KW Jamaica Cares is an organization that has been helping communities in Jamaica for the past 8 years. After experiencing the catastrophic Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, we are compelled to assist our agents, families and wider community to rebuild from this traumatic experience. This has been the worst hurricane to ever make landfall in the entire Caribbean. In the words of one of our Government Ministers, the place looks like it has been hit by a nuclear bomb.

That is not an exaggeration — entire communities have been cut off from the rest of the island. What once was a 15-minute drive now takes 5 hours, if the roads even exist anymore. We are seeing the faces of our neighbors who are searching through rubble for what remains of their lives. The task of rebuilding is monumental, and it is far too large for any one person or group to tackle alone.

People are walking for days trying to find food. Business owners have fled towns because of the looting that has started as people have become desperate. We are currently experiencing a humanitarian crisis.

Specifically, how the money will be spent:

1.) Provide families with homes - We have to buy zinc, nails, plywood, windows and tarpaulins. People are sleeping under wrecked bus stops, covering themselves with zinc as they have nowhere to find refuge.

2.) Tanks - There is no water supply. We would like to distribute tanks to communities and truck water in so people can drink water, bathe and have proper sanitary convenience.

3.) Communities that are cut off need heavy machinery to clear roads so relief supplies can be brought to marooned communities. To rent equipment like this is an average of US $500 per day! There are dead people in communities that cannot be moved due to lack of access to road networks. The death toll continues to rise as people cannot access hospitals. We are also buying chainsaws to hand out in communities for people to help with clearing the roads.

4.) Baby formula - Baby food is expensive and not the norm in a care package, so many babies are currently malnourished and without food.

5.) Gas - Gas has become gold. Power lines are decimated, and it will take years to replace the infrastructure. As such, hospitals, homes, and businesses are running on generators. We want to supply shelters with this to help out in communities as 70% of Jamaica is currently without electricity.

It will take YEARS for Jamaica to rebuild, but we are a resilient people, and one of our most common sayings is, "Once you have life, you have everything," which means no matter how hard the situation, once we are alive, we can fix it.

I am Brittany Ffrench, a director of KW Jamaica Cares, trying to help agents and families who have lost everything. We are helping shelters, communities, hospitals, and schools.

Help KW Cares help Jamaica.

#hurricanemelissa #jamaica