World Humanitarian Day: Christos Ministries Builds Brighter Futures in Jamaica

COCONUT CREEK, Fla. (Aug. 19, 2026) – For Mervyn Levy, working as president of Christos Ministries is a way to serve others. It’s a philosophy he learned by observing his late mother, Thora Levy, co-founder of the organization he now leads.

“Her legacy is leading by example – she showed what serving others can look like and why it’s important,” he said of his mother, who passed away in 2024. “It’s not about any one of us individually. It’s about the need and what we can do to help satisfy that need.”

Thora Levy and a group of friends founded Christos Ministries in 1999 to support projects that reflected their Christian faith and helped others.

Based in North Carolina, Christos Ministries serves those in need by building schools in Jamaica in partnership with Food For the Poor (FFTP). The organization has built eight infant/early childhood schools for children, and a ninth school is under expansion. In addition, Christos Ministries has provided more than $50,000 for various scholarships in Jamaica and the United States.

“Education doesn’t guarantee success, but it gives children a chance to pursue opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach,” Mervyn said. “In Jamaica, where opportunities can be limited, education provides a foundation for a brighter future – that’s why it was so important to my mother to give children a greater chance of success by supporting their education whenever possible.”

Thora Levy’s legacy of commitment to education and service exemplifies the spirit of World Humanitarian Day, observed by the United Nations on August 19, as a recognition of people helping people in times of crisis. For Christos Ministries, that means helping children avoid a life of crisis through education – building schools, providing supplies, backpacks, computers, and more.

“This is a mission, not a charity, so we don’t just build a school and step away,” Mervyn said. “We stay connected with the principals and the administrators and reach out to them throughout the year to find out what their needs are.”

Born in Jamaica, Mervyn moved with his family to the United States when he was 6. By the time he was an adult with a family of his own, his mother had established Christos Ministries after retiring from a career as a human resources executive. She later invited him to join the organization and eventually named him as her successor as president.

Over the years, Mervyn has come to appreciate the profound impact each school Christos Ministries has built can have on students and their teachers. Previously children attended class in rundown dilapidated buildings, outdoors under a tree, or on the porch of someone’s home.

“Now they have a safe place to go, a structure that has desks, bathroom facilities with running water, and a kitchen, so they can concentrate on their education,” he said. “My passion is also the educators and the administrators. They have dedicated their lives to educating small children, and providing these professionals with a place where they can do their best work is also very important to me.”

Beyond seeing the finished product and understanding its impact, Mervyn is always moved by a song titled “I Am A Promise,” that the children sing whenever he and the Christos Ministries team visit a school.

“No matter where we go, the children always sing it, and it always brings me to tears,” he said. “They may not fully understand the words, but they sing it with passion, and we see in them the potential of what they can become. We are here to do the work, to provide them with something that will bear fruit sometime in the future, and it’s that potential, that promise that drives us.”

About Food For The Poor

Food For The Poor, one of the largest international relief and development organizations in the United States, is committed to facilitating paths out of poverty and transforming lives. As an interdenominational Christian ministry, we help families across Latin America and the Caribbean. Our efforts span urgent humanitarian relief and long-term development – from emergency aid and hunger alleviation to education, housing, and economic empowerment. We follow a distinctive approach that integrates faith, multi-sector strategies, and trusted partnerships. Whenever possible, we strive to work at the community level, partnering with local leaders and residents to co-create sustainable solutions that address the multi-dimensional nature of poverty. For more information, please visit foodforthepoor.org.

Ernestine Williams
Communications
305-321-7342
[email protected]