Help Us Repair Homes After Hurricane Melissa

Who We Are & Why We’re Doing This

We are Sian and Ian, and we live in Nunhead, South-East London. Over the last few years, we’ve spent time in Jamaica connecting with family, making friends, and getting to know communities across the island. During that time, we formed many meaningful relationships — two especially strong ones with Montana, a teacher from Hanover, and Kimberly, who is an accountant we met through a growing project, born in St. James, Kimberly had lived in Grand Cayman and the U.S. before moving back to Jamaica last year.

In October 2025, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa tore through the Jamaica. Montana, Kimberly, and many of our other friends and family saw their communities devastated. Hearing first-hand accounts of roofs ripped away, walls destroyed, homes flooded, and lives reduced to rubble, we knew we had to do something. Montana and Kim were both desperate to find the best way to help their communities recover — and together we began building a plan.

What We Want To Do

We created Help Rebuild Jamaica, a community-driven project to repair roofs, rebuild homes, and make them safe so families can return home and begin rebuilding their lives.

Our Connection to Those We’re Helping

We are in direct contact with households who were severely affected by the hurricane, mostly in Hanover and St James. These are our neighbours, friends, and extended community. Many of these families have no safety net, no insurance, no paperwork, and no means to rebuild alone. Some have even lost their income sources along with their homes.

Montana and Kimberly, supported by local volunteer tradespeople, are already out in their communities identifying the most vulnerable families, assessing damage, and verifying needs. Now we need your help to begin rebuilding.

What Your Donation Pays For

We are seeking support to pay for materials and labour to carry out urgent home repairs. Every pound raised goes directly into Jamaican communities by funding:

Roof repairs

Replacement of damaged timber, zinc, blocks, or structural materials

Securing walls and foundations

Installing watertight coverings

Essential safety repairs

Paying local tradespeople a fair wage

Purchasing supplies from Jamaican businesses (supporting the local economy)

Your donation rebuilds homes and supports local livelihoods.

No funds will be used for UK volunteer travel, administrative expenses, or personal benefit. Every home repaired will be documented with before-and-after photos for full transparency.

Our Mission: Local Skills, Local Leadership, Real Results

Help Rebuild Jamaica delivers practical, fast, and transparent home repairs for the most vulnerable — done the Jamaican way: through community.

Local Jamaican Team (On the Ground)

Our small but determined volunteer team is already:

Identifying and visiting affected households

Assessing damage and verifying eligibility

Collecting documentation and photos

Prioritising families by urgency

Pricing materials and sourcing supplies

Vetting trusted Jamaican builders and labourers

They are deeply committed to helping their communities recover with dignity.

UK Coordination Team (Remote Support)

Our UK team (currently just the two of us) handles:

Fundraising and donor communication

Budgeting and administration

Project monitoring and reporting

Purchasing coordination and oversight

Ensuring every penny is accounted for

Together, we operate as one transparent, community-driven team.

Our Goals

Immediate Goal (Now–Christmas)

Get as many families as possible back into safe, livable homes before Christmas. We believe we can get 20 families home for Christmas maybe more — but only if donations come in quickly.

Ongoing Goal (2025 and beyond)

Continue repairing homes for as long as donations allow.

This is not a one-off project — it is a sustained, long-term rebuild.

Who We Prioritise

We focus on households that meet one or more of the following:

Elderly, disabled, or medically vulnerable

Single parents or families with young children

Homes with severe roof or structural damage

People who cannot access government or NGO support

Families recommended by trusted local leaders

Every home supported will feature before/after photos, repair details, and public updates.

Want to Get Involved?

We welcome volunteers who can help with:

Project coordination

Fundraising or sponsorship outreach

Admin, tracking, or record-keeping

Social media support

Logistics or communication

If you feel a pull to help — from anywhere in the world — we’d love to hear from you.

Be Part of the Rebuild

This project exists because communities asked for help — and because we believe every Jamaican family deserves a safe place to sleep, raise their children, and rebuild their lives.

Your support will:

Restore roofs

Rebuild homes

Strengthen communities

Bring hope back to families who have lost so much

Please donate, share, and stand with us.

Help Rebuild Jamaica.