When Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on October 28, 2025, it left homes damaged, roads blocked and families facing severe financial hardship. For students in some of the worst hit western communities, the disaster added another burden as families struggled to meet the costs of education. Nearly a year later, Usain Bolt is stepping in to help with his foundation committing nearly J$10 million to support students.

The Usain Bolt Foundation has committed J$9.7 million to assist more than 100 students from Trelawny, St James, Hanover, Westmoreland and St Elizabeth. This came after students successfully completed their Primary Exit Profile examinations and are set to receive help with school fees and other expenses throughout the 2026/27 academic year.

A major portion of the funding will go directly to eight high schools, with J$1 million allocated to each school. Guidance counsellors will determine which students are most in need of the financial support. In St Elizabeth, St Elizabeth Technical High School and Maggoty High School will receive the funding, while Godfrey Stewart High School and Petersfield High School will benefit in Westmoreland.

In Hanover, the grants will go to Green Island High School and Merlene Ottey High School, while Green Pond High School and Maldon High School will receive support in St James. While the support is being spread across several western Jamaican communities, one part of the donation has a particularly personal connection to Bolt.

Waldensia Primary School in Trelawny, Bolt’s alma mater, is also receiving assistance. Seventeen PEP students from the school will each receive J$100,000, giving them a combined J$1.7 million in grants.

The education initiative is part of the wider work of the Usain Bolt Foundation, which Bolt established in 2010. The organisation focuses on supporting children and young people through education, sports and cultural programmes. 

Bolt, meanwhile, said he was happy to be in a position to meaningfully touch the lives of the students, particularly given the impact of Hurricane Melissa on their families and communities. While the latest assistance is being provided through the Usain Bolt Foundation, Bolt has also stepped in personally to help Jamaicans in need.

Usain Bolt has always been there for Jamaicans

In January 2018, a fire at Walker’s Place of Safety in St Andrew killed two children and displaced 34 others. The tragedy prompted the Usain Bolt Foundation to donate J$1 million to help the affected children.

Bolt personally attended the handover and spoke about his desire to support children facing difficult circumstances. He also encouraged other Jamaicans and businesses to step forward and help vulnerable children. The following year, Bolt personally stepped in to help another Jamaican family after a fire destroyed their home.

In July 2019, a blaze destroyed the two-bedroom house of Sean Sutherland and his family in Ellerslie Pen, St Catherine. The family lost their belongings, including items they had purchased for their two children ahead of the new school year. Bolt partnered with Food For The Poor Jamaica and RE/MAX Elite to rebuild the family’s home. The project cost US$7,600, with Jamaica Observer reporting that Bolt personally contributed US$3,800, half of the total cost, while Food For The Poor matched his contribution.

Bolt also went to the construction site and helped with the finishing work alongside former Jamaica footballers Ricardo “Bibi” Gardner and Ian “Pepe” Goodison. Explaining why he got involved, Bolt said, “I always try to help in any way that I can to give back.” He also said he immediately volunteered when Food For The Poor and RE/MAX approached him about the project.

Together, these efforts show that Bolt’s support has come both through his foundation and, in some cases, directly from him.