FIRSTCARIBBEAN’S Comtrust Foundation has committed a total $5.6million to victims of Hurricane Dean in Jamaica. Eleven individuals and organisations, including two high schools damaged by Hurricane Dean last year, have so far accepted donations totalling $4.4 M.

The schools – Hampton High School for girls and Munro College, both in St Elizabeth – received $1.4 M and $355,000 respectively.

Hampton suffered major damage estimated at $30M while Munro suffered damage to its main library.

The Jamaica Association on Mental Retardation, Elleston Flat, St Andrew, also received $1.4 M to assist with the repair of their roof, fence and drains.

Other recipients were:

. Judy Mowatt Outreach Ministries which is providing zinc and nails, groceries and children’s clothing for citizens of Bath, St Thomas and its environs;

. Power of Faith Ministries which has been raising funds to replace the roof and repair structural damage to the Power of Faith Basic School, Waterford , St Catherine;

. Charlotte Home for Children, Albion, Montego Bay, which lost its roof in the hurricane;

. Shirley Lee Pryce of the Jamaica Household Helpers Association who lost her roof and personal possessions;

. Yallahs Seventh Day Adventist Church which established a Hurricane Dean relief fund to assist several parishioners in their recovery efforts;

. Clarendon Association for Street People -a rehabilitation project for street people, to replace equipment and mattresses damaged in the hurricane;

. Children & Community for Change, to repair the roof of their head office and

. Is There Not A Cause (ITNAC), a Trinidad-based registered non-profit, charitable organisation of volunteer doctors, nurses, technicians, manual labourers, administrators, carpenters and general helpers which does relief work throughout the region and began assisting the community of Rose Town one month after Hurricane Dean.

In making the presentation of the cheques, FirstCaribbean Managing Director, Milton Brady noted that the bank gave similar assistance to victims of Hurricane Ivan which caused major damage in Jamaica in 2004.

Pointing to the bank’s commitment to donate one per cent of pre tax profit annually to community projects in keeping with their brand promise “Enriching Communities, Together”, Brady said that in offering Hurricane Dean relief, Comtrust has specifically focused on youth, the disadvantaged and the elderly.