KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Jamaica Union Conference (JAMU) of Seventh-day Adventists (SDA), and its humanitarian arm, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Jamaica, have rubbished allegations that they are providing the Government with people’s personal data collected during Hurricane Melissa relief efforts.
There have been claims on social media that information collected by the religious body has been passed on to the state for use in the National Identification System (NIDS).
But at a press conference on Wednesday, treasurer of the JAMU, Pastor Adlai Blythe, said the information collected is strictly for the organisation’s record-keeping.
“Whenever there is a disaster, an initial damage assessment is carried out to determine the extent of loss suffered by individuals and then that information is used to coordinate the relief efforts that are given to those persons who have been affected.