This Call for Expressions of Interest (CFEI) is issued to Jamaica-based Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) that are well placed to render and implement a large-scale in-kind food distribution in response to national shocks, including but not limited to tropical cyclones and earthquakes. seeking support from one or more organisation with capacity and expertise to provide support for some or all of the following output areas.

Sectors and Areas of Specialization

• Food Security
  • Cash assistance
  • Food assistance

Expected Outcomes

• Crisis-affected populations in Jamaica are able to meet their food, nutrition and other essential needs during and in the aftermath of shocks:
  • Improved access to food and essential needs for disaster-affected households
  • Strengthened national response by coordinating with national and humanitarian response efforts
  • Enhanced accountability to communities through effective engagement and feedback mechanisms to ensure people are able to meet essential needs
• Affected populations receive cash-based transfers or in-kind food assistance in order to meet essential needs, protect livelihoods, and preserve their nutrition status:
  • Registration and verification of disaster-affected individuals
  • Distribution of emergency in-kind food assistance
  • Community sensitisation and public information campaigns
  • Post-distribution monitoring and continuous learning mechanisms
  • Data collection – data on people in need
  • Logistics

Geographic Location

• Jamaica
  • Saint Ann

Eligibility Criteria

• General Competencies:
  • The Cooperating Partner must have at least seven (7) years’ experience delivering in-kind food assistance to disaster-affected individuals.
  • The Partner must have the capacity to deliver assistance to 15,000 beneficiaries from 5000 households.
• Technical Competencies
  • Support in-kind distribution efforts during emergencies, including extreme weather events and climate-induced disasters. This may involve rapidly deploying personnel, setting up emergency distribution sites, and coordinating with government agencies and humanitarian partners to ensure timely and efficient assistance to affected populations.
  • Conduct the registration and verification of households in the aftermath of a disaster. This may involve using various communication and digital data collection tools, with methods including phone or face-to-face interviews at designated registration points or home visits. As a last resort, paper-based data collection methods may be utilised.
  • Conduct sensitisation sessions to inform the recipients about the distribution process and available support, ensuring the sessions are adapted to the local context and beneficiary needs for better accessibility.
  • Establish a community feedback mechanism to collect and address queries and concerns from both beneficiaries and non-beneficiaries and provide timely reports to WFP. Use multiple communication channels (e.g., hotlines, messaging services and community meetings, etc.) and onboard additional staff as needed.
  • Along with the MLSS, as needed, coordinate the distribution of food commodities for provision of in-kind food assistance for emergency response, with overall coordination and management of logistics for distribution to affected populations; implement assistance in coordination with local authorities and other humanitarian actors.
  • Have the capacity to:
    • Support WFP in implementing an initial response to a sudden onset disaster with food baskets covering the needs of disaster-affected populations for 10 days
    • Deliver WFP-procured food baskets
    • Dispatch food kits from Kingston to relevant parishes island-wide
  • Enable last-mile delivery and support such as deployment of mobile teams or partnerships with local organisations to assist beneficiaries who face challenges in accessing distribution points, such as elderly individuals, persons with disabilities, or those in remote-rural areas.
  • Bolster coordination and strengthen collaboration with local authorities, humanitarian partners, MLSS, ODPEM, and other key stakeholders to align response efforts, avoid duplication, and maximise resource efficiency. Regular coordination meetings and data-sharing agreements will ensure a harmonised approach to beneficiary targeting, assistance delivery, and post-distribution assessments.

For more information, visit UN Partner Portal.