Seville donates $500,000 to support farmers after Hurricane Melissa

Jamaica’s 100m world champion Oblique Seville has donated $500,000 to the United Way Jamaica Restoration and Rehabilitation Fund to assist farming communities devastated by Hurricane Melissa, according to Jamaica Observer.

The fund, launched at the Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) office earlier this week with an initial $1.5 million contribution from the lobby group, has already attracted several private sector donors.

United Way also confirmed it received $21 million from its parent body, United Way International, to bolster relief efforts.

The initiative is designed to provide both immediate relief and long-term rehabilitation support, with a particular focus on the agricultural sector.

Seville, 24, whose parents are farmers, said his background made the donation a personal commitment.

‘Agriculture is what I am brought up on. For me, with my parents and everything, it is actually what built me and I see how hard it is to do agriculture. So for me to give back it is something special,’ he said.

The sprinter added that athletes depend on proper nutrition, much of which comes from farming, and expressed pride in giving back to the country.