Hi friends, name is Kameish, and I am originally from a coastal village in Jamaica. I have many early childhood memories of the place, before moving to the U.S. as a little girl. A large majority of my extended family live in Jamaica, including my dad. Unfortunately, they reside in areas of Jamaica that were hit the hardest by Hurricane Melissa, the strongest in Jamaica's history. As you can imagine, this has been devastating for our family. The photos and videos I’ve seen of my childhood community have been unrecognizable and extremely heartbreaking. I've shared some for you here.

My family’s home is in a fisherman community along the coast of Jamaica, known for its agriculture, beaches, and laid-back atmosphere. For many of my cousins, aunts, and uncles, the sea, livestock, and crops are many of their main source of living. With these losses, they now face immediate hardship and the need to rebuild. The challenge of being a rural community often means that aid could be delayed for longer than expected.

Their immediate needs right now are for clean drinking water, food, clothing, and hygiene. To provide help, my mom is currently working to ship barrels of items to our family containing these necessary items and other long-term sustaining items such as water filters. If you would like, you may contribute by donating to this fundraiser. Your support will go toward the cost of purchasing, shipping, and transporting these items directly to my family over the next couple of weeks.

At the moment there are limited updates I’m able to receive. Electricity is not expected to be restored to my family's area until mid-November. Once I have any updates, I will share them here.

I appreciate everyone who has been checking on me and my family. These past few days have been emotionally challenging. I want everyone to know that your care and concern mean a lot. And of course, your prayers are invaluable. Please continue to keep my family in your prayers and the entire island of Jamaica.

“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea…” Psalm 46:1-2