospitality sector, and some have been laid off, so from various angles they really need the assistance.”

She said the community was grateful for the outreach effort.

“They are excited and really appreciative because you don’t have many organisations coming into the community and assisting on this scale,” Pottinger-Bailey said. “When groups like VPA show up like this, it sends a positive message that people do care.”

The Chalky Hill activity marked the fourth and final community outreach initiative organised by the VPA in response to Hurricane Melissa. Similar activities were previously held in communities across Westmoreland, Clarendon and St Elizabeth.

While the disaster relief phase has concluded, McNab said the organisation intends to remain engaged in the community.

“We will still be doing workshops related to psychosocial services and behaviour change, especially for men, so we will be back in the community,” he said.

The outreach activity was also supported by partners, Luminary Health Medical Centre and Oxfam Canada.